The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-07-01
Iaaer History of III. Fan OF paris.

IOlenenST whoQ7 7nsmezwas~ atsesy arday
found tGbe Dd2anel, Lee the, aS9ny fintd|
Auteuilby the$s. Gl1hh GatG Wthf
ont, h6&ever. Bbing haoSethef f4corfpcta j
the aeSohnt oEit iN not dDmRlPteI Ihnd
does f1at fully Aaplaih the Axenfa whiah
preceded and followed the honorable
action of thfs brave oitizsn.
NJ. Duranel waS overseer, gf sroeds and
bridges in the service 81 Nd. Alphant.
SeiH 9 I'D 'ua anaep der this
mama. has loE-al long time been in charge.
'fs passass Eo Sas osp eSd rnsao non
commissioned officer Of marines, is
man Of raro energy. Instead Of allow
ing himself to be carried away by the
stream OF emigration, be never lott off
communicating ssith .Rss chief, who was
at Versailles. Being gifted with superi-
or talents, he Wac able to commit to me-
morY the, ,fortifications erected by the
insafgehta made pldnb Of them aud took
them TO III. Aiphaut, who submitted
them to the Chief OF the Executive
power. He went on with this till. the
works being sufficiently advanced, he
felt that the hour had come when it
would be possible to do more active
eefyioe. When the time seemed+nearAhe
was put in direct communicated with
the military authorities. and more espe-
cially with Gen. Donai, CommRh der.in-
Chief of the Fourth Corps, which was
encamped at Villeneuve rEtapg and
Merne. and Was to enter Paris hy PessY
and Autouil. After several attempts,
Duranel signaled that the ramparts were
abandoned, and that the confusion in the
army of the party OF disorder was grow
ing. The more and moro energetic
leaders who succeeded each other in the
command did not long leave this part of
the enciehte undefended; but when the
batteries Of Montretontj had destroyed
all the houses which skirt the ramparts
at the back, and the.St. Cloud Gate was
in ruins, its defence had become imprac-
ticable. It had b6s6 almost abandoned
for two days, and the Federal soldiers
had taken up their position at the foot of
the heights of Passy, when NJ. Alphant's 3
bold ase:stant "a TINT nlltha defenders
of the Commdne- had disappeared on
that side. or, at least. that their numbers
were Insignificant. This was on Sunday,
the 2lst Of HAY. At'ahy cost it was ne
Cessary to inform thA5c6mmandor of the
fourth corps what gaa tho state of affairs.
NJ. Duransl ldould only get atthe general
by going Though .sE. Denie; $50 he start
ed for the Chemi1 defer .dp Nord. II
was about 3 In ,the1Afternoon. Think
ing over the pre6fola ,time he was losing
while going this roundabout way, he was
seized with fear lest the Communists
should re-ocoupy the ramparts. He or
alighted as nearf' as possible to the st.
Cloud Cato. He was intimately ac-
quainted with Gil this pa7s Of Paris. and
Vas able to avoid the posts Of the insur-
gents and evade the vigilance of the citi-
zens placed in the houses. The brave
citizen got as fur as the ramparts. where
the shells from Montretout were falling
ceaselessly. Braving this danger, he
mounted the salient angle Of the bastion,
waving his white handkerchief! About
fifty yards from the glacis, lying fat on
their faces, concealed in the grass, were
thirty sailors, commanded by Comman-
der Treyes. They had their orders and
were permanently established there,
ready at any moment to avail themselves
Of an opportunity. The officer heard
Duranel calling him; he raised his head
carefully. A voice called ont: 'There is
no one left tlcomee on quickly" The
officer. fearing some new treachery. an
ewered: "Ooms on yourself." Duranel
Immediately ran to the gate. The
UIloHc5 were UEOk0u OOWn, ana 70 pass
appeared impossible. Making use,
however, Of some fragments OF bcams,
Duranel contrived TO GROSS the ditch.
BE informed the officer of the state OF
affairs. but the latter, still on his guard.
had him conducted under close escort
to Gen. Douai. who had received notice
by telegraph, and had set ont. soon fol.
lowed by Bertrauss and IHerillier's di.
visions.
The meeting between Duranel and the
General was at Billancourt. Whatever
confidence General Douai may have had
in M, AIphant's brave assistant, he
warned him that if his troops met with
q serious resistance in their entry, lie
would blow his brains out. In the mean
time, GOO men had been hastily got to-
gether. Thirty sailors marched in front;
body Of sappers had hurriedly placed
planks across the ditch. Bertant's divi-
zion followed Immediately. It wns about
6 o'clock in the evening. The Federal
post fled, firing the muskets, and some
weak battalions advanced to resist; but
the movement had been 30 sudden that
they were surrounded or dispersed, and
at o'clock. the two first divisions al
ready held IInner and T,nrnr Da..,