The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-05-31


iul things were said on both sides; but the nom
weskness.n THE only history" Labor Of the
animals" sThey have not long 10 de." Tnese
were the expressions. some were too angry and
Indignant q speak; others only sneered; bus even
| In all OF the expression OF shame oeiecteu he
French curiosity to see snow the thing would falL"
THE SCENE Is EXCITING.
sP NJ has come, but the shan IL still upright
sailor ascends, climbs to the iest Of Napoleon and
displays nag toward the Tullerles. cannot make
out But now II Is given TO the breeze II is the
nom the crowds and Frencnmen wildly cheer to see
| that the French nag Is about to be degraded by
| FrenchmeD Each indiv dual is theatrical and
Three men now hnger on the balcony. They are
the workmen. We know that the end IS near, and
that "a the glories of Napoleon will soon be in
disgrace. An ominous sign--thc tricolor has been
too much for its stan, and has fallen from It's out
rigger position until 1t says down beneath the feet
Az o:aO the guards retire. and the column will not
fail TIL halr-past five tomorrow.
The Destruction of the Cslumn vcsdomc-Na-
poleos in tho Dust-An Immense Crowd and
Great Excitcment-Scenes and Incidents Of
the Day-TkO Shaft Falls at 5s31 p. M,
Auaid Shouts Of ''viva la Commune"
PARIS, May II, 1871.
Leaving the Hotel de Holande and entering the
Place vendome saw crowd not so dense as saw
at the same hour yesterday, because, having been
disappointed so often about the column, people are
is all impossible that the great column the glory
of France. will never come down. They refuse to
believe their eyes, In spite of the green curtain and
the .scanolding and the busy workmen and the
heavy anchors and great cables reaching to its top,
and all the machinery OF destruction that encumbers
the Place Vendome. Perhaps, after all, their sor
row has overcome their curiosity and they intend to
| stay away and testify by their absence
| THE DEEP GRIEF
that every French heart must feel at seeing this
| great monument Of former greatness crushed and
| broken and fallen as low as themselves from their
former proud position the first military Power in
1 the world. They come down together, the column
and the glory, and the degenerate children OF the
men Of 'ss stand by and look on, and scarcely know
whether to laugh or cry at the melancholy spectacle
| They soon begin TO assemble, however, and there
are lively discussions going on among them. Some
sustain It, others speak OF 1t act OF barbarty
! and Vandalism. There Is
| RESPECTABLE LOOKING BOURGEOIS
denouncing 1t In unmeasured terms to little knot
OF hearers who listen with evident approval to his
words A National Guard comes up and says, "Citt-
zen the Germans are about putting up such column
at Berlin with the cannon captured from us. when
you go to Berlin will you be able TO look upon 1t
without pain2n
Destroying this Will not prevent them erecting
| theirs" replied the bourgeois.
"But we will set Them better example," replied
the guard.
"That was our glory hundred years ago. To-day
it is something nobler. They will initiate us in this
toon
At fifteen minutes to two the green curtain
comes down and discloses dozen workmen saw
Ing on one side picking on the other where there is
GREAT NOTCH
cur out, Just as a woodman would make In telling
large tree The men below hasten to finish the bed
OF sand and brushwood and beams and dung on
which the column Is 10 fall. Down comes the saw
then nearly all the workmen. A few remain putting
on lew last strokes OF the pick with q WILL then
descend and take down the scafroiding hurriedy as
though afraid the column might come down before
them. The two cannon guarding the entrance of
the Rue de la Pax are wheeled away to the side Of
the place.
/ take my place in the window OF Dombrowski's
headquarters, almost directly opposite, and have
good view OF the great notch, ami which shows
THE HOLLOW CAVITY INSIDE
where the circular stairway leading to the top.
band on the other side OF the place, where there
is large crowd, strike up the I'M arseillase,n and
a man appears upon the top with the tri-color,
which he astens TO the foot Of the statue amid feeble
cheering.
FROM MY POINT OF VIEW
cannot see The windlass In the Rue de la Paix nor
the men at work there, but the great cables slowly
commence TO tighten, then 10 trembe convulsvely
as II In death struggle. The sun and the sky are
SO bright that ones eyes become almost blinded by
watching them. few white clouds go fitting by,
making you think By their motion that the column is
falling. The great statue looks steadily over the
green trees or The Tueries and the Hotel DIES inva-
des beyond where repose the mortal remains OF Its
great original though defyng the attempts OF the
puny beings below 10 drag II In the dust. The flag
waves on gayly, as though determined 10 go down to
Its death laughing.
the cables grow tighter sharp report and they fall
loosely almost u the ground. something mas gwen
COLUMN STILL DBFIEs THEM.
II was pulley In the windlass which has broken
and wounaed some one. We see him carried on
across the place on stretcher. The band continues
PLAYING, and the workmen commence repairing
damages and preparing for another attempt In
about an hour they are ready to try again. The
crowd Is cleared away from the middle OF the place.
where they had congregated about. discussing the
event eXciedly, and again the great cables slowly
ANOTHER coNvULsIvR STRUGGLE
with the monster column, as 1t grows tighter and
stretches TO It's utmost moment OF intense sus-
pense-wil 1t never comef-then . crash; 1t Is
breaking at the bottom; the great statue at the top
slowly commences moving backwards: the huge
you would have plenty OF tune 10 run from under it,
then faster then 1t flies through the air like FASH
and there is sound like thunder and shock as OF
An EARTHQUAKE
and the huge column OF the Place vend0me, which
might have stood until the day OF judgment disap-
peaTed In cloud OF dust and flying pieces OF stone
and mortar. shout went up from the crowd In
the Rue de la Paix, long and loud but II JOY
STlel, SOTTOW, Terror or ulsmay,
or all combined II would be hard TO tell When the
dust cleared away there nothing to be seen but
a shapeless mass OF stone and iron and debris, IN
stead OF the grand and graceful shaft that but mo.
ment before had lifted it5 head proudly to the skies.
Looking up an awful blank meets the gaze where
the mighty figure stood "a blank that will strike the
eye OF every Partisan painfully when passing the
Rue de la PaiX or the Place de rOpeTa for many o
long day.
THE DUST
had scarcely cleared away, when the debris was |
covered by eager crowd searching for pieces and
yelling Ike demons ramplIng over The great statue,
splitting upon 1t, insulting 1t, rs II the senseiess
ashes IN the Hotel des lnvalides could feel it, IL
the dead lion could feel the kick OF the wing
And such is the reward OF the great man Of France
the just reward OF the great Butcher OF Europe, who
made more orphans aud widows than any other |
ruler OF modern times who ned France with sighs |
aud tears, who sowed
TIE DRAGONS TEETH