My aunt, Deloris “Dee” Johnson, was a fearless woman. I don’t mean that she was always getting in dangerous situations, but then again, she had stood up against all 5 feet (in her tall days) of her mom, Hattie Byer. That may not sound like much, but my grandmother was not a woman to be messed with. Once when grandma and her family of a husband, George Byer and their nine children were washing the dishes after dinner…something that was a big undertaking with that many kids, the children were all arguing. Siblings have a tendency to do that, and these kids were no exception. The noise level in the kitchen grew louder and louder, until Grandma could stand it no longer. Grandma yelled over the roar, “Alright, that is enough!! I don’t want to hear another peep out of you kids!!” When Grandma put an end to an argument, her kids knew that was the end of it, but my Aunt Dee, just couldn’t resist taking just one more chance. So, as all the children stood there working quietly, Aunt Dee assessed the situation and made a decision. Over the silence in the room, came a quiet little voice saying, “Peep.” The other children stood there with their mouths collectively touching the floor, thinking…”She is a dead girl!!” You just didn’t cross their mom…not is you wanted to live!! The kids waited to see just how bad the punishment would be, but Grandma, try as she might, couldn’t help herself. She burst out laughing!! Of course, everyone else started laughing too, and the argument was over. It was such a simple little tension breaker, and it had been executed perfectly. I sure wish I could have been there to witness that one.
While Aunt Dee could be feisty, she was also very loyal to those she loved. In fact, that is likely one reason she might lash out at someone. She did not like things that were unfair, whether it was friend, foe, or family. She wasn’t a bully, but she was a person who wouldn’t take any “guff” from anyone. In fact, that was really advise that my grandpa, George Byer gave to all his kids. He was Aunt Dee’s dad, and he always gave sound advice. So, Aunt Dee acted when she saw unfairness, even to the point of telling someone to get out and stay out. And they knew to listen, because while she was normally gentle, Aunt Dee meant business when it came down to seeing justice being served in a situation.
While Aunt Dee was willing to take chances and refused to take any guff, the reality is that she was an all-around sweetheart. There really wasn’t a mean bone in her body. She had a sweet, gentle smile that warmed your heart. I always loved when she would come to our house for a visit. It was always a blessing to see her. Maybe that was because my mom, Collene Spencer didn’t get on her bad side, or that the two of them were 
really a lot alike. I rather think that was it. Aunt Dee and my mom were more than sisters…they were really good friends. They enjoyed each other’s company, and they always made each other laugh. The had very a very similar sense of humor…the goofier the better. I saw a lot of each of them in the other. My aunt was a person of many talents, moods (mostly very good ones), and ways, and we loved all of them. Today would have been Aunt Dee’s 94th birthday. Happy birthday in Heaven, Aunt Dee. We love and miss you very much.
Few things can be considered as horrific as the tragedy that happened on April 21, 1930, at an Ohio prison in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio State Penitentiary was built in 1834, had a poor reputation from the start. In 1849, a cholera epidemic swept through the facility in 1849, killing 121 convicts. A prison superintendent wrote in 1893, that “ten thousand pages of history of the Ohio Penitentiary would [not] give one idea of the inward wretchedness of its 1,900 inmates. The unwritten history is known only by God himself.” The gravity of the situation is glaringly visible to all, however.
The prison was built to hold 1,500 people, but it was almost always overcrowded. It was also notorious for its poor conditions, but it didn’t matter, because they were prisoners, and probably considered “unimportant” to say the least. On the night of April 21, 1930, a fire broke out on a scaffolding that had been set up by construction crews were working on an expansion along one side of the building. At that time, there were 4,300 prisoners living in the jail…a shocking 2800 more that the prison had been designed or approved to house. 
There were 800 prisoners in the cell block adjacent to the scaffolding, most of whom were already locked in for the night. The inmates begged to be let out of their cells as smoke filled the cell block. The guards not only refused to unlock the cells, but they continued to lock up other prisoners, according to most reports following the incident. The fire spread quickly to the roof, endangering the inmates on the prison’s upper level as well.
