New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-22
TRIAL OF THE COMMUNISTS.
OPENING or TIE COURT-CONDUCr or THE
PRIsONER3-TRIAL OF FERRE.
jPROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE

which are singulary goodfar better for instance than
those made az Pierre Bonapares trial at Tours IS months
ago. Having been present that OCCASION yesterday
prOntod by my experience to secure seat beiorehau
and be hours before the time named FOR the
beginning OF the trial. But. strange TO say when
entered the court, about 10 o'clock, there were no
o hundred people assembled therein, and outside
there was not score OF persons. lndeod' ~
deserted was street leading to The court that
panion observed, "Why, the courtmartlm must w a."
iourned again there Is crowd inside inc coui' "
self there were few journalists MARKING ,no" P
and inspecting the arrangements and decotaoi VI ''
court. NJ Alexander Dumas-no longer the younB'f
WA present talking TO NJ dc Vllemessant tho editor OF
the Fgaro The author Of the Dame duT Cameras haS
never written either tragedies or meo-dra'nas II no
had one would have imagined that ho had come 70 'cr
sailes with view to collect materials for new pece
The court filed very slowly, and even INC pieces "
which the general public admitted were not all oocu-
pied.
shortIv beforc the members OF the court martial en-
,erod about % witnesses were brought in under guard
Most Of these about az Unlocking inorils as
one often sets eyes and were certainly not cuIcuiou
10 produce a strong impression in favor OF thoSo 'or
whom they were TO be witnesses. At IL O'Clock there
yas an audible whisper; "Thcro they are ioeheNo
the French Government considers the terms JOURNALIST
and criminal as very nearly synonymous for we nave
beep placed In q dock exactly similar 10 thit Vi
tho prisoners, and Immediately iaclhg 'he"
The Communists were brought In under very slrohS
Guard of gendar1nes armed with saber-bayOnets. In
the spaco between tho benches of the prisoners ana
those of the press there cOrporals guard OF men,
with an undor-ofccr having fixed bayonots. They wero
ready for anything their pouches hung heavy from
their belts, evidently full of cartridges AS The prison
ers took their places there great anxiety among the
persons present catch sight Of Them and to learn their
respective names. All the French people near me de-
cared they ls look like cnds but hon
alg N gtota at do uOt
aught remarkable either good bad, in the gencralap
pearance Of the who have done such nfnity OF
mischief Paris. Some Of them have certainly gnoble
figures but, the other hand others have decidedly
fine heads especially ASST who is certainly not one Of
the least guilty. He still the brown uniform Of
the marching bataions Of the National Guard and does
the least Inconvenience at being In the DOCK
1t is true he has been there several times before.
GrOusse again. is decidedly goOdooklng young TEL
low and suspect Is not little vain OF his appearance
lie was Minister of Foreign Affairs under the Commune,
and dressed in black rock coat and pantaoons He
wore avendercOlored kid gloves, and evidently paid
great attention his hair and the arrangement OF his
black ncckte. Courbet, the welknOwn painter, looked
like well-tOdo farmer his hair nged with gray. and
he is said by those who know him. to have become so
since his Imprisonment. One of the prisoners, Clement
has really wonderful resemblance To the portraits OF
the Great Napoleon. Lullier the exnaya lieutenant,
looks more like bulldog than anything else and is evil
IDENTITY not a little impressed by his position II the
general appearance Of tho prisoners were not
so bad as might have been expected, as much
cannot be said OF the behaviour OF the
majority OF the accused They seemed TO think that the
proceedings all farce which did not concern
them They laughed and oked among themselves rs UNI
concernedly and loudly than the journalists OPP
poste them and Fcrre who sat next one another
laughed and chartered gayy Rgere, who was re-
markable for his cruelty and violence during the reign OF
the Commune, cooly produced box Of bon-bons and
handed them TO his brother prisoners hfst ana theh 10
his lawyer.
The prisoners had not long been seated before the
clerk OF the court cried out: "The Council-sand up.
gentlemen" The captain OF the Gendarmes duty
drew his sword with flourish and gave the word;
shoulder arms. Present arms" The gendarnes pre-
sented arms with rattle and the members of the COun
Gil entered Col. Merlin the President at their head
Col. Merlin Of some GO years or so, very gray
| and bald. He has a singulary mild and humane ex-
pressOn but looks at the same time firm ana deter
! mined. He wears the uniform Of "a Colonel OF En-
! gineers-a dark blue tunc and pantalOons with broad
red stripe, and heavy gold epaulets which look as If
they had a good deal of service. The star OF the
Legion OF Honor hung round his neck and he the
| soferino and Montana medals. -Four of the Judges
wore the uniform of officers of the ne-blue tunc, with
gilt buttons, heavy gold epaulets and brick-dust
colored pantaloons. The two others wore the
artillery uniform very similar 10 that OF the Presi
dent. The Public Prosecutor Commandant Ganeau.
who with his Secretary Capt Lenart at small table
Oh the right Of the judges semicircuar table Is fair
tall man, with snguarly keen countenance. He wore
the line uniform and decorated with the cross OF the
Legion Of Honor As the officers had taken their
seats the clerk read the decree ordering the
formation of the CONTINENTAL Immediately afterward
up jumped barrister, NJ. Dupont dc Bussac, who de-
Tended one of the prisoners, and disputed the compe
tence OF the court to judge civilians NJ dc Bussacs
gument seemed to me to have considerable merit, and
the Public Prosecutor showed that he would have
inb 1s at Of
in court of Justice NJ de Bussac's main argument was
that the Council OF War could only judge civilians during
state OF SIEGE and lie showed how the state OF siege
was proclaimed in Paris the It'll day of August and
the Empress Regent neglected to submit the de-
cree to the Senate, whose approval according to
the terms OF the Constitution Of the Empire was neces
sary No new decree has been made" said NJ. de
Bussac therefore the siege does not exist
I'm Paris and cOurt-martal can only judge soldiers
accused OF military ofienses." Now, this was clearly
an argument which required reply. But Com
mandant Caneau quietly passed il by, remarkng that
the moment the abOminahe red flag was dominant in
Paris the state of siege existed there pso aeto" This
irrjtated the lawyers, and some sharp words were
exchanged between them and the COmmisSary OF
the Government. The Council deiberated and
decided that they legally exercised jurisdiction over
civilians.
Then commenced the reading of the indictments by
Commandant Ganeau, whose voice tTembled when
he came to the passages relative to the murders
Of the Generals LecOmte and Clement Thomas
and Of the hostages. During the whole time oil
the reading OF the Indictment the behavior OF the
prisoners was positively indecent They laughed and
chartered If they quite indifferent to what was
going All this time the court presented curious
spectacle. On the bench were the gterng uniforms OF
the judges; then the prisoners, mostly In black with the
strong guard Of blue-clad gendarDes seated around
them; and the bright bayoncts OF the corporaPs
guard conrasted strangely with the dark black robes OF
the members OF the bar The ladies who were present
showed the curiosity usual with their sex, and after