New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-06-05
THE CAPTURE OF PARIS.
HOW THE vERsAILLIsTs FORCED AN ENTRANCE
INTO THE CITY-HAND-T o-HAND FIGHTING
ROUT OF THE COMMUNISTS.
frnnM DIR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

fFRoM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
PARIS. Nav Yesterday evening at o'clock
J Cen. Dombrowsk received urgent summons from the
Point du Jour quarter to make haste with succors,
be holders of positions horc very hard pressed
Both the cannonade and fuslade, from that direction
and from our immediate front at Porto de In Muette
continued to increase in warmth as went down 'no
Avenue Mozart. all the batteries OF tho VersanliS'S
were full and it not possible, had there oee
still seryiceahle guns mounted on the enceihh' W
effectively to the steady and continuous IRE OF
/ metal. Some supports were waiting for D0mnro"SA ~ %
Qum dAutcul, sheltered from the fire "hel ~
| the district by the houses on the lahu""
quay. Unpleasant tidinGs waited Dompro"sH' "No "o
rode into the Institution de ste ferne' "i' vac ~
! pied as a kind Of minor Etat Nlaoi' -,
could hurriedy gather there had been khu Vi RAINY
! No,ra, crords had crowned the shattered parts OF
| Tho enoe;nfe and lined the smashed classmates
/ between the gates Of Billancourt ana Point gu
Jour- and further northward to ana beyond tue gate
NJ ST Cloud They had held TO the positions with CON
Siderable tenacty under terrible fire, but had been
driven back with severe loss occasoned mainly by the
close and steady shooting of the Versast preaching
batteries about Bouogne and the batteries at Brimbo
ron The gate OF ST. Cloud well as that of Point du
Jour- had like that of Bancout fallen into the hands
of the Versaists who, having occupied the encene IN
force and the adjacent houses behind It, were detacng
strong parties to reconnoer up the Rues LemaTos and
Wv"
railway, but had been driven back
DombrowsBd smiled as the was communicated to
him and thought of his second line of defensc, and
| of his assurance that the situation not com
promised" BY this time it nearly o'clock and it
seemed TO me that the Vcrsaiss must have got cannon
on to the ence the fire came so hot and heavy about
and into the Institution de Ste Perine. DOmbrOwsh
and his staff very active and daring and the heart
of the troops seemed good There cheering at
and fha trnO
chieny-of francstireurs and men dressed IN
| a Zouave dress, far as / could see
| in - the eloom-were moved brskly up into
the Rue de Ia Municpalite. couple Of guns-1eld
guns fear-were cot into position on the Circular Rail
way the left Of the Rue de la Mqnicpate and undei
their cover, the infantry debouehed with rush oi
cavalry saw only few scattered pieRets Soon there
wasa fearful REORGANIZATION the result OF hot ana
close infantry fire that seemingly from over wall
which learned bounded the Cmetere des Pauyres.
The Federals broke right and left. Some made round
the corner of the de Michel Ange (which bounds the
cemetery on the right under the leadership or young
staff officer whom had noticed in the Chateau dc Ia
Muette at dinner time There was close fusilade ana
attempt which partly successful to storm enc Gem
etery taking IL on three sides. 1t was said that DOM
browsh himself headed the direct attack but tine local
y was too warm 10 satisfy myself quite fuy on
this point. Meanwhile there seemed to be almost manu-
to-hand fighting going all around in the space ne
incessan whistle and paer of the bullets and the yes
and oursng of the men, not few of whom owed what
courage they displayed to profuse batons Every now
and then there was cheer ana rush,
| then volley which seemed 10 stay
the rush, and .then stampede back under
cover BY 1O5 was obvious that the Communists had
nearly lost their courage DOmbrowsh had lost sight
Of one officer told me he had been killed in the church
yard another that his horse had been shot under him.
and that when last the daring little fellow was
fghtinga Versast marine with his sword. There came
panic in the thick of which made good my retreat
behind the second line Of Defense" which could not
easily be recognized line of defense at all. fear
Dombrowsk must have been gascOnadng. Once behind
the railway the Communists held the new ground with
stubbOrnness. One two attacks were made by de-
tached parties Of Versaists but their fire gradually
died away, and after IL O'Clock the quetness had
become SO great that thought the work was over for
the night and that DOmbrowsk anticipatons had been
realized.
The pause was deceptive The versaillists must have
simplv held their hands for time to make the blow
heavier when it should fall. No doubt they had their
combinations TO execute elsewhere, and were pouring
into the area between the eeene and the Circular Rail
way While they doing this. they were also pack
ing the thoroughfares with artillery We could hear in
the distance in our the general march beaten.
staff officer who spoke English perfectly, and who was
as black as negro from powder and smoke came to
where lurked. and told me how he mistrusted the
pause and feared that the supreme hour had come at
last The supreme hour had come. 1t was o'clock in
the morning Suddenly fierce fire opened on the rail-
way Showers of shell poured upon 1t and nits vicinity
and upon it hail of musketry battered. The Commun
lists did essay reply, but il was extremely weak Iheh
there suddenly came the wind the din of sharp firing
from the north. heard some shout, We are sur
rounded the Versasts pouring in by The gates OF
Auteu, Passy, and la Muette!" This was enough A
mad panic set in. The cry rose OF Sdure Qia psW,
| mingled with other shouts. Nous SoHmeS traits
| Arms and packs were thrown down and every one
bOted the top of his speed, the officers leading the
| way. 1 came on party-a little detachment of
francs-tireurs-standiDg fast behind the projection OF
house and calling that all their chiefs had away
and left them. Whether this the regards the
higher commanders cannot tell. do not think Dom
browsh or any of his staff were the men TO run. But
certainly none of them TO be There cry
too that there was invasion from the SOUTH and
men surged and struggled and blasphemed confusedly
ND the QUAY in their confusion shot and shell even chas
| ing them as they went. In the extremity of panic
mingled with rage, men discharged their pieces indis
crmlnately and struck each other with their guns
lean hardly tell how to be on the Avenue du Roi
de Rome, at about halfpast five in the morning
my watch had run down. The battery had been carried
off Looking down the Boulevard de rEmpereur saw a
battery OF artillery coming up it at walk few
corpses of Communists lying about the battery.
These troops advancing with elaboration so equabe
were MacMahon's coming into the Iroeadero did
not wait for Them made for side street toward the
Champs Eys6es came out in the beautiful avenue,
| about midway between the Arch of Triumph and the
Rond Point and there stood several battaons of sol
ders in red breeches They packed there seemingly
az densely as the Bavarans had been on the LIST Of
| March, but they not so pacific. There was no
firing from the big barricade at the Place de La
Concorde end of the Tuleries gardens but National
Guards were showing about it, and now and then making
| chn.o of no
very deliberate and made quite of their ground be-
fore advancing They had field battery in action just
below the Arch, which swept the Champs Elysees very
several shells eYnnde ahnnt the Place de