The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-06-07
MONDAY-THE FIRST DAY.

Fighting began In the city near daylight on Mon
day morning May 20. Indeed the people Of Paris
generally were awakened by the SOUND of the firing
in the Streets and then knew for the first time that
the regular roops were inside the city, that the
HERALD despatch announcing the fact OF
THE ENTRANCE,
which left Paris at r. NJ. on Sunday night, pro-
badly announced this important event to your
readers as soon as II was known to people here 1t
was wonderful TO see the effect upon the people as
the news passed from mouth to mouth-whispered
vt first with much misglving and then with full
confidence passed from neigbbor to neighbor, the
roaring cannon In the Champs Elysees rendered 1t q
thing impossible 10 doubt. The old men and wO-
men left in charge OF houses, from which the
owners had departed for the rural districts;
the cOncier0es at the hotels and furnished
houses saluted one another out OF the windows
with an air Of gayety and CHEEKY "Ahl densi y
a qlelQste cfore d,g0urdhuf!' The old woman at
my little hotel came out and scrubbed the small
stone court with q broom and plenty OF fresh
water-a thing she has not done before this long
whilo-while the young mistress OF the establish.
ment talked TO her lately gloomy and neglected ma
caw in Zones that drew from him unusually dis
cordant screams Of sympathetic joy. But it was
otherwise with National Guard TO whom spoke
on the Boulevard, and with all the other National
Guard whom met In other places.
1--WE HAVE BEEN SOLO,
they said; 1--WE are betrayed; the reactionarY bat
tallons gave up the gates But the republic Is not
dead yet" So 1t was everywhere--the Old story OF
treason. Frenchmen, II you will believe French.
men, are fairly beaten, and what they lose is
lost by some ones treason.
RAPID MOVEMENT
Troops have been pushed in rapidly during the
night, and force was in the Trocadero another as
another in the Pare Monceaux, and still another in
the Military School and on the Champ dc Mars
Troops. say, had been pushed forward rapidly to
occupy even SO many points, but they might have
been pushed rapidly still, and sutcIent cav.
airy could between daylight and noon on Monday,
have occupied every important point In the city,
and Paris would have been spared the terrible dis
asters that have fallen upon 1t since. On Monday
early the resistance was discouraged aud dIsorgan-
lied; the National Guards were struggling away
from their baltalions win a conviction that the
cause was lost, and that individuals might as well
save all That remained TO them--thelr lives. All
that resolute courage which has since
ALMOST aLoRTFIED THE CAUSE OF TIRE Commune
with LIS desperate resistance appeared later, and
barbados at which the greatest fights were made
were not built yet by Monday noon. AT daylight on
Monday the soldiers oil Marshal Mac Manon were
building redoubt In the Champs Elysces for the
guns with which they intended to batter down the
great barbados on the Place de la Concorde, and
at that hour the rear OF the barbados was COM
pletely unprotected and could have been reached
by the Rue du Faubourg ST. tonord without firing a
shot. Shells from this battery OF Marshal MacMa-
hons. and not the Communists,
SET FIRE TO THE MINISTRY OF FINANCES
ana while It was burning the pompters,
who nastened ralsnily to their duty.
Inv fnp Nlftn
and the Guards even stopped all passcrs-by and
compelled them to help the lremcn In their attempts
70 extinguish that nrst OF the connagrations. But
Marshal MacMahon being a great soldier had TO do
thngs in formal military way, and q MS chief OF
atafr General Bore In perhaps the best tyne OF the