New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1878-04-10
The Chief OF The Commune.


The N. Y. World has just discovered in a
machine shop of that city one of the leaders
of the Paris commune, and the man who
headed the party on May "a, 1871, that shot
Archbishop Darboy and five other hostages
in the hands of the commune His name is
Edmond Megy, and he is a leading spirit
among the communists of the city. At the
downfall of the commune he was compelled
to flee the country, and so he came to New
York, where he has diligently followed his
trade, and won a place of much
influence and consideration among the COM
munists of the city. Megy is the hero
of six murders. He was in the galleys at
Toulon and was awaiting transportation for
twenty years to New Caledonia for the muir
der of police agent when the republic was
| declared, and he was released by decree of
the government. He was in Marseilles when
the commune was declared and he headed
the outbreak there, and after remaining in
command eight days went to Paris, where
he was put in charge of the defense of Fort
Lissy. On May Oath he learned that Ferret
and De Lesclusse had given the order to
shoot Darboy and the other hostages because
the troops of Theirs Oh the same day had
shot six officers of the sixth battalion. He
at once went with the party to La Rouquette
to assist in the execution. 'sWhen we went
there he said, s'we were one hundred and
fifty strong, but number of the men, about
one hundred and twenty Of them, got fright
ened and the thirty of us that remained had
to do the work.
''What did you do?'' he was asked.
s'Well, I do not care to speak much of
what did It might injure me here where
work. We just called for the men we
wanted to shoot, and we shot them, as it is
customary to shoot men under such circum-
stances. We took them out into the yard
and placed them face to the wall, and the
word was given, and they were shot; that's
all. 1t was all Theirs fault. We offered to
give up all the hostages if he would surrender
Blanqui to US, but he refused, and so we shot
the hostages
'Fifteen days after the commune was over
thrown Megy left Paris in coal wagon and
went to Geneva. A friend advised him to go
further away, and $50 vent he says, ito
London and came to New York. [ returned
to England in 1876, and worked at my trade
in London and Birmingham until last De-
cember, when came to this country again,
and am now working at my trade here
Megy says of es-Minster Washburne:
Before the commune ended some of our
people Went TO MIN ana asked him WnaJ the
government would do to us i'll case we sur
rendered OF were defeated. 4 assure you of
this, he rerlied, that all who are taken will
be shot During the siege of Paris, Wash
burne was acting as a spy forthe Germans.
He is an old rascal of the worst kind. We
shall have another commune in Paris;''
Megy continued, "we were badly beaten, but
in case of revolution against Mcmahon, we
should try again and probably succeed. In
the United States he says, organizations
arc being completed everywhere, in New
York, Chicago, San Francisco, Paterson and
Newark We have correspondents every
where. A revolution cannot be foreseen, of
course, but see its elements here distinctly.
1t will come in the opposite way to what it
will in France. There it is not the poor
who revolt. It is the intelligent working
men; but here it is the most miserable He
processes to believe that the grievances of
the laboring classes here will some day cause
an upheaval of the masses in this country
similar to the Paris commune of 1871.