Show TWENTY WOMEN WOMEN SOLDIERS OF THE WORLD I i No 10 MADAM LORETA LORE A JANETTA J TTA VELASQUEZ I l In Paris at the Petites a charitable institution In the month of January 1811 the oldest inmate lay dy dying d din dying ing in In the wasted frame of the wrin wrinkled wrinkled wrinkled kled little old woman whose face wits was drawn with pain and the wisp of or hair whitened by the frosts fro ts of winters winten no one Mie ne who had seen her in inthe int inthe the t early days cia would have recognized recognised Frances famous modern modem soldier The Theresa Theresa resa And yet this was wal all that was WItS earth earthly ly I of the once alert fearless dashing dragoon of the Ninth and Fifteenth I regiments who had bad served through the Italian Spanish and Prussian campaigns cam campaigns camI I and left a record of ot heroism on the field second to none of the woman soldiers of or the world Sans Gene was the Idol of UIt the French army for years After fter the siege stege of Marseilles lar when hen the law went Into effect which ordered all women omen from camp and the ranks a hue and cry went up from officers een and men to have Sans Gene exempted from the order and when the word won came to the eager waiting troops that their wishes had hadn been n granted the brave dragoon was lifted from her horse hore to the shoulders of the soldiers and carried In triumph around the field and the air was rent I by a simultaneous cry of or Long live Sans Gene from thousands thousand of throats But now thirty years later th tite same frivolous fickle France which stood stead Idly by b and watched the crackling flames envelope the girlish body of or the peerless Joan DArc without so much muchas as 18 s sifting lifting a finger to quench them al allowed allowed allowed lowed Sans Gene to live neglected alone atone an object of or charity for twenty years yan and finally die with no one to administer to her bel but those thoc connected with the institution which had been so long ionS her home and France considered she had liquidated her debt by b firing a R afew afew few guns over the pauper grave Guest of or Napoleon and Josephine Sans SalU Gene Gen which means ns without ceremony true to her bel nom de plume took French leave from the palace of St Cloud where she was the guest of or orthe the emperor and his beautiful Creole bride who 10 had invited her for an ex extended extended extended tended visit She had bad an instinctive dislike for Napoleon which she made little effort efort to conceal and which dated back to the siege of Toulon when he hewal was wal a major He sent her to execute a commission and on her return he impatiently looked at his watch and ald said HIt It has taken you one hour to do what have been done in fc t five minutes Off to the guard house She was released d in four hours by the I commanding officers son who had pre prevailed prevailed on Napoleon apoleon to permit her hei to go I but Sans Gene never nt er forgot the first firstI and last imprisonment in all alf her ten I years in the service Several years later when the em emperor emperOr emperor l presented her Mr to Josephine he jestingly asked her if she still sun thought a nig er which she called caned him himat himat himat at Toulon on account of oC his dark skin she frankly funky replied she ahe had no reason to change her opinion She remained only at St S1 Ck Cloud disappear disappearing lag ing with francs which Josephine had presented her She returned to Paris to her regiment reK nent and as long as asher asher asher her money lasted she and her comrades had a hilarious time The formal cere ceremonies ceremonies monies at the court of St Cloud did IUd not appeal to this democratic heroine and she no doubt mentally criticized criticised the Little Corporal C under whom site sire had bad fought for Cor a republic for Its his incon inconsistency Inconsistency Her military life lire was as one long list listor of or heroic deeds miraculous escapes and many severe sev re wounds in the cause of liberty In the Italian campaign at the battle of Savignano Savigliano she rescued a rifleman of the Seventeenth light In Infantry infantry fantry antl took him on her horse b to the hospital and while watching his liis wounds being dressed she remained too long and was captured by b Austrian hussars one of or whom recognized her heras heras as the famous woman dragoon of the enemy and they were going ito to burn her as a witch When Sans Gene learned of their plans plane she lashed of officers offles fles s and men with her tongue which according a to all alt accounts was as aa sharp sham sharps as s her sword sward calling them cowards Austrian dogs S She was as finally res rescued rescued rescued cued by the Prince d de Ligne e and sent in womans woman garb rb to her regiment te Captured bythe by the Spanish During Durant Durin the Spanish campaign she saved raved two to soldiers from drowning and arul had bad three horses boc shot hot under her hr Or making her ner way war through the Spanish possessions en route to her regiment re she was WAt captured by y the famous Ma Marino Marino Ia rino and was wa about to be shot soot r Then hen she litH was again recognized by an officer to whom she had been pointed out a 8 afew afew few fw days previous as Sans Gene ene This discovery and her coolness in the thc face of her danger aroused arou ed the admira admiration admiration admiration tion of or who spared lt her r life lite and passed PIU pa ed her over to his English allies without revealing her sex as she re requested requested quested and saying saine NI she wa was 31 an officer in order that she he might be shown more mort moreco courtesy co The English however soon BOon who she was aad forthwith imprisoned her The rhe hardships she endured whilst I a prisoner of war she dwells on at length in her b r memoirs and were atro atrocious cious clous Being released from the English prison in 1814 she returned to Paris While here heIT she sh met and married her childhoods sweetheart seeth art who bo was a gen gendarme gendarme gendarme darme Clement Sutter After eleven years of or happiness she became a aw w and her life lire from that time on was a continual struggle with poverty and III ill health brought about by the many wounds which sh she had received in the service It was about this time she slie entered the Pettes Petites Menages where she spent the remaining twenty tent years ears of or her life lite Theresa was a I born in 1776 and was the only child of or o parents She seas Mas as left an orphan when only 12 1 years of age and was sent to tomake tomake tomake make her home with a laundry man and his family In Paris When hen she site was 17 Ii her Iler mothers brother who was a soldier by profession returned from the wars to Paris Paria he be found Theresa who Q was unhappy in her home homeI I Her military record rC ord was WitS beyond reproach re reproach reproach Her frank kind manner wanner won von all around her She was quick with sword and tongue to resent nt any famili familiarity familiarity arity arit and was not long ionS In the service until site she had convinced every one that she one was amply able abie to take care of her herself herself herself self She Sh naively says in her memoirs memoir that she was never nev r fond of or the bot hot bottle bottle hottie tle tie She Site modestly refused a commis commission commission sion slon saying that she had hard enough time to command herself without commanding com commanding commanding manding others and much preferred o 0 obey rather than command She was Has with Napoleon at Austerlitz and the capitulation of Ulm She fought gallantly and after the battle of ot Jena Jens Jenson on the road to Berlin her horse fell Inn Int a ditch which caused internal in injuries inJuries injuries juries from which she suffered for years ers Sans Gene was ioas the subject of Vie Vic Victorian Vi torian drama by ly that name in which the Incomparable Be hard ignited the un of the French Frencl nation by b her brilliant Interpretation of the blunt and simple heroine and por portrayal portrayal portrayal of or the same role by Madam adam Re ReJane R ReJane Jane In this country is still fresh fre b In our memories Sans Genes lonely and pathetic death gives but another illustration of ofa ofa ofa a nations ingratitude to Its noble de tie defenders defenders fenders regardless of or sex sexTo sexTo sexTo To Sans Gene young fearless and attractive France Fr nce opened her hoc arms but to Sans Sane Gene old poor and tit ill France brushes hurriedly by It leaving her alone with her lier memories Long live Jive Sans Gene I |