The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-03-25 00:00:00

THE EXECUTION OF GENERALS I. ECOMTE
AND THOMAS.
The Soir gives the following particulars of the
murders of General Resonate and General Cl went
Thomas :

Arrested at the moment when his troops raised the butts
of their muskets in the air, General Lecumte was at hrt
taken to the Château Rointe, where he war required to elan
an engagement not to lift his sword against Paris, to which
he assented. its an. then required to send orders to those
of his troops who still remained at their poste to return to
their planers, which he did. Soon afterwards he was taken
to the Rue des Rosters, where he had to undergo an exami-
nation, but by whom or of what nature was the inquiry, or
In what form the judgment wan pronounced, no one knows;
the end of it was that he was removed from No. 6,
Rue des Rosters, taken Into an adjoining garden, plaued
with his back against a wall, and shot. It appears,
from the accounts of those who take credit for having
assisted at this tragedy, that the General maintained
his firmness to the last. When he reached the fatal
spot he was visibly moved upon beholding the corpse of
General Clement Thomas, who had just before been slain.
Being Lonmelled to pass before the body he uncovered, and
then, calmly replacing his kepi, he faced towards the firing
Party with uplifted head aoil folded arms. A few seconds
later be lay lifeless ',beide his colleague. General Thomas,
who was arrested subsequently to the seizure of General
Lee mite, had been este Ned to ill-treatment by the furieus
crowd. lie, too, was taken to the Rue de It ellen, where an
impromptu tribunal was established. his la said to have re-
plied haughtily to the questions that were addressed to him,
and when violently dragged from Ids seat to be taken to the
place of execution he struggled violently, not to escape, but
to free himself from the Realm of those who had apprehended
him. Being plaoed and fastened against the garden wall, he
was, we are assured, shut Indesall, only falling dead at the
seventh shot.

The following account by an eye-witness, is also fur-
'dolled by the Correspondent of The Tintes

" Having heard that one of his former aulee.de-camp had
been seized by the insurgents, General Clement themes
determined to look after him, and with that object reached
the Blace rigalle about five o'clock Ile was in plain clothes.
One of the insurgents having recognized him by him full
white beard, went up to him and said, ' Are you not General I
Clement "'homes?" No ! wax the first reply. 'I do not
think I am mistaken,' said the insurgent, 'though you are
easily recognized by your bearo." Well, suppose it iii,'
replied the General firmly, what then? Have I not
always done my duty r You are a wretch and a traitor,'
said the Insurgent, seizing the old mau by the collar.
inhere came to his all, and they drugged the
Geueral towards the Rue des Rosier., where the
Central R.Ppuldlean Gommittee of Montmartre held its
sittings. The fate of the unfortunate Clement Thomas was
decided off-hand. At six o'clock a body ef National Guards
charged with his execution led him into the Garden. he
that trying moment the old General evinced the most
heroic composure. He stood upright, facing his exam-
Honore, and holding his hat In his hand. Instead of thing
upon him by a platoon volley, as Is the ruilitaiy custom, his
executionere fired upon him one after another. As
each hall struck, the body of the victim became con-
vul.ively agitated, but still remained firm In its place
as a statue. After the fourteenth shot the General was
still erect, looking fixedly upon Ms executioners, mid yet
, holding his hat. At last the fifteenth ball struck him
beneath the right eye and broneht him to the ground.
I General Lecomte was brought to the same spot soon after-
wards. He was very pale, kept his hand half folded upon
his cheat, and muttered a few words of protest. The firing
party In his case was composed of soldiera of the 88th Regi-
ment of the Line. 'llls thy torn,' they cried ; • thou gayest
the order to fire upon the people.' An instant later and
General Lecomte had fallen dead. A lieutenant of the
2.l3dth Battalion present at these massacres eould not refrain
from exclaiming, to shoot tbem without hearing them, It is
too horrible.'"