Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-02-25
Cuuq,rs CIarksburs Registst
SECRET HISTORY OF NAPOLEoN's
COUP D,ETAT.

We give the following interesting mar.
rative Of the concoction and successful
execution Of the coup d'etat of December
ed, by which Louis Napoleon surprised
France and the world. Its source is NJ.
Granier dc Cassagnac's piquaut Com
plete and Authentic Account Of the Events
of December, 1851" The greatest mar
vel about the matter is that such extern
sive and complicated arrangements could
be kept SO completely secret for fifteen or
sixteen days.
In the middle of November the Prssi-
dent yet remained master Of his actions
in few months it would have been too
late for him and every body else. He re-
solved to "save the country" Three
men, the con6dants of his idea-General
de St. Arnaud, Minister At War; NJ. de
Morny, representative Of the people; and
NJ. de Maupss. Project of Police, Louis
Napoleon exposed to them the design he
had formed, and asked for their concur
renee. They all three promised it to him
M. de Morny for all the responsibility
to encounter as Minister of the interior,
II. de st, Arnaud, for the military opera.
tions. NJ. de MNupas for the action Of the
police.
During more than fifteen days these
three men planned with the President all
the details of this immense act, an act
which is not equalled by the 18th Bru-
MARIE either in difficulty, ability or great
ness. The most minute things were
foreseen, concerted, detailed, prepared.
with such marvellous secresy, that the
friends most to be relied upon, the agents
most necessary, had not a suspicion Of
what was to be done before the final mo-
ment for action arrived.
The simultaneousness of all the mea-
sures TO be taken was evidently the frat
condition of success, The principal of these
measures were four in number; the ar
rest of guilty or dangerous persons, the
publication of the official proclAmations.
the occupation OF the palace of the Ma
tional Assembly. and the distribution of
troops upon all the points judged necessa-
ry, The hour of quarter past six in the
morning was the hour fixed upon for the
Simultaneous execution Of all these mea-
sures, 1t was necessary that the plan
should not be divulged by anybody, or
become known Peicemeal, but that it
should burst forth at once in its entirety,
and be at the same moment successful.
AT quarter past six the arrests we're eff
fected at half past six the troops were at
their posts and at seven the decree for
the dissolution and the proclamation were
spread over the walls of Paris.
At half past six, NJ de Morny took
possession Of the Ministry of the interior
accompanied by ESQ of the Chasseurs de
Vincennes, and RENTED to NJ, de Tho
rigny letter. in which the President
thanked him for his services, and inform
ed him Of the steps he had taken,
NJ de Belyele. the Presidents orderly
officer, was instructed to Guperintend the
printing of the proclamation, and the com
positors had been kept at the national
printing Office for special service. AT
eleven O'Clock the director of the printing
Office WAS sent for, and at midnight the |
establishment was surrounded by gen.
darmes; sentries were Immediately placed
At every door and window, and then, and |
not till then, did NJ. Belvele produce the
documents which had been confided to
him, the printing of which he superinten-
ded himself. and remained until their i'm.
preston was completed, and then carried
them to the prefecture ofpolice.
The persons of whom the police were
to render themselves masters were of two
kinds-the representatives more or less
mixed up with the absolute conspiracy.
the chiefs of secret societies and the COM
manders Of barbados. always ready to
execute the orders Of the factions. Both
had been for q fortnight under the surveil-
lance ofinvisible agents of the police, and
not one Of those agents suspected the real
object of his mission, having all rcceiv-
ed orders for imaginary purposes, The
whole number of persons to be arrested
was 10, of whom l8 were representatives
and so chiefs of secret societies and of
barrsades, The 800 sergents de willie
and the brigades of surety had been kept
at the prefecture ofpolice on the LIST Of
December, until II o'clock at night, un.
der the pretext Of the presence in Paris
of the refugees in London. At half past
3 on the morning of the ed. the officer of
peace and 40 commissaries of police were
convoked at their houses. At half past
four all had arrived, and were placed in
small groups in different apartments, for
the purpose of not exciting suspicion.
AT Ave o'clock, all the commissaries
went down separately into the office of
the Project, and received from him com,
munication Of the simple and entire truth,
with the necessary indications and or
ders. The men had been selected with
special care for the duty to be confded
to them, and all went away full of zeal
and ardor, resolved to accomplish their
duty At any price. None failed in his
promise. A great number of carriages
prepared in advance, were stationed in
groups on the qusys in the neighbo-hood
of the Prefecture Of Police. so as not to
excite suspicion, The arrests had been
so arranged between the Project of Police
and the Minister of War that they should
Precede by quarter of an hour the arri-