The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-06-08
THE CAPTURE OF PARIS.
ACCOUNT By AN EYE WITNESS.
How the Versaillists Forced an En-
trance into the City-Hand.to-Hand
FiShting-Rout of The Communists.
Correspondence o: the New York Trlbure.l

Correspondence o. the New York T%r!bure.l
PARIS, May %.
Yesterday evening, at { O'Clock, General
Dombf6wski received urgent luminous from
the Point du Jour quarter TO make haste with
succors, as the holders of the positions there
were very hard pressed. Both The cannonade
and fasilade from that direction, and from our
immediate front at Porte de IA Muette, con-
tluued to increase in warmth as we went
down the Avenue Mozart. All the batteries
OF 1.-the Versailiists were in full roar. and It was
not possible, had there been still serriceable
guns mounted on tie e~ncein1e, 20 respond
effectively to the steady and continuous
fire of weighty metal. Some supports
were waiting for .Dombrowski on the
Ouai d'Auteuil, sheltered from the nre which
lacerated the district By the houses on the
lanSkward side of the quay. Unpleasant I'd
ings waited Dombrowski. when he rode into
the institution de Ste. Parine, Which was oc-
cupied as a kiEu of minor Etat Major. From
what l could burriedly gather. there had been
q kind OF q rally. National Guards had crowned
the shattered parts Of the %enceinte. and lined
the smashed classmates between The gases Oh
Biliancourt and Point en- jour. and further
QOIlQWdTu W duu UcJOlu Nv EokVS ~. NtouN'
They had held to the positions With CONSIDER
able tenacity under q terrible fire, but had been
driven hack with severe loss, cecas!cned main
" by the close and steady shooting OF the Yer
sailist preaching batteries shout Bouiogne and
the batteries al BrimboriCn. The gate OF s..
Cloud, as well as that OF Point da Jour, had.
like that of Billancourt, fallen into Inc hands
of the Versaillists, who having occupied the
euceinte In force, and the adjacent houses be-
lind 1t, were detaching strong parties TO re-
connoitre up the Rues Lemarrols and BlIa1-
court. one OF which at least had been as far as
the railway, but had been driven back.
Dombrowski smiled as the news was com,
municated to him, and Thought Of his 'second
line of defence" and OF his assurance that the
sssituatlon was. not compromised" By this
lime 1t was nearly 9 o'clock, and il seemed to
me that the Versaillists must have got cannon
on to the e~nceinte, the fire came so hot and
heavy about and into the Institution de Ste.
Perine. Dombrowski and his stan were very
active and daring, and the heart OF the troops
seemed good. There was some cheering at
the order 10 advance, and the troops-con-
sisting chiefly Of trancs-tireurs and men dress
ed in a Zouave dress, SO tar as ! could see IN
the gloom-were moved brlsk!y up into the
Rue de Ia M,nteipalte. A coupe OF gnns-
field guns I fear-were got into position On
the Circular Railway, 10 the LEI: OF the
Rue de la Municpalite, and, Under their
cover, the infantry debouched with "a rush.
OF cavalry I saw only q few scattered
p}ekets. Soon there was O fearful disorganiza-
lion, the result of a hot and close Infantry
fire that came seemingly from over q wal
Pauvres. The Federals broke right and iett.
Some made round the corner Of the Rue de
Michel de Ange (which bounds the cemetery
on the right under the leadership OF a young
staff officer whom ! had noticed IN the Cha
teau de Ia Muette at dinner time. There was
q close fusilade and attempt, which was parity
successful, to storm the cemetery. taking II on
three sides. Il was said that Dcnbrowskl
himself headed the direct attack, but the
locality was 100 warm for me TO satisfy myself
quite fully on this point. Meanwhile there
seemed 10 be almost hand.to-hlnd rsf[lnS
going on all around in tue space between Inc
enceinte and the railway. / could hear the IN
cessant whistle and patter OF the bullets anG
the yells and cursing Of the men, moi a lew OF
whom owed what courage they displayed 10
profuse locations. Every now Snd linen lhere
was a cheer and a rush, then q Voi!ey
which seemed 10 stag The rush, anu
then q stampede back under cover. ny
nearly lost their courage. Dombrowski ! had
lost sight OF. 0ae officer. told me he lad been
killed In the churchyard, another that als
horse had been shot under him, ana that Wnen
last seen the daring little fellow was nsnttlns
a Versaillist marine with his SWORD. Ihere
came apauic, in the thick OF Wnasn l maus
good my retreat behind 1.-THE second lne OF
Defence" which could not easily be recog-
nized as q line OF defence at all. tear DOE
brewSki must have been ~gascoladlng. Once
behind the railway the heio ele
new ground with stubbornness. Cle or wv
attacks were made by detached parties Oh yer
sslllists: but their lire gradually died away,
and soon AFTER IL O'Clock the quietness had be-
com so great that l thought the work Wss
ouer TOR the night, and hat DonoroWsKis
anticipatiens had been realized.
TIT, pause was deceptive. The Yersaltlas
must have simply held their hands ior q TIME
to make the blow heavier Wien 1t should !ali.
No doubt they had their Combinations 10 exc.
cute elsewhere, and were pouring INTO Inc
area between the encieate and the Circular
Railway. While they were doing this, they
were hacking the t~horouGhlares with artillery.
We could hear. in the distance in cur real the
general march beaten. A stan omcer. Sho
spoke English perfectly, ard who was as
black as o negro from powder and smoke,
came TO where I lurked and told me how lie
mistrusied the pause, and feared that the sl-
preme hour mad come OF last. The supreme
hour had come. II was 2 o'clock in The morn
ing. Suddenly q fierce fire opened on the
railway. Showers q shell poured upon 1t anu
in It's vicinity, and upon 1t q nail OF mushe!r!
battered. The Communists e1a essay a reply
but IL was extremely weak. Then there sud
denly came on the wind ;ae Gin o. sharp
firing from the north. | heard some shout,
awe are surrounded the Yersai.ls:s
are pouring in by The gates O! Aute2.:,
Passy and la Muette r. This was enough. a
mad panic set. in. The cry rose OF SGuue qul
3 mingled with other shouts. Nous
so1nnaes trahis. Arms auG packs were THROWN
down and every one bolted at The .op, Of ms
speed. the officers leading The way. came
on one party-a little detachment Q. francs
Understanding fast behind The projection o.
a house, and calling cut that al Their chaeis
had run away and left Them. Whetner lnis
was the case as regards the higher command.
ers | cannot tell. I do not thiEk Dombrowski
or auy of his staff were the men 10 run. But
certainly none of them were TO be seen.
There was q cry, too, that there was an INVASION
from The south, and so men spTged ara sifos-
gled aad biasphemed conlusedly up inc quay
iHn,kheir confusion, shot and shell even chasinS
lhSm as they went. In the EXTREMITY Of
manic, mingled with rage, men discharged
their pieces indlscrjminaie!y, aud slTcek eacH
other with their guns.
can hardly Iell how ] came to be On tae
Avenue du Roi de Rome. al about ha!i-pasl .
in the morning-my watch had run GOWN.
The battery HAD been cared cff. LOOKING
down the Boulevard de fsmuereur saw a
battery OF horse artillery coming up al o walk.
A few corpses of Communists were wing sooat
the battery. These troops, advancing win a
deliberation so equable, We're McMahons men