In desperation, two prisoners finally took the keys forcibly from a guard and began their own rescue efforts. It was too little, too late, but approximately 50 inmates made it out of their cells before the heavy smoke stopped the spontaneous evacuation. The roof then caved in on the upper cells, and about 160 prisoners burned to death. Not all of the guards were as heartless as some, and some guards did work to save the lives of their charges, but the seemingly willful indifference displayed by other guards led to a general riot. The riot became so chaotic that when the firefighters tried to get in to fight the fire, they were denied access because the angry prisoners were pelting them with rocks. By the time the fire was finally under control, 320 people were dead, 
some of whom burned to death when they are not unlocked from their cells, and another 130 were seriously injured. It is one of the worst prison disasters in American history.
The tragedy was condemned in the press as preventable, and rightly so. Some of the laws concerning minimum sentences were repealed. It was these laws that had, in part, caused the overcrowding of the prison. The Ohio Parole Board was established in 1931 and within the next year more than 2,300 prisoners from the Ohio Penitentiary had been released on parole. Of course, no one wants dangerous prisoners on the street, but no crime could make the criminal deserve such a harsh death.
As I reflect on Resurrection Day 2025, I feel so thankful that we have been forgiven. The Bible states in Romans 8:1, “[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.” Christ took all our brokenness, all our sins, all our shame, and gave is freedom, forgiveness, and the knowledge that our Father loves us, no matter what mistakes we have made, and even what evil we have done. No matter how evil man can be, and we all know that we have the ability to be very evil, when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and understand the power of His sacrifice on the cross at Calvary, we are made new, and we are forgiven.
Before we were saved, we were lost in our sin and condemned to Hell. There was no hope because the wages of sin is death, and God could not compromise that. If he had made even one exception our world would have imploded. The world was created on the goodness, holiness, and perfectness of God. To say it was ok for one person to sin and no payment to be made for atonement, would have completely compromised the very power of God that was holding our world together. So, God had to come up with a plan that could fix broken man 
without compromising His goodness and perfectness. He needed a man who had not sinned to pay for all those who did, even though He was innocent of any wrongdoing.
It would take a long time to find a man on the earth who was willing to partner with God to bring this to pass, because God was now outside of His creation looking in. God had given man the authority over this earth, knowing that it was very possible, and even probable that man would sin and mess the whole thing up. Why would God do that? It was because God didn’t want a world full of robots. He wanted a family…sons, daughters, grandkids. Truly, God is a dad, and as a dad, He knows that His kids aren’t perfect. Nevertheless, He loves each and every one of us…so much so, that He was willing to ask His son, Jesus to accept that horrific task of giving up His Godly powers and His Heavenly home to come to Earth, live a sinless life, and then be sacrificed and horribly punished anyway. Jesus was innocent, but God had to punish Him as if he had committed every single sin ever committed. The wages of sin is death, and payment had to be made, but for all of us to go free, the payment had to be made by a sinless man. There was no such sinless man, except Jesus. He was fully God and fully man, and the horrific sacrifice he made was enough. The cross was enough to redeem all mankind, and all 
we had to do was to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Jesus was enough, the price was paid, and we are finally free to have eternal life again. Lord, thank you for the atonement for my sins that you have freely given. Now I am a new creation. I have been redeemed from the curse of the law. I am no longer condemned, but an heir to the throne. I receive your salvation Lord, in Jesus’ name. Amen!!
There are people in this world who are evil, and they come from all walks of life, from all occupations, and from all religions or the lack thereof. One of those evil men was a man named John Doyle Lee, a pioneer and early prominent leader of the Mormon church in Utah. He was also a leader in the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and he was the only man ever to be punished for the 120 people who were slaughtered on September 11, 1857. On that day, approximately 120 – 150 men, women, and children in a wagon train from Arkansas were murdered by a band of Mormons set on a holy (or unholy) vengeance. This vicious massacre became known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and the story of this event continues to generate fierce controversy and deep emotions to this day.
