The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-05-23

in Conversation ne informed me that he had been
condemned to death for taking part In
THE LAST POLISH REBELLION,
but that rhe sentence had been commuted to hard
labor for life in the mines Of Siberia, where he
passed two years. Escaping by means OF money
Which he had concealed in his c0 hing, he has since
spent his time in fomenting rebellion at home and
came and offered his sword to France. his services
were accepted, and he served on General Bordones
s.at IN the United states and las Is adseH
turer seeking TO enrich himself 10y the SPOTS OF revo-
luton and civil war. The conversation turning npon
THE PRESENT CONDITION OF AFFAIRS,
he informed me that there was misunderstanding
between himself and General Cecilia, the conf
mander Of the Place de Paris, and that he had sent
In his resignation, which the Commune had declined
TO accept. lie said the position held by Cecilia was
useless one, giving rise to multiplicity and con-
tradiction Of orders and an amount OF ormalty and
red tape that seriously retarded operation and that
this rOudO3 fTtuftie should be abolished.
CoRRESPONDENT--DOe this new arrangement by
which you command the right wing and General
Wobowskl the let wing p.ease your
DoMBROwSKI-It would do very well were 1t not for
the contradictory orders emanatlng from the COM
manaer OF the place and the War ONCE, ne replied
Olcer and an excellent patriot but scarcely capable
Of commanding large army.
AN OPINION ON CLUsERET.
CoRREspoNDlNT-Wha do you think OF Cluseretf
DoMBRowsKr-He is an able man and COOL re.
GGbean a gat &c docs not not Inspire eons a,S
Change sG K Rss d Ss2tE siS fEs WILL however s
WHAT DOMBROWsKI THINKS OF THEIRS.
CoRREsPoNDENT-Wbat do you think Of Theirs
DoMBRowsKI Laughing gaiiy as he rcphed-A
weak, foolish Old man, who thinks himselr a
nm t Tor Ss snmg = Poland sna sI0 sa my
his military genius when ten you that at no time
have had more than eleven hundred men in NeuillY
that with this force opposed TO this odds re-
CONQUERED, inch by inch. IN series OF attacks q
my aa Gt Snk nen e ns Nss q
Neulliy lost after the disastrous sorIie OF the 3D.
THEY MIGHT EASILY HAVE TAKEN PARIS
that day II they possessed particle OF energy
military spirit. 1t has been Their fault Throughout
the war with the Prusslans-want OF energy, want
Of resolution, want In fact: OF fighting generals.
THE SOLDIERS or THE COMMUNE.
CORREsPONDENT-DO the troops OF the Commune
hight welfare they good sOdiers?
DoMBROwsKI-They fight well, but they are not
good soldiers In any sense Of the word. They are
individually brave, but they lack discipline and con-
good as could expect under the circumstances
You cannot expect the nravest men IN the world to
In human nature. And this has been Trochu's
men ms a no hs mat s 1nss
never would, and gave the matter up as a
hopeless task. When any number OF men
neson;e panic stricken and wish 10 run away I
send them home. They sleep day or two, get q
! few hours unbroken rest. shake themselves up,
find that after all they are not much hurt, recount
their hairbreadth escapes and return to the front
with renewed courage; and every time they 10 this
they tight better Some oil them in this three weeks
/ war have become as good as veterans Thirteen
men OF the 195th battalion held barrIcadc the other
| day against an attack Of nve hundred Versailles
troops and repuscd tncm. must confess however,
thatheir want Of efficiency has already compromised
some OF my operations, ana may do so again; not
because they are unwilling but because il Is hare,
for raw troops bring themselves 10 TO the tight
ing point when position Is TO be taken by storm.
1t takes old soldiers to do that. The other day
battalion, just fresh from Paris had demanded 10
be led to the 'front.' asked them II they would fol-
low me To the assault Of q barricade. "Oua, 0ui.
LEAD as on very wy We'll my braves 1' IG
morrow morning 10 a. daynreak wi cad you myself
up in battle array, made them speech and al.
