The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-01-20
The Paris Sensation.


The Paris sensation in regard to Prince
Pierre Bonaparte and his luckless victim, NJ.
Victor Noir, OF Rochcforl's -Marsealaise, is
due to political circumstances. Both par
ties. we doubt not, were utterly worthless.
The only misfortune to French society is,
that they had not destroyed each other, after
the example Of the Kilkenny cats.
Prince Pierre is what is known in Paris as
a ';mauraiS sujet.n His morals have al
ways been bad. His conduct in Algeria laid
his bravery under suspicion. And recently
he has efiectually put himself in Coventry
by marriage with lady of the demi-
monde. This alliance afforded occasion for
q spicy article in the Marseillaise, which in
duced the worthy Pierre to challenge Al.
Rochefort. But this gentleman preierrlng
for the present to fight the Bonapartess with
other weapons than pistols, turned over the
business to his colleague, NJ. Goussec. The
arrangement was that Grousset should send
a counter-challenge to Pierre alleging rs It's
ground the appearance OF defamatory az
ticle in little paper Of which the latter is
either the parent or the sponsor. Then the
friends of Groussct-two OF them, Tor the
enterprise was as risky as it was farcical-
waited on Pierre anu fell into an alteration
with him, which ended in q resort to pistols,
both parties being armed. Thus NJ. Noir
came to his end, and NJ. Rochefort obtained
a new text for his philippics against the
murderous Bonapartes, the tyrants ofFrance
the. COrsican assassins, &c., &c.
That such brawl should have disturbed
Paris and endangered the Empire, as our
kilograms of yesterday show, is one OF the
most singular circumstances in the history
of that tickle and cxctable, yet polished
people. The conduct of Prince Pierre was
bad enough, and yet was not without exten-
uating circumstances. Whatever. his wife's
career had been. before he made her the mis-
tress OF his palace, she could look for pro-
lection only to him, when she was insulted
and pilloried in the iMa''sealaiSe. And the
French code of honor, relic OF barbarism,
indeed, yet still potent in Paris, constrained,
Pierre to send challenge to the responsible
editor of the llarseQ2aise, who is NJ. Roche
fort, and not NJ. Grousset. The interven-
ton of the latter in the case was itself an
insult. And The grounds of the counter
challenge were palpably absurd Instead OF
man Of social position, whom he had Sc
ected as his antagonist, the Prince was con-
fronted by a nobody-a Bohemian, whose
daily bread was defamation, and yet who,
iorsooth, alleged it as grievance that could
only be washed out by blood, that he him
self had been DETAINED. The -MarSe0.aise,
like the Lanterne, is one of the fon!est sew
ers of Paris. No wonder, then, that Grous-
set sent two friends instead OF one, to bear
his missive to the Prince. And no wonder
that the insulted Pierre, who has not the
meekness OF Moses, should have been trans
ported into frenzy of rage.
The only wonder is that the French peo-
pie do not turn their Indignation against the
lMarsehlatsc, whose popularity is o disgrace
to them. 1t is the accredited organ of scan
dal A paper whose columns are charged
from week to week with lbels upon Napo-
leon, upon the extravaganza of his wife,
upon the virtue Of his mother, upon the do
mestic affairs of his cousins, and upon the
morals of the ladies of the Imperial court,
is unworthy the support of generous and
q chivalric people. 1t must lead to personal
alterations and to popular tumults. 1t in
auguratcs reign of license, and betokens a
reign of blood. NJ. Rochefort need not talk
about Corsica, when he carries under his
cloak of democracy dagger keener than
any that was ever welded by an Italian ban
dit and while it is his daily business 10 de-
stroy not in sudden heat and passion, like
the guilty Prince, but in cold blood, what
all men hold dearer than life itself.