In April of 1857, the wagon train assembled near Crooked Creek, Arkansas, approximately four miles south of present-day Harrison. They were California-bound. In addition to the people, the group included hundreds of draft and riding horses and about 900 head of cattle. When the train began its journey, it was called the Baker train, but while they were en route, it became known as the Fancher train.
This trip took place during a time of unrest among the Mormon people of Utah. President James Buchanan was receiving distorted reports of terrible activities in the state, so he sent a new governor to replace Brigham Young, the Mormon governor in office. At the same time, there were widely reported news reports that President Buchanan had ordered a large contingent of the US Army to Utah to suppress what he believed was a “Mormon rebellion.” Whether they were true reports or rumors, made no real difference, the result was the same. Tensions mounted, and it was a recipe for disaster.
Because they didn’t know who might be coming or by what means, a general distrust of outsiders and non-Mormons began, as the Mormon people feared their destruction by the federal government. Brigham Young proclaimed martial law on August 5 and forbade people from traveling through the territory without a pass. He also discouraged the people of Utah from selling food to immigrants, especially for animal use. It was into this climate that the trail weary emigrants arrived in Salt Lake City on August 10, 1857. At a critical stop, the wagon train members needed to repair their equipment, refresh themselves and their stock, and replenish their supplies. The once friendly Mormons, usually eager to trade agricultural commodities for manufactured goods, were now hostile and reluctant to trade.
As the left the city, they were told to take the southern route, because the northern route was dangerous due to Indian attacks and the potential for severe winter weather, while the southern route provided more fodder 
for their stock and was less dangerous. The train’s leaders decided to listen to the suggestions and retrace their steps and take the southern route. However, some in the group decided to continue along the path along the Humboldt River. The train was then divided with the understanding that it would later be reunited. Most of the train members headed southward, and it is believed that the group could easily have made the northern trek with little difficulty. Those who did, including Malinda Cameron Scott, her children, the Page Family, and others, made the trek and arrived safely in California in October 1857. Still, there was no guarantee of safe passage…either way.
The Fancher train moved south without a pass from the Mormons, which placed them in a very precarious position, because contact with the local settlers became more abrasive. There were rumors circulating that among the Fancher party were members of a mob that had killed Mormon founder Joseph Smith, Jr years previously. Of course, that made the situation highly explosive. The rumors grew more outlandish with each telling, and reports of gross misconduct were believed by the time the wagon train reached Cedar City. With hungry bellies and injured feelings, the Fancher train proceeded westward through Cedar City as the locals held meetings to determine what would be done about the interlopers.
As the train reached the edge of the desert between Utah and California, about 35 miles southwest of Cedar City, the wagon train stopped to rest and recuperate for several days in a meadow surrounded by numerous springs. The militia in Cedar City was growing increasingly agitated in the meantime, and they decided that the Fancher train should be eliminated. At dawn on September 7, 1857, the travelers were besieged by Mormon-allied Paiute and militiamen disguised as Indians. In an effort to make a strong defensive barrier, the wagons were drawn into a circle, nevertheless, seven were killed and 16 wounded in the first assault. The siege continued for the next five days while the wagon train resisted.
On Thursday evening, September 10, Major John M Higbee handed John D Lee orders from Colonel Isaac C Haight in Cedar City to “decoy the emigrants from their position and kill all of them that could talk.” On Friday morning, September 11, 1857, John D Lee carried a flag of truce to the encamped wagon train. Because they were low on water and ammunition, the party welcomed the militiamen, believing they had arrived to save them. The emigrants were offered to leave all their possessions with the Indians and be safely transported back to Cedar City. They eagerly accepted the conditions, and the small children and wounded were placed in the wagons. They were followed by the women and older children, who walked in a group. The men followed the women, walking alongside their armed militia protectors. After traveling about a mile and a half, Major John M Higbee rose in his stirrups and shouted, “Do your duty!” After that, all but the young children were slaughtered, either by their armed escorts or by hidden Paiute. An estimated 120 unarmed men, women, and older children 
were killed. All of the 17 younger children under the age of seven were spared. It was thought they wouldn’t remember the ordeal.