! vanced into street occupied by the enemy. They
whistle about cars, when they all vanished INFO
| the various side streets, ana was lett with Just
forty men around me TO continue the attack. l was
not much disappointed, having anticipated it,
although would have carried The poslIion-an IN
Important one-bcsides, mad they followed me, to
show the Versailles men what could do. The
| greater part OF them have very
| CURIOUS IDEAS ABOUT THE DUTIES Or TIE GENERAL.
| soldier comes TO my headquarters and insists
upon seeing the General himself, refusing 10 tell MS
business TO any one else not even to officer Of Inc
staif. admit him, and he tells me his shoes arr
worn out or his gun is out OF order he wants Il
know where he can get some tobacco. / used to ge
very angry at these things at arsi, but soon roun,
that in an army Ike mine It was no use to put OF
airs. II IS one OF the things tnat must be submitted
To-. They are r becoinina better soldiers however
sleeping IN The parrcades TO the whlsilins OF bui
nse into them spirit OF dscpi ne there OWL woud b,
no better soldiers in the world
] CORES PONDENT-Do they feel inclined to NAL
| treat the prisoners they take2
/ DoaBROwsKI-No; they Immediately commence
irving TO convert them. and go TO discussing poll
tics seeming TO forget, for the moment their re-
spectIye positions. The Others on their part, are
generally easily converted, rs by that means they
| RETALIATION CONDEMNED
| CORES PONDENT-DO you believe In retaliation FOR
| the shooting OF prisoners?
| DoMBRowsKI-No. II Is a barbarous thing; and
elect, do not believe It Will he carried ou ~ ' We
shall leave the shooting Of unarmed prisoners to Tux
saves. Besdea, not being sn1i Fsenchm imam
my position Is 4 delicate one, and could not do i
saa to be in The Versailles army. It WIN proDaOl,
| that is crime can never forgive.
| REPORTS FROM TIE FRONT
spite OF inc arnstlce the Versailles troops were Al
work strengthening Their positions and throwing ny
lnronchnsnts 81 suspected as mnehn said !ne
same.n And he gave orders for the men to 20 tc
work upon several barricadcs
WIN THE GENERAL ON HIS ROUNDS.
About midnight the General started out upon his
usual nightly rounds and invited me TO accompany
Ing long waterproof cioaEs about u.s. we sailed
out in the darkness. Huge black masses OF clouds
which tho night before had lent her light to me eoi
OF war. The ram was still falling suileny and
steadily down, as though determined 70 wash out
ana efface for ever the bloody stains that have red
dened the ground here for days. Valerlen had
ceased Its thundcrs but It could be seen looming up
darkly against the sky, like some mighty giant sen.
tInel asleep at his post. The crashing voice
| OF the mltrailleusc and the classepot was
hushed for once: no lights were TO be seen
not even In the direction OF PARIS, aud with the
| silence that reigned around, broken only by the
murmur OF rain or the wind signing through tie
trees, we might easily nave imagined ourselves deep
In the recesses OF some primeval American forest
surrounded % Indians and wild beasts, instead OF
being, as we WERE within stones throw OF a cliy
OF two millions Oh people, the capital Of the civilized
world. Passing nolselessly thro Ugh the garden wo
came out upon the boulevard lnkerman and turned
down to the Avenue du Roue at ITS junction with
the Boulevard ArgussOn, where there Is formula.
bic barriclde, or cartiwork, rather, mounted with
several pieces OF seven and twelve. Here there
were twenty-five or thlrty men, who were thought
enough to guard 1t during the suspension OF hostile
ties they were standing about unuer the tree,
shcltering themselves US best they might from the
soaking rain.
LIGHT IN TIE DISTANCE
The 0lcer on duly took the General lttlc 10 one
side ana pointed 10 light shining through the trees
which came from the fourth story OF house within
the lines OF the enemy. " was Hitting back and
FORTH appearing and disappearing, as though con-