the children, was shot dead; but in her case they did not pursue their
vengeance any further. They then went into the open country and meeting
Pierre and Jean Bernard, uncle and nephew, one aged forty-five and the
other ten, seized on them both, and putting a pistol into the hands of
the child, forced him to shoot his uncle. In the meantime the boy's
father had come up, and him they tried to constrain to shoot his son; but
finding that no threats had any effect, they ended by killing both, one
by the sword, the other by the bayonet.

"The reason why they put an end to father and son so quickly was that
they had noticed three young girls of Bagnols going towards a grove of
mulberry trees, where they were raising silk-worms. The men followed
them, and as it was broad daylight and the girls were therefore not
afraid, they soon came up with them. Having first violated them, they
hung them by the feet to a tree, and put them to death in a horrible
manner."

All this took place in the reign of Louis the Great, and for the greater
glory of the Catholic religion.

History has preserved the names of the five wretches who perpetrated
these crimes: they were Pierre Vigneau, Antoine Rey, Jean d'Hugon,
Guillaume, and Gontanille.




CHAPTER III

Such crimes, of which we have only described a few, inspired horror in