The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-05-27

The Closing Horrors Of the Paris Commune.
The HERALp's special correspondents in
Paris and Versailles as we'll as the information
received through other sources unite in
declaring the situation in Paris as truly horri-
flying A burning city and an affrighted popu-
lation, with the roar of cannon almost inces-
SAINT, the crash of mitrailIeuses constant and
the rattle of musketry every moment, form
portion of the closing horrors of
the dying hours of the Commune.
The soldiers Of MacMahon show no mercy
to the rabble who, with their country's arms
in their hands, and clothed in the uniforms of
the nation aimed at the destruction of France.
After Transforming the churches into meeting
halls for unlawful purposes-after prosecuting
and afterwards imprisoning priests and nuns
after spreading horror throughout the city,
growing from bad to worse every day they
continued in power, the leaders of the Com
mune attempted the destruction of the city on
the appearance of the army Of Versailles
to wrest it from their tyrannical
rule. 1t is difficult to imagine scenes more
desperate, bloody, savage or appalling than
those now taking place within the walls of the
once beautiful city Of Paris The kilograms
which to-day appear in the columns of the
HERALD describe the cutters Of the streets
running with blood, the dead bodies of tho
insurgents shot down by the VersaiIlists lying
in the streets unburied, and public and private
buildings in flames, and still the work of
slaughter goes on. The rebels, now rendered
desperate, continue the fight to the bitter end.
With victorious and merciless foe in front of
them, following up every advantage and push
ing them back on their last strongholds from
which there is no escape-for even retreat is
cut off from them by the attitude which the
Prussians have displayed-there is no hope
left but to fight to the end. 1t is death with
them under all circumstances and they know
1t, and in the despair of their last moments they
continue to fight as iends who realize their
approaching doom. Though the Versailles
forces have suffered much, the slaughter among
the Nationals is described as terrible. No
quarter Is given them Prisoners in most
cases were taken only to be shot, without
even the formality of trial. And yet
scarcely word Of pity can be expressed
for them. They gave no qucrter-now they
receive none themselves. They took Paris in
all her beauty, with her grand ediHces and
noble monuments hallowed by the historic
memories Of the past, and now they die like
beasts amid the ruin which they brought upon
the capital Of France. The Palace OF the
Tuileries, the Ministry Of Finance, the Pre-
lecture Of Police, the Court Of Accounts, the
Palace Of the Legion Of Honor, the barracks
on the Quay d'Orsay, the Hotel de Vile
and the Mont-de-Piete, all have gone
down into the general wreck which now
disfgures the city. A portion of the
Louvre and the grand collection of valuable
books stored In the library have been
swallowed up by the destroying flames, which
at one time threatened the entire structure.
More dreadful still to contemplate is the uncer-
tainty which still attaches to the fate OF the
venerable Archbishop Of Paris, the sixty
| priests and ether prisoners who we're confined
in the Mazas Prison. A report prevailed yes
terday In Paris that they had been all muir
dered in cold blood by the fierce reds. There
is still hope that this last fearful crime
was not consummated aud that the unfor-
| tunate prisoners are still living In