No effort was made to bury the dead, and over the next two years, foraging animals scattered the bones over a great distance. Two days after the massacre, a messenger from Salt Lake City arrived with Brigham Young’s advice to let the wagon train pass without molestation. The two wagonloads of children who had not been killed were adopted into Mormon homes. I suppose the people felt remorse, but then adopting the children whose parents they had murdered doesn’t seem right either.
Even in wartime, the public demands information…about everything. During World War II, the demand for information was being met by a correspondent named Ernie Pyle, who was also America’s most popular war correspondent. Ernest “Ernie” Taylor Pyle was born on August 3, 1900, on the Sam Elder farm near Dana, Indiana, in rural Vermillion County, Indiana. His parents were Maria (Taylor) and William Clyde Pyle. Ernie’s dad was a tenant farmer on the Elder property at the time of Ernie’s birth. As was common in those days, neither of Pyle’s parents attended school beyond the eighth grade. Ernie first began writing a column for the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain in 1935. His column was so interesting and widely loved, that it was eventually syndicated to some 200 US newspapers. The column related the lives and hopes of typical citizens, thereby capturing America’s affection. When the United States entered World War II in 1942, Pyle was a natural choice for war correspondent. His area of coverage was the North Africa campaign, the invasions of Sicily and Italy, and on June 7, 1944, he went ashore at Normandy the day after the Allied forces landed.
Pyle’s stories were different than tales of the battles the US participated in. They were always written about the 
experiences of enlisted men instead. He described the D-Day scene as, “It was a lovely day for strolling along the seashore. Men were sleeping on the sand, some of them sleeping forever. Men were floating in the water, but they didn’t know they were in the water, for they were dead.” It was a devastatingly poignant story, and that same year, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished correspondence, and in 1945 he traveled to the Pacific to cover the war against Japan.
Pyle could always be found among the men in the platoon he was covering. He wasn’t aloof, but rather he was one of them…sharing cigarettes and good conversations. Because Pyle was not military, he was able to go home when he wanted or needed to, and so he made a couple of trips home to take care of his wife, Geraldine “Jerry” when she was ill. Nevertheless, his heart was with the infantry, and so he returned to tell their story. Pyle wrote that he was especially fond of the infantry “because they are the underdogs.” To make his point, Pyle wrote a column from Italy in 1944 proposing that soldiers in combat should get “fight pay,” just as airmen received “flight pay.” In May 1944 the United States Congress passed a law that became known as the Ernie Pyle bill. It 
authorized 50 percent extra pay for combat service. Pyle was destined to leave a legacy in the world of infantry fighting, and on April 18, 1945, Ernie Pyle made his own “last stand” when he was killed by enemy fire on the island of Ie Shima. After his death, President Harry S Truman spoke of how Pyle “told the story of the American fighting man as the American fighting men wanted it told.” Pyle is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
Brian Cratty is my sister-in-law, Jennifer Parmely’s life partner. Brian and Jennifer really are perfect for each other. They are both athletic and “health nuts” which is not a bad thing. They have similar interests, and they work very hard to eat right and exercise regularly. It’s always nice to have a health partner, because each encourages the other. Brian has been Jennifer’s greatest supporter since they met, while both were working at Wyoming Medical Center. Of course, they are retired now and enjoying their retirement years with a gusto. Being retired hasn’t slowed them down one bit. They are still as active as ever.
One of Brian’s favorite places to be is at their cabin on Casper Mountain. They got the cabin when a friend sold 
it to them. Since then, they have done many improvements, taking the cabin from its primitive self to a little more modern model. Now their whole family loves to go and spend time at the cabin on Casper Mountain. Brian especially loves the bike and hiking trails that wind around the area around their cabin. An avid bicyclist, Brian could spend hours touring around the area. I think he loves the wind in his face and being surrounded by nature.
