The very day on which this massacre was perpetrated, in various parts of
the Val de Luzerne, the Count Christophe, Seigneur de Rora, a member of
the Propaganda, sent 400 or 500 men to surprise Rora, and put all the
Vaudois they should find there to the sword; although they were included
in the promise of Pianezza, "that no harm should befall them." This band
of assassins had reached the summit of Mont Rummer, from whence they
were about to rush down upon Rora, when they were perceived by Joshua
Janavel, who had retired there for refuge. With only seven others he
took up an advantageous position, and falling upon the enemy with
great spirit, forced them to retire; killing no less than fifty in the
pursuit. On the news of this defeat, the Marquis sent to say that
these troops had not acted under his orders, and were robbers, whose
destruction he was pleased to hear of. On the very next day, Pianezza,
notwithstanding, sent 600 men to make another attack, by the hill of
Cassulet. Janavel was again fortunate enough to discover them from a
distance, and assembled twelve men, armed with pistols and cutlasses,
muskets, or slings. This feeble force he divided, and placing a party in
three places of ambush, once more repulsed the enemy, who retired with
the loss of sixty men.
The Marquis di Pianezza had again the effrontery after this, to send a
message by Count Christophe to his vassals, to assure them that the
late attack was made by mistake, and owing to a false report; and on
the following day, a third party, of 900 men, was detached for the
destruction of Rora. The intrepid Janavel attacked them at Damasser, and
drove them back upon Bianpra, where, owing to a perfect knowledge of the
mountains, the Vaudois attacked them in their march, and converted their
retreat into a shameful flight, in which great numbers perished, owing
chiefly to the cattle and other plunder they were endeavouring to carry
off with them. The Marquis now became furious, and assembling all
the troops within distance, ordered no less than 8,000 men, for the
destruction of a village composed of only twenty-five families. Three
divisions were formed, and a rendezvous given, at which they arrived
two hours too late, except the corps of Captain Mario, who, thinking his
force sufficient, formed his men into two divisions, and attacked the
Vaudois near Rummer. These brave men had the good fortune to take up
a position where their flanks and rear were well covered, and made so
vigorous a resistance, that the enemy again retired, leaving sixty on
the field, besides others who perished in their flight. Mario himself
fell into a chasm, from whence he was extricated with great difficulty;
and when languishing under a painful illness at Luzerne, he declared
that he already felt the fires of hell within him, in consequence of the
people, houses, and churches, which he had caused to be burned. He died
amidst agonies of pain and remorse.
To return to the heroic party of Janavel, which consisted of only
seventeen persons, they soon discovered another division of the enemy on
the side of Villar, climbing the mountains to attack them in the rear,
and immediately seized on an advantageous position. The advanced guard,
sent to reconnoitre, mistook them for their own people, and approached
so near, that on firing, the Vaudois each brought down his man, which
struck so much terror into the survivors, that they fled back to the
main body, and spread such a panic among them, that the whole army
commenced a retreat. The Vaudois again followed and killed great
numbers; after which they assembled to thank God for the memorable
deliverance he had granted them.
Three days after this event, the Marquis di Pianezza, ashamed of such
ill success, sent another message to Rora, enjoining every one to go
to mass within twenty-four hours, if they wished to avoid immediate
sentence of death, and prevent their lands being laid waste, and their
houses razed to the ground.
Rather death than the mass, was the unanimous reply of the inhabitants.
It may well be imagined that the Marquis was not satisfied with it. He
now ordered 10,000 men to march to the reduction of Rora, and divided
them into three corps, one of which took the road from Luzerne, and the
others by Bagnol and Villar. Janavel hesitated not to attack the last of
these divisions, and succeeded in killing great numbers, when being
informed that the other divisions had gained the post where the
twenty-five families of Rora had taken refuge, and seeing himself
overcome by numbers, he escaped with his brave companions, into Val
Queiras, taking with him his son, who was only seven years old.
It is needless to harrow the feelings of my readers with a detail of
the dreadful fate of Rora; suffice it to say, that none of the horrid
tortures to which their countrymen were condemned on the 24th of April,
were omitted here; nearly all the victims were old or infirm, women,
and children. And lest any stragglers should ever return to their once
beautiful home, the houses were all burnt, and no vestige of cultivation
left around them.
Yet even this was not enough to glut the vengeance of Pianezza; Janavel
had escaped--and the Marquis did not hesitate to use the most unworthy
means of getting him into his power. He wrote to him, urging him to
renounce his heresy, as the only means of obtaining mercy for himself,
and his wife, and his daughters, who had been taken prisoners. In case
of non compliance, he was threatened that they should be condemned to
the flames, and that so high a price should be put on his head, that he
could not escape; in case of his capture no torture should be spared to
punish his rebellion. Janavel's simple reply was, that "no tortures were
horrible enough to induce him to abjure his faith, which the threats of
the Marquis only served to confirm; and as to my wife and daughters,"
he adds, "Providence will not abandon them; if you are permitted to put
them to death, the flames will only destroy their bodies, while their
pure souls will soon accuse you before the throne of the God of the
universe."