Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-08-18
HOW THE FRENCH TOOK PARIS.


A Chapter from the story of tho Com
mune of Paris in 1871 by Maxine Du
Camp.
Translated for the World from the Revue des Deu1
Monies.
1t was a little after three O'Clock when
the Council adjourned At that very
moment the first soldiers Of the French
army were on the point of entering Paris.
thanks to well-known incident the prin-
cipal details OF which are unworthry of
being related. NJ. Ducatel, formerly a
pentonnier, and then forty one years of
age, a ventern soldier and a man of en-
ergy, brave and not without love of ad
venture, was then living near the gate of
Auteuil, in house which the bombs
from Montretout had often visited.
Without being initiated into the negoti-
atoms which George Veysset was carry
ing on with Dombrowski, he had noticed
great incoherence in the attitudes of
Fedelals guarding the ramparts. The
posts We're sometimes abandoned during
whole day, when they were renamed
by an insufficient force. which often went
awaywithout being relieved. M.Ducatel
went to Versailles, bearing passport al
lowing him to take the St. Denis steam
cars, saw several persons, gave useful in
formation, and even furnished plan of
the Sixteenth District.
He made sevel al journeys with the de-
sign OF fastening the deliverance of Paris
and when the 2lst OF May arrived he had
already got into relations wish General
Felix Douay, COMMANDMENTS Chief of the
Fourth Corps of the French army. On the
morning of the 21st M. Ducatel perceived
that the whole zone of Notifications from
Auteul to the Point-du-Jou was deserted
there was no one on the military road, or
upon the bastlons, or at the posts, or in
the taverns. The Federals had disap-
peared! He went out, made the round
carefully, and discovered a descrtion too
general not to be systematic. In the
course of this long and minute inspection
he met but three or four insurgents,
who had taken refuge in cellar, through
the grating of which he exchanged some
words of abuse and even several pistol
shots with them. OF all the gates, that
of St. Cloud, battered by the artillery,
seemed to him, the most practicable for
a possible escalade. From a house-top
he saw that the advanced guard of the
French army, sheltered behind the CAB
Ions Of trench, was not farther than
sixty yards off. Perhaps he might sue
coed in making himself understood by
signs, and induce our soldiers TO enter
the deserted city. Am ong the luins Of
sheltered house he found a long lath, to
which he fastened white foulard, which
he wore as scarf. With this he climb
ed upon the crumbling bastion and wav-
ed his improvised flag. The fire of Mon
tretout was terrible at this moment. M.
Ducatel disappeared several times amidst
the clouds of dust raised by the shells
which fell, bursting around him. He
cried, "Come! the road is clear" His
voice, lost in the noise of the fire and also
in the distance, did not reach the soldiers.
M Ducatel ran great risk of being kill
ed by those whom he so valiantly tried
to assist, when a Captain in the navy, M.
Treve, perceived him.
M. Treve was an active little man,
quick and naturally intrepid. ssWhat
was he doing near the st. Denis Gate?"
He was there as an AMATEUR led on by
an idea which had tormented him for
several days. He also, being stationed
outside of the ramparts, had noticed, like
Ducatel within them, that the insurrec
ton had become very silent. There was
no more fine salvos of artillery, no more
OF the noisy firing which was so dear to
the hearts OF the Federals. From the
10th of May on Captain Treve had been
examining the walls in the neiphborhoOd
of the Point du Jour, and wondering if
surprise would not be possible. His
mind was made up upon this subject, and
he had mentioned it to Colonel Piquemal,
the chief Of General Verge's staff; so it
came to pass that he was there wandering
along the line of Notifications, looking,
perhaps, for place where the scaling Of
the walls would be least difficult, when
he saw Ducatel waving his white silk
scarf, which had suddenly become q f1ap