Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-05-06
THE TERRIBLE COMMUNE.
Insane Paris as ft Is-Extraordi-
nary Scenes in the Place vendOme
and other Localities, etc.

close upon thirty vacancies at the Hotel
de Vile.
The latest Withdrawals announced are
those Of NJ Ranc and M. Lefevre. The
secession of M. Ranc is an incident of
some importance. He is represented to
be man of great capicity and he has
generally been understood to be among
I the least tsqueamish of the insurgent lead
ers. Indeed, he is something Of a
Robespierre--a COOL incisive man, who
might be expected to play great part,
if supported by the guillotine. He has
now resigned because, as he explains,
he disapproves, upon several points,
the direction which has been given to
the Communal movement" Meanwhile,
the internal policy OF the Commune be-
comes more repressiye every day. Nu-
merous arrests are made; the churches
are being plundered, and no man open to
the charge Of the suspicion of being an
aristo can consider his property safe
for an hour. The incumbents of
all the principal churches are in
prison. The threat that three per
sons will be killed for every
one of these executed by the Versailles
government has filled the Parisians with
alarm, and as precaution-a very poor
one-the guillotine has been publicly
burned. The rife will, Of course, still
remain, and guillotine may very easily
be put together if such an instrument of
death is considered necessary. Reprisais
have already been commenced, though
so far none of the conspicuous hostages
have suffered. In an order published
on Friday, General De Gallifet, and Off
Ger in the service of the National AS
sembly, states that the bandits of
Paris" have assassinated his sol
diers, that is, we presume put some of
their prisoners to death as measure of
retaliation. NJ De Gallifet, who served
in the Imperial army, has few scruples
about dealing vigorously with the Jaco-
bins. He answers reprisal with reprisal.
" 1t is war without race or pity, he
SAYS, " that wage against those assas-
sins. ! made an example this morning.
| hope it will be salutary one. don't
desire to be again obliged to adopt such
extreme measures"
We may here mention that the report
of General Henry's execution at Y err
sailles was incorrect The COnstitu-
tionalist had an officer in custody named
| Henry, but he declared he was not the
Jacobin chief A Paris journal, how
ever, assures us that he was the Henry,
and that the individual in question has
made his escape, after having first muir
dered his gaoler.
A very significant order has been
issued by the Commune. 1t is directed
against refractory National Guards
men who refuse to do their duty"
There are said to be many such in Paris,
and agents Of the Commune have Tor
some days past been engaged in the
congenial pastime of hunting up those
, weak-kneed patriots, who are supposed
to have sought, shelter in cellars and
out-of-the-way hiding places. Many
skulkers have thus been dragged into
light, and it has gone very hard with
some of them.
There is something passing strange in
the aspect of familiar places. In the
Place Vendome are gathered the gene
rails of the revolution. A "drystone
dixie of paving stones at each end gives
the place look of sheep park in Gal
loway. At the place where a sheep
might 90 in, a blackmuzzled gun peeps
out and those who go in first find strange
figures sauntering about. A fat shop
keeper, long-haired, bony Republican,
| a man with club foot one with bunch
| on his back, soldiers, sailors, tinkers,
tailors, guards and blackguards of every
sort and kind, are there smoking and
chatting, and playing at revolution with
the utmost sang .froid and good humor.
AT the Hotel de Vile is another set of
drystone dykes, and a large 6ock of can
mons in another park, guarded by good
humored sentries. Citizen, where go
you?" said one. Citizen" Nowhere;
| saunter." "Then, citizen, | beg you
to retire for | have here many prisoners,
and no one must pass this way. But If
YOU earnestly desire to glance this
way" Citizen" No; by no means; !
would not desire to break the orders. |
will 90 round" 81 have the honor.
Salutes hats. And so on the ramparts.
"Citizen, one does not mount. But
here is pass from the Commune. l am
not an enemy" Enemy or friend, you
cannot mount here. But if you wish to
cast an eye" "Thank you, yes; and
up YOU go. "How sad it all is p" "Ahl
yes; | have been here for three days.
And that seems to be the burden of the
song. at is very sad, with silent
thought of "I wish were we'll out of it,
safe at home, and hard at work.
"These Parisians," said one of them
have the idea that they are able to
conduer Prussia; that they are able to
conquer the army; that the army is with
them: that they have but to declare and
all the world will follow them; that they
have an army waiting to rise in Italy
one in London, and one in Germany;
that proves that they have something in
the head traps his forehead here. These
poor devils marched out to Versailles
past Mont Valerien, and then Valerien
cut their column in half and spared
them" Citizens" said blouse, the
Line are for us, but do you know how
they are to be treated? They are forced
to march first, and the gendarmes march
after them with their revolver, and make
them fire upon us, the cdnditlel
To me it seems that a lot of enthusi-
asts, who quarrel and have no plan, have
reused set of ignorant men, who drive
the unwilling to join in marching and
counter-marching, drumming and shoot
ing, while all the idle 'vagabonds and
ruined and broken men Of this great city
swell the crowd and the army of Paris to
gain the pay and the play Of playing at
soldiers behind the ramparts. Some are
ready to fight anything or anybody, and
do fight with great pluck. But there is
no ego" in this revolution. 1t must
soon crumble, if l can judge the tone Of
the hundreds with whom have spoken
during these three days. Not one man
has spoken well Of any one man in the
Commune; not one has spoken ration
| IL e a.. nnrrn Of the civil war. not one