The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-12-17 00:00:00

THE FRENCH CRISIS.

ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE M. FERRY.

Particulars of the attempt on the life of M. Ferry,
ex-Premier of France, are furnished by the Paris cor-
respondent of the Daily Telegraph : About two
o'clock on Saturday afternoon the ex-Mirrister, while
preparing to go to his seat in the Chamber, received
a card of M. Edouard Serve's, which had been stolen
from that gentleman. On it were written the words,
"I am a Lorrainer ; I want to speak with you.—
Signed, AIIBERTIN." M. Ferry put the card in his
pocket, and went into the Chamber. Aubertin
then went to M. Tony Revillon, whom he saw
in the rotunda or vestibule of the Chamber, and
asked him to be good enough to tell M. Ferry
that he was waiting to see him. M. Itevillon
complied with the request, and shortly afterwards
M. Ferry appeared in the vestibule and Aubertin
was pointed out to him by a door-keeper. M.
Ferry being told by the fellow that he had an im-
portant letter for his perusal, withdrew to a window
to read the paper handed to him. While he was
engaged in doing so Aubertin pulled out a revolver
and fired three shots in succession at the ex-Minister.
There was tremendous excitement in the vestibule as
soon as the detonations were heard. The place was
crowded with deputies, journalists, and visitors to the
Chamber at the time. Some ran for safety up the
staircases leading to the telegraph offices and the
galleries. In the meantime M. Ferry was seen look-
ing very pale, his hand on his breast, and leaning on
the arm of M. Duval, a deputy, while two journalists
held him up from behind. In reply to the anxious in-
quiries of friends and political foes M. Ferry feebly re-
plied that very little was thematter with him. Aubertin,
after having accomplished the dastardly deed,
shouted out like a maniac, "1 am a Lorrainer ! Viva
la EASpublique ! I have saved France ! " He also
added that he belonged to an association of 20
persons who had sworn to kill M. Ferry. The man
was arrested by the military commandant of the
Chamber, and he was taken to the Questure between
two doorkeepers, who prevented him with difficulty
from being beaten to death by the people who were
in the Salle de Pas Perdu!. M. Ferry received
medical aid in one of the offices of the Chamber,
where it was discovered that two only of the bullets
had hit him, one in the breast and the other in the
side, just over the right hip. Luckily neither of
the wounds is serious, but M. Ferry had a
narrow escape, as Aubertin is a good shot, and had
taken deliberate aim at his heart. It was stated on
Sunday that the bullet which struck M. Ferry in the
breast caused a contused wound without perforating
the skin. Nothing is said about the wound in the hip,
which, it appears, is a mere scratch. Complete quiet
was immediately prescribed, and the sufferer was
taken home to his residence, in the Avenue de l'Alma,
in M. Floquet's carriage. M. Ferry was able to go
up to his appartement, which is on the thiri floor.
Madame Ferry was not at home at the time, and she
only heard of the bad news about four o'clock, when
the hawkers of the afternoon papers were shouting it
out in the streets. She immediately hurried home,
in terrible suspense, but found consolation in the fact
that her distinguished husband was completely out of
danger.