Brian loves being grandpa to Jennifer’s four grandchildren, who love staying the night with them, and just hanging out at their house. Brian is Opa to the kids, and Jennifer is Oma. They are German names for grandpa and grandma. Brian is a quiet guy, or at least he was when he first became a part of our family. I can see how that could happen, since we are quite a large group when we all get together. Nevertheless, when we needed his strength, Brian was there for all of us, and we will never forget that. Brian may be quiet, but he is also a strong man.
Brian is also a licensed pilot, having worked as a Life Flight pilot for Wyoming Medical Center. He has always loved flying and will likely retain his license for as long as he can. Still, as far as I know, he doesn’t fly as much these days. Having access to planes and helicopters away from the medical center setting might be difficult. Still, he is well able and hopefully gets to fly once in a while. Today is Brian’s birthday. Happy birthday Brian!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
Notre-Dame de Paris, which means “Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris,” often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité, an island in the River Seine, in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France. The cathedral has been through a number of renovations and repairs, but none of them was as extensive as the restoration that occurred after the fire of April 2019, which destroyed the roof and collapsed the spire and damaged priceless historic artifacts.
Since the 12th – 14th century, Notre Dame Cathedral has drawn visitors who were fascinated as they walked its aisles, got up close to the columns and statues, and explored the crypts and tombs. They could even climb the 
387 steps to the top of the cathedral to look at the spectacular Parisian cityscape. The cathedral was a Gothic wonder that has seen over a thousand years of human history, revolution, several wars, but it suffered its greatest blow in April 2019. On that day, a fire damaged the noted cathedral so badly that it destroyed the roof and collapsed the spire. It also damaged or destroyed priceless historic artifacts.
Following the fire, there would be a massive recovery undertaking. They had to close off large portions of the site to tourists. The towers and some of the site’s main treasures are still closed off to tourists, but restoration work continues with the hope of reopening those closed off areas in the future. In one of the most iconic scenes to play out, the spire was hoisted into place and its new cockerel of Notre-Dame de Paris installed in December 2023. Closing the cathedral was sad, but necessary to allow for extensive and costly repairs. The cathedral reopened on December 7, 2024, in a ceremony presided over by Laurent Ulrich, the Archbishop of Paris, and attended by 1,500 world leaders and dignitaries such as United States 
President-elect Donald Trump, United States first lady Jill Biden, Britain’s Prince William, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Pope Francis declined an invitation from Macron to attend the reopening, holding a consistory in Rome to create 21 new cardinals on that day and planning a visit to the French island of Corsica the following week. In the first month since it reopened, the cathedral brought in 80,000 people.
Located on the border between France and Spain, sits the now newly renovated Canfranc International Railway Station. Originally construction began on July 12, 1912, on the Somport railway tunnel from the French side. It wasn’t completed until 1915, due to the work having been delayed by the outbreak of First World War. The war halted the best laid plans for a time, and Construction of the station itself did not begin until 1923. It was headed by Fernando Ramírez de Dampierre, a Spanish project engineer. It was formally opened on July 18, 1928, in a ceremony in front of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and the president of the French Republic Gaston Doumergue. It was a beautiful joint effort and was destined to become much more that it was originally planned to be, although not what the Nazis would want it to be. The village of Canfranc is located in the Spanish Pyrenees. That is a location that would become pivotal during World War II, as passenger services continued during the conflict, which provided an escape route into Spain for both Jews and Allied soldiers alike. Of course, the escape wasn’t easy. Aware of these movements, Nazi agents frequently sought to intervene against passengers of interest. The resistance had to make sure that these escapees had the best quality fake passports and papers to ensure their safety. Names were changed, occupations assigned, and a brief training period would prepare the escapee for the journey that could either save or cost them their lives. Nevertheless, the chance to escape was worth the risk.
