River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1872-12-20

staring with wonder at the strange flag
on the cathedral; then cooking both
barrels of his gun. he leaped down, ard
stood before them. One was named
Capt Mollard the other Sergt. Ragon.
He advanced on them, presenting his
piece, and made them a courteous but
hurried speech, explaining who he was,
and his Grand. He was Monsieur
Alexandra Dumas, son OF Gen. Dumas,
&c. He came in the name of Gen.
Gerard to demand the surrender of the
powder; and there was an ordersigned
by the general, which he presented
with one hand and holding the cooked
gun in the other. The pair were much
taken back, aud knew not what to do,
when the Colonel, D'Orcourt, who was
IN command, was seen approaching.
The matter was explained to him and,
after many courteous phrases, a treaty
was arranged by which the three off
GERS promised their neutrality. and en-
gagged TO keep within doors. Thus the
magazine would seem to have been
captured by Dumas single handed.
1t has the air tof brilliant achieve.
ment, and the picture of the alone
IN the fort, his finger on the triggers Of
his gun, cOurteously but firmly CON
trolling the three opponents, is most
dramatic scene. When writing the ac-
count Of his adventure, from which we
htake these particulars, however, Dumas
forgets, that, in his official report, fur.
nished TO the Moniteur twenty-three
years before, he had stated that three
OF his friends waiting at the gate.
Thus successful he opened the gate,
and found his friend Bard. To him he
handed over the charge of the maya
zine, and went away to deal with the
commandant of the fort-Liniers. He
found this officer just risen, and dis
cussing the news of the sudden APP
pearance of the flag on the cathedral.
Dumas laid down his gun ut the door.
introduced himself, and made his de-
mand for an order to remove the DOM
der. The other declined to acknowl-
edge Gen. Gerard's order, and said that
there was scarcely any powder in the
magazine. The commandant seemed,
in fact, rather amused, and smiled
scornfully when Dumas answered that
the party at the magazine were his
prisoners. Alexandra replying that he
would go back at once and bring proof
under their hand that the powder was
there, made his bow, and retired, He
flew back, found that he was right. and
returned presently with satisfactory
proof that large quantity of powder
was In the magazine. But when he
reached the commandments Office, he
found that the party had been increas-
ed during his absence, and that Len
ferna, an officer gendarmes, and Bon
villiers, colonel of the Engineers, were
there, in full uniform, and armed. The
cOmmandant addressed him in a sort
of bantenng tone, telling him that he
had sent for these officers, who, with
him, were in command of the town, in
order that they might have the pleas
ure of hearing NJ. Dumas explain
his mission. The young man saw that
boldness was his only resource, an.
coolly told them, that he had been Ell.
gagged by Lafayette to bring the pow
der to Paris, or lose his lite, and that
he insisted on the commandant hand
ing over that powder to him. The off
GERS passed ON Gerard's order from one
to the other with sort of smiling
contempt
''And So" said the commandment in
the same TONE" so. single-handed,
Monsieur Dumas-I think you said
that was your Dame-you propose to
force me to do this. You see that we
are four
The young man saw that matters
were coming to a crisis, and took
prompt resolution. He stepped back,
pulled his double-barreled pistols from.
his pockets, and presented them at the
startled party. "You are four" he
said, gentlemen but we are five.
If that order be not signed in five
seconds, give you my word of honor
| will blow your brains out, beginning
with the commandments there 4"
He owned he felt little nervous;
but he was determined.
"Take carn," he went on: "Imean
what | say. am going to count
One-two-thrce"-
At this critical moment side door
was flung open, and a lady flung her
self among them in a paroxysm of
alarm.
agree agree she cried, ooh
this is another revolt of the negroes
Think of my poor father and mother,
whom they murdered in ST. Domingo!"
Alexandra owned that the lady's
mistake was excusable considering his
own natural TINT (deepened by violent
browning from the SUM, and the pecu-
har character of hair and voice. But
We may wonder at the insensibility
to ridicule which could prompt him u
set down such a jestat his own expense
The truth was, he was so filled with
vanity, that all the nicer senses became
blunt; and he was even unconscious Of
the roars of laughter which these fool
ish condolences produced The COM