HEROINE OF FRANCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 June 1941, Page 6

HEROINE OF FRANCE

GREAT COURAGE DISPLAYED. No, she was not one of the proud figures of the French Revolution. She was a maid servant —but she lived up to her motto: I serve. Her mistress was Madame Chamber!, a rich old lady of Buzancais, a small town of France. What happened was this: The winter of 1852 was very severe, and the people suffered much from poverty. Bread was costly, and folic grew desperate. At last a bell rang out, and the hungry, frenzied people began an orgy of lawlessness. They destroyed buildings for the sake of doing so, and began a horrible round of murders among the rich folk. Into one house after another they broke, killing the people within. Finally they rushed in a mad body to the house of Monsieur Chamber!. Their leader rushed into the drawingroom where the family had gathered, and there, after a terrible scene in which Monsieur Chamber!, shot the leader dead, Madame Chamber! fell to the floor. Her husband was torn to pieces.

All this time Madeleine Blanchet. Madame’s maid, refused to care for herself. She stood by her terrified mistress. She pushed her way through the screaming, fighting crowd. When swords were showered about the old. grey woman, Madeleine leaned over her, receiving the cuts meant for her mistress. Thus she succeeded in getting the old woman out of the house, but the crowd would have slain her there and then had not something about Madeleine's manner shamed them. Two men protected Madame Chamber!, and she was taken to a friend's house, where she was left in peace. To Madeleine Blanche! alone she owed her life, and late)* a French judge declared that, had 20 mon in Buzancais had her courage that lor-j rible day. the mob could have been dispersed.