During that time, the station and the surrounding area acquired a reputation as the “Casablanca in the Pyrenees” due to its serving as a key crossing point for goods, as well as being a center of espionage for Nazi and Spanish authorities. Spain was officially neutral, but they had formed an operational agreement with the Wehrmacht, therefore freight trains carried mined tungsten northwards while French grain, as well as trans-shipped Swiss gold, was transported southwards. To me, being neutral should mean that you don’t help either 
side, but apparently, it is all about doing what profits the neutral nation, no matter who it hurts. According to Ramón Javier Campo Fraile, a Canfranc station historian, “‘In the first years of the war, from 1940 to 1942, thousands of Jews (and non-Jews) fled by train through Canfranc to Lisbon and the United States.’ Among those were painters Marc Chagall and Max Ernst. American entertainer Josephine Baker exited France through the Canfranc train station. Traveling the other way were spies that used the station to join the French resistance or pass messages to Allied contacts. But in November 1942, the Nazis took control of the area and escape through Canfranc became difficult. The station was the site of many arrests.” While it may have been beautiful on the outside, the station held many secrets. Some of them were good and others were bad.
While the station returned to normal after the war, operations there came to an abrupt halt on March 1970, when a train derailment on the Pau-Canfranc railway line demolished the L’Estanguet bridge, on the French side of the Pyrénées Mountains. The national railway company SNCF put great financial pressure on France, and the French government decided not to rebuild the bridge, which effectively forced the closure of the cross-border line. Nevertheless, the station remained open, served by just two daily Spanish trains and a handful of rail replacement buses from the French side. As a consequence of the through route’s abrupt termination, the population of the village of Canfranc declined sharply over the following years. By 2013, the station was closed except for guided tours between July and August of each year, ending in 2017.
The government of Aragon has owned the station since 2013, and it was their desire to rehabilitate the station. They planned to convert the main station building into a hotel, which meant that a new station would be built in the former freight halls to replace the old station. There have been explorations of options to reopen the through line as the “western trans-Pyrenean line” but this initiative would require the assistance of the government of Aquitaine, the adjacent French region. In February 2020, it was announced that funding from the European Union had been made available for the purpose of reopening the through line and relaunching international services.
Architects Joaquín Magrazó and Fernando Used, as of 2018 were preparing designs to transform the station building into a hotel in conjunction with the government of Aragon and the Barceló Hotel Group. As announced, the new station building was constructed behind the original one, with access provided through the hotel 
vestibule. The exterior of the old station was restored, and interior was reinforced in 2020. The tracks surrounding the old station were dismantled, and the area was transformed into roads and parks. Proposals also called for a 200-seat conference center, a branch of the regional railway museum, shops, and a pilgrim refuge, as Canfranc lies on one of the routes to Santiago de Compostela.
Wars are fought for many reasons, but few of them would seem to me to be quite as silly as the War of the Bucket. Who would fight a war over a bucket taken from a well, you might ask, and it is a valid question. Well, the proposed cause of the war is odd, but the question is valid. The actual cause of the war was said to be because Modena had captured the Bolognese castle of Monteveglio. There were two factions in northern Italy at that time, the Guelphs and Ghibellines. The factions, from the late Middle Ages to the Renaissance in northern Italy was divided supporting the rival political claims of the Holy Roman Emperor (“Ghibellines”) and the Pope (“Guelphs”). the city of Modena was Ghibelline, and the city of Bologna was Guelph. The political difference exacerbated the natural conflicts over border territories.
The War of the Bucket, also known as the War of the Oken Bucket, took place in the region of Emilia-Romagna, in northern Italy. In reality, the war was long-standing, taking place as a 300-year-long struggle between Guelphs and Ghibellines. The only battle in the 300-year-long war the Battle of Zappolino, and it was won by Modena. One common myth was that the war started because one of the Modenese citizens stole a bucket from a Bolognese well, however, that is mostly incorrect, as the bucket was, according to most accurate accounts, taken as a trophy by the Modenese after the war.
