Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1878-08-01
The Taking or the Bast,Ie.

Henri Tainc gives the following vivid
description of the capture of the famous
Paris prison by the French rcvolutionists
on July nth, 1903. After the garrison
and its governor had capitulated they
were killed Dy the infuriated populacc
for firing upon them:
At the bastle from ten o'clock in the
morning to five in the evening, men fire
at walls forty feet in height, thirty feet
thick, and it is only by chance that they
hit one of the inmates. AT the first
demand the governor has his guns drawn
back from their embrasures, he makes
the garrison swear that they will not
fire if not attacked, invites the first
deputation to breakfast, permits the
messenger from the Hotel de Vile to go
over the, whole fortress: bears several
discharges without replying, lets the
first bridge be carried without firing q
shot. If he do finally fire it is at tho
last extremity, in defense OF the second
bridge. and after having. warned his
assailants that he was about to do so.
AS for the assailants, they are maddenod
by the novel sensation of attack and re-
sistance, by the smell of powder and the
excitement of fight; all they can do is 20
dash themselves against the solid mass
Of stone, and their e4ped1ents are on a
level with their tactics. A brewer takes
1t into his head to set sre to this block Of
masonry by pumping on it, a mixture OF
PHOSPHORUS and, oil Of turpentine. A
young carpenter, who has. archaeological
ACTIONS, proposes to construct a catapult.
1>nl
possession Of the governors daughter and
are about to burn her by way Of obliging
her father to yield. Others 2at fire to an
outstanding building full of straw, and
thus obstrdct> their own way. ':sThe bas-
tilc was not taken by. main force" said
tbs brave Ellie, one of the assailants: cit
rendered itself up even before it was: at
tackled" it capitulated on, the promise
that no one should be injured, The
garrison, only two we'll secured, had NO
longer the heart; to- fire in safety on liv
ing. bodies, and on the other hand it was
disconnected by the sight Of the immense
crowd. ,,.gs., 9n, 49, ~ <.,,,.r< y,,, .,,.,,.
Only. eight or nine hundred men were
attacking it, But the Place de la Bastilc
and all the surrounding streets were
',hzounged with the curious who. came to
look on at; the spectacle; among them,
says an eyewitness: !" . number of we'll
dressed, and tashie nable women who had
left their carriages at a little distance"
From etop Of their parapets, it seemed
to the garrison as. though the whole. of
Paris was marching against them. ~ Thus
:isithey themselves who, let down the
drawbridge and ssintroduced, the enemy:
All alike havealost their head, 'besieged
as we'll aas besiegers, p but the last most
completely because they are intoxicated
by victory. AS soon, as they. ie,nter: they
begin by breaking everything, and the
latest comers fire at random on the first:
: every one fires without taking notice
where or on whom the fire tells..' This
becoming suddenly otnnipotent and hav--
ing Aicenses to Kill is too strong . potion
tof human nature----yirtigo follows, men
see red, and their delirium ends,in ieroc-
FifVss& ,.as @:-.s.,.ss - = .-. -