The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-05-07 00:00:00

be ,itou*ibge o)seder.

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 1870.

THE PLOT TO ASSASSINATE THE
EMPEROR.

The Emperor of the French would almost
seem to bear a charmed life. Over and over
again attempts have been made to assassinate
him, but he has always escaped, and on eatith .c-
-casion he has made political capital out of the
failure. The last attempt to murder him is the
subject of many confused and contradictory
statements, but that there has been a conspiracy
to assassinate him is beyond question. The
Aurnal hfficiel, which bears out its name, gives
us an official outline of the affair. From this it
appears that a day or two ego a man, named
Raure, was captured in Paris. He had about
him a sum of money, a loaded revolver, and a
letter dated from London, and writteu by one
of the men most deeply compromised hi the plot
of February,- who it is stated is Gustave Flon-
rens, who attempted to get up an emenir at the
funeral of Victor Noir, Prince Bonaparte's vie-
Flourens escaped to London, and some
most violent letters of his have appeared subs°.
quently in some of the French papers. But to
revert to the officitd account, it is further stated
that this letter and the .ivowals of Genre prove
that he had come to France with the intention
of assiasinating the Emperor; that other per-
ilous were arrested; and that at the residence of
one were found a case of bombs, a quantity of
explosive powder, and t'ue receipt for its prepa-
ration ; and that the conspiracy seems to be
connected with the plot into which the inquiry
is now drawing to A close. From iudependent
accounts we gather that the French and English
police have long been in communication on the
subject of some intended plot, and that when
Baure left London for Paris the fact was home •
diately telegraphed from one capital to the
other. The letter found on him urged him to
spare no expense, and to accomplish the deed at
once. He is a condemned deserter, and the
wonder is that he had the hardihood to appear
in Paris at all, but he seems to be a poor tool in
the hands of more clever and designing men.
It is said that he and some accomplices were to
dress themselves as soldiers. present a petition
to the F.ltiperor, anti shoot him as he was read-
ing it. It is really difficult to believe in such a
foolhardy errand as this which most speedily
have ended —whatever the result to the Empe-
ror—in the capture, imprisonment, and guillo-
tining of the conspirators. Probably the extent
of the articles seized at the lodging of Roussel,
one of the apprehended conspirators, is exagge-
rated. It is said that 30 bombs of the most
destructive character. 400 cartridges, and a
quantity of picrate of potash have been cap-
tured. But whether or no there is exaggeration
lucre, there is undoubtedly exaggeration in the
alleged purposes of the plotters. One Paris
journal gravely states that the whole city was to
tie blown up by picrate of potash thrown into
the drains! An attack on the Tuileries and on
the Hotel de Ville seems scarcely more probable,
but on the other band what were these explosive
tuateriala and compounds for? Of coarse the
plot to attempt to assassinate the Emperor was
but part et the scheme, and what next was to
be attempted may have been left to the chapter
of accidents.

Without speculating on the designs of men
who could coolly plan asssassination, we may
heartily congratulate France on the plot having
been discovered before any attempt could be
made to put it into execution. It is likely
enough that the French Government and the
officials under its control are exaggerating the
whole affair: it is probable enough that numer-
ous arrests have been made of persons who have
nothing whatever to do with this diabolical con-
spiracy. But we do not share the opinion that
. has been so freely expressed, that this is not a
real plot, and that an imaginary conspiracy has
been discovered just on the eve of the idekseite
, being put to the vote. It is said that something
was wanted to push Bic country people to an
1 atiirmative vote, and that that something has
now arrived. But this is simply saying teat the
Government has gut up a conspiracy against the
Emperor in order to discover it at a critical time,
which no one in his senses can believe. It is
said that this is the third plot within a year and
each has happened at some critical moment.
The first was discovered in June, at the tinie
of the elections ' • the second in February, on
the advent of the new Liberal Ministry; mid
now comes the third, on the eve of the
This is certainly rather curious at the first
glance, but these coincidences are easily expli-
cable by supposing that the political events re-
ferred t caused excitement, out of which arose
plots against the Emperor's life. The thseovery
of these plots at the time they existed is not at
all remarkable, nor is their existence at these
special periods remarkable. In a political sense
it is certainly fortunate for the Emperor and his
Government that this last plot has been disco-
vered on the eve of the nation voting on tlierh-
bio•ite. and we shall be heartily glad if this leis-
erable and cowardly plot tends thus to advance
the cause which the conspirators detest. But
it is self-evident that Baum c•iild not be arres-
ted in Paris till he arrived there, and the police
arrestet him as soon afterwards as their infor-
mation enabled them to do. We earnestly hope
that this conspiracy %via now he traced to its
sources, and teat all who are criminally implica-
ted in it will be brought to condign vanish:neut.
Meanwhile the reflection is not a pieesant one
that, as far as at present is known, the plot
se eats to have been hatched in our own country,
and that nice of the prominent agents in it is a
man who has sought shelter in London after
failing to get up an insurrection in Paris. Look-
ing at this last conspiracy as a whole, and atthe
two abortive attempts which have preceded it,
we regard them not only as without excuse, and
susceptible of no palliation whatever, but as
cruel, cowardly, and criminal in the highest de-
gree! France has nothing to gain, and every-
thing to lose, by the assassination of the Empe-
ror. We say this without being the apologists
of the entire imperial policy, bit we look upon
hint as pre-eminently the man for the situation.
France requires a firm and powerful ruler, and
she has this in Napoleon the Third. But she
also possesses in him a ruler who is gradually
edapting imperial institntions to representative
government and popular liberty.