In a prior conflict that took place in 1176, Frederick Barbarossa was defeated at the Battle of Legnano by the Lombard League, which supported Pope Alexander III. That battle was the start of a protracted period of 
conflict in Medieval Italy between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. The two opposing factions constantly started wars against each other. The town of Modena was a staunch supporter of the Holy Roman Empire and pledged to be a Ghibelline city. The northern city of Bologna was a Guelph city and was led by the Popes because it supported them. The lines were clear, and there was little room for negotiation.
As the war continued, Bologna seized Bazzano and Savigno from Modena in 1296. The title deed was confirmed for Bologna by Pope Boniface VIII that same year. Azzo VIII d’Este, Marquis of Ferrara controlled Modena from 1293 to 1308 and confronted Bologna partly to bolster his lukewarm support among Modena’s nobles. The Mantuan Passerino Bonacolsi, who was an agent of Emperor Louis IV of Bavaria became his elected successor. He continued the Ghibelline war policy, with Parma and Reggio also under his power. Pope John XXII declared Bonacolsi a rebel against the Church and granted indulgences as befit a Crusader to any who could harm his person or his possessions. That was basically like sending out vigilantes to kill him. In the months before the battle, border clashes intensified. The Bolognese entered the Modenese territory and burned the fields in the section “between the canals.” In August, a Bolognese attack, headed by their podestà, found them spending two weeks ravaging other lands in Modena. In September, Mantua took its turn, and at the end of that month, the strategic Bolognese rocca of Monteveglio was betrayed to Modena by malcontents. Two renegade castellans were decapitated. The war had turned especially bloody and morbid. Nothing was considered off limits.
In November, Bologna mustered an army of 32,000 men and marched against Modena. Under Bonacolsi, 7,000 Modenese met them at Zappolino, in Bolognese territory. The Bolognese were overtaken and fled into the walls of their city, hiding in terror. About 2,000 men were killed on both sides. It is rumored that at this point, the Modenese took a bucket from a well just outside a city gate as a trophy. It was a strange trophy to be sure, but it was what they took, and apparently it was the last straw. The War of the Bucket was on.
On what became known as “Black Monday” in 1360, a hailstorm hit Chartres, France, and killed an estimated 1,000 English soldiers in Chartres, France. The storm and the devastation it caused would go on to play a part in the Hundred Years’ War between England and France. It’s an odd thing to think that a hailstorm could have an effect on a war, but we have seen other times when weather played a big part in a war or a battle. This storm would prove to be another example of that.
The Hundred Years’ War began in 1337, and by 1359, King Edward III of England was actively fighting to conquer France. That October, he took a great force across the English Channel to Calais. The French refused to fight the English and so stayed behind protective walls throughout the winter. Edward had free reign and pillaged the countryside for 
months. Then, in April of 1360, the English forces burned the Paris suburbs and moved on toward Chartres. While the army was camped outside the town, the “Black Monday” storm began. Lightning struck, killing several people, and hailstones began pelting the soldiers, scattering the horses. One soldier described it as “a foul day, full of myst and hayle, so that men dyed on horseback [sic].” Two of the English leaders were killed and panic set in among the troops, who had no shelter from the storm. I’m sure they were terrified and knew that they were going to die that day, and it wouldn’t be in battle. As the hail began, I just can’t imagine what must have been going through their minds. The kindest way to die would have been a direct hit to the head, but many of those soldiers were hit over and over to the body. The pain must have been excruciating, and death would only come after many horrific blows to the body.
The substantial losses sustained by the English were interpreted by many as punishment by God. King Edward was persuaded to seek peace with the French, leading to the signing of the Treaty of Bretigny on May 8, 1360. That treaty spelled the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years’ War. Edward consented to relinquish all to the French throne, though he was given control over territories in the northern part of the country. Hostilities resumed nine years later when the French king declared war, alleging that Edward had violated the treaty. The final phase of the Hundred Years’ War did not conclude until 1453.
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