Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1855-06-15


the French Army. "
General Pelissier, it will be recollectpd h,, NAL
our readers, acquired ali Infamous celebrity bv WI
cruel exploit which he performed in the nj, ~t
lS4o' IN sunocaung 3OO men, women, and cbilaran
OF one or the Arab tribes in a cave We cow E.
the Pantheon Populaire of Paris, the foowiIna NUN
Their apologize account of this affair ID
"lhe cave had only two entrances one abovo a.
other, 10 which an enclosed foot path led A con
pany OF grenadiers received orders to follow tM Tt
hcut route, and to arrive as soon as possible a. I
retreat OF the Kabyfes but the latter had the ajv
tage OF firing with certainty of killing the men en-
gagged in this species of ravine 1t was found naco,
sary TO abandon the attack in front.
Gan investment of the place was then tboncb, %
Famine would probably have compelled the OnIaI
Rhas to submit, but Colonel Pelissier was in bnr
to join his colleague. On the other hand there wa;
not troops sufficient TO take up permanent encamn
ment on these mountains, whe:e an insurrorl1ap
might annihilate the column; in short siege va,
not in conformity with the Colonels instructions
he had directions, at any price, to destroy the or.
| ttge attached to the retreats of the Kantara
IAN internal idea, borrowed, unfortunately, eitba,
from our civil wars or from the wars of the Snon.
iards in America had beon indicated as an extreme
measure by the governor general 1t was to teriiy
the Kabyles by threatening to suffocate them in tb
caves by fire. II was thought that in presence Of
such menace all resistance would cease After suc
ceedlng, though not without good deal of difcul.
In placing himself in communication with the deen
ders of the cavern, Colonel Pelissier threw ont tb
threat suggested by Marshal Bugeaud The Arabs
laughed at it, and one of the French flags of truce
was even killed by them.
ga commencement of the project was made, in the
idea that their Indifference only arose from the cer
tainty which they entertained that the threat would
not be put in execution Heaps of drv wood and
straw were thrown from the tops of the Kaptara in
front of the caves The Kabyles removed them &C.
cording as they were flung down. but the fire Of the
French having driven them back into the caves these
comoustl6les alter while made vast heap, to which
1t now only remained to apply the fire. No signs Of
surrender on the part of the Arabs having been made
hire was at length thrown on the pile. As if it did
not wish to associate itself with the horrors of ls
human butchery, it long refused to communicate i.
self with the horrors of this human butchery it Og
refused to communicate itself to the combustibk
masses piled by the French at the entrance of The
caverns A few Arabs escaped, and went to short
distance to obtain water. 1t was expected that ot
ers would follow them, and that the whole BODY
would then submit. This was a vain hope Just a.
the sun began to quit its zenith breeze arose which
blew directly In the direction of the entrance Of the
Dhar. The smoke began to whir and curl in the
air. the names burst forth, and were drawn by the
current into the caverns. Many thought that the
Arabs had fled by some secret issue, or at least tia,
/ they had found retreat where the fire could not
e reach them. This state of uncertainty lasted all
, night.
$ -, " At daybreak company, composed partly Of ar
tlllery and PARTLY of engineers, received orders to
: penetrate into the caves A melancholy silence
broken by distant means, prevailed there. At TIT
entrance, the animals, whose heads had been covered
over to prevent them from seeing or making nose
lay half reduced to cinders Then were beheld fear
f tul groups which death had seized upon Here
mother had been sufocated just as she was defend
ing her child against the fury of bull, whose horn
she still held, and whom the fire had stiApd at III
/ same time To add to the horror of the scene, t5
NAKED corpses poured forth their blood by the mou
and by their attitudes altested the dreadful cbara
OF the death struggle. Here, two spouses, or tg
lovers were locked in each others arms. Newbn
cn5oren lay amongst the chests and the provision
F and in other places were concealed in the carmen
OF the mothers In fine, scattered in eyerv ,rectt
8 were to be seen muiatei masses of human fs
trampied under foot during the struggle of the ns
r ana forming altogether sort of human ragout."