BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

By Peter Vuono

     In 1764 the Country of France was ruled by King Louis XV. In the South Central portion of the king's domain was an area called Gevaudan. This lush remote area was inhabited by mostly uneducated peasant farmers and sheep herders. The people were devout and peace loving and unfortunately fell prey to the  the single most maleficent serial killer in history.
     The beast of Gevaudan was NOT a myth or legend. It was said to be a wolf but not a wolf. It was described as a large wolf, a lion, a hyena, a prehistoric canine( a dire wolf) or a hybrid dog/wolf.
Whatever it was, the carnage that it foisted on these people was beyond belief. From June of 1764 to June of 1767, The Beast or "La Bete Feroce" as the French called it, savaged and killed 113 people. It was non-discriminate in that it killed and devoured young children, teens and adults. There were approximately 16 decapitations in it's malevolent path and oftentimes it would rent arms and legs completely off the victim's torso. However on August 11, 1765 it would meet it's match with a petite 19 year old girl.
   Marie-Jeanne Valet was an employee of a local cleric. On this day she was crossing the River Desges with her younger sister Therese. The Beast was hiding in the bushes and lunged at the girls. Marie-Jeanne, however, had the wherewithal to carry a weapon similar to a spear with a bayonet-like blade on each end. Her instinct to protect her sister overshadowed all fear. The teen drove the spear into the Beast as it lunged impaling it in the chest. The creature howled and fell. It then lunged into the water rolling over several times before disappearing. It is interesting to note here that in October of 1764 hunters TWICE found and shot the beast with.61 caliber flintlocks accurate to 100 yards. On BOTH occasions, the beast got UP and ran unharmed!
   Thanks to Marie-Jeanne's valor, both she and her sister would NOT be one of the 113 victims of what some people thought was the Loup Garou (werewolf). It would later be killed in 1767 by huntsman Jean Chastel with a short ranged blunderbus filled with melted and blessed  silver made from medals of Mary.
   After the battle, the King's royal Gun bearer, Francois Antoine, was so impressed by Marie-Jeanne's courage that he called her "Joan of Arc". The local press labeled her "An amazon". Her greatest honor for her bravery was a magnificent sculpture done by artist Philipe Kaepplin which still stands in a church yard in Auvers France which can be viewed on the internet.
   Marie-Jeanne is entirely forgotten, until now. However, it is hoped that her story will rekindle the the wonder and awe of the human spirit when evil is pitted against our willingness to lay our lives down for our friends.


" Whence this creature came, no one knew; as to what he was, no two persons could agree; but the terror inspired by his presence was universal" Charles Dickens

EDITOR' NOTE- The writings of Gustavo Sanchez Romero and S.R. Schwalb were the main sources of reference for this short story.