The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-09-26
THE WOMEN OF THE COMMUNE.
Contrast Between Men aud Women.

A correspondent of the London Pdu
Mall Gazette, under date September 9th.
Paris, gives some interesting pictures OF
the trial of five women, the court OF
which Col. Boisdenemetz was president.
We quote as follows from this letter:
"It has been reported that there were
some young anl attractive women In the
first batch, but the statement proved only
half true. The women were young enough,
the oldest being no more than 81 and the
youngest q; but their appearance was re-
pulsiye in the extreme, being that of the
lowest, most depraved class OF women in
the worst quarter of large towns. Their
clothes were sordid, their hair undressed, !,
their features coarse, bestial, and sullen. !t
was difficult to get up much Interest IN
creatures so devoid OF all that graces their
sex, and was not surprised to see the court
gradually thin as the day wore on. Let
me here. however. make q remark which
is founded on personal observation. No
matter how hldeous may be the crimes OF
which man is accused, and let the man
himself be the most abject and despicable
being of his spec 'es. there is always some
woman who believes in him, grieves for
him, and woulda be ready to sacrifice her
self on his behalf, If by so doing she could
secure his safety. At every trial where a
man is being judged one may, by searching,
discover woman whose face Is fixed yearr-
inely on the dock, and who, when sentence
is pronounced, elbow forward alone to take
the criminals head between her hands and
sob some words of comfort into his ear.
But this Is not the case where women
are concerned. When woman falls
she seems to fall absolutely unfriend-
ed. Her crimes have not often been
her own. The rctribntion is all hers,
and there is nobody who cares either
to share it or alleviate it. During the two
days trial of the petroleuses, l heard not
single word Of sympathy pronounced in
favor of any of them-not one. went out
on purpose during the adjournment for
luncheon on the first day and mixed with
the crowd of workingmen who generally
hang about the public entrance to the court,
hoping that might pick up stray waif or
two of information respecting some OF the
women. AS expected, there were several
men who knew them, had lived in the same
street as they, and there was one who
seemed very precise on the subject Of the
youngest prisoner, who, said he, had acted
as ambulance woman and succored the
wounded at the barricades. But there was no
sympathy on their part-.rather the contrary;
aud this though they were almost lach-
rymose in alluding to former acquaintance
OF theirs who had got into trouble "for
usurping functions" To make all this
more pltiable. it appears that the women
are as much forsaken in their captivity as
they are in court. Every male prisoner at
the Orangerie has visitors who bring him
money or food delicacies; but scarcely one
woman in ten receives visits. Nay, there
is thing that would seem incredible but
for the curious contradictions in Woman'S
nature some of these bandoned creatures
had managed to save n few francs out of
their nameless misery and to conceal them
in the lining of their clothes while they were
being searched; but instead of spending
money OH their own wants, as men never
fail to do, their one thought was how to get
IT, couyevcd TO their paramOllrS