The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-04-11
The Murder of the Hostages.


fibre of British institutions Forney's
Lendon Letter to the Philadelphia Press.
The Murder of the Hostages.
OF all the frightful scenes which made
the last days or the Commune of 1871
seem 80 like a horrid nightmare, that
which will longest be remembered with
the most vivid horror, was the "execu-
ton" of the hostages who had been
seized on the 9th of April, to secure, it
was alleged, the safety of Communists
falling into the hands of the Versailles
soldiery. At first Mgr. Darboy, Pres
ident Bonjeau of the court of Cessation,
and the other prisoners were mildly
treated indeed, they might have
escaped in disguise, but the Archbishop
refused to accept this offtr lest the
enraged Communists should massacre
his priests, and M. BoDjean because a
magistrate should not run away. Off
cious negotiations were entered into with
Versailles, the insurgents desiring to
exchange the ecclesiastics for Blanqui,
but Theirs declined to recognize the in
surgents by treating with them, having
no fear that they would kill so dis
tinguished q prisoner of 80 peaceful
profession. Cardinal Ghigi, the Papal
Nuncio, and Mr.. Washburne thought
differently. On the goth of May M.
Edmond Rouse, bdt0aner of the Paris
bar, who was laboring to secure the
Archbishop's release, saw him "calm
and resigned" On the 22d the sympa-
thizing keepers at Mazas whispered to
the hostages that the regulars were in
Paris. cit is your deliverance," they
said. "Our DEATH" answered a pris-
oner.
at p. m. the hostages were hurried
from their cells and ranged in the cor
ridor, to go they knew not where. Two
of them-one PAbbe Crozes, the veteran
almoner of La Grande Roquette-Were
| hustled back to their cells by sympathiz
! ing keepers and saved. In two vans
fifty~four prisoners, thirty>eight of them
being priests, were removed to La
| Grande Roquette, surrounded by a
bowling mob. Their removal was in
pursuance of an order of the committee
of Public Safety, dated 4 Prairial, 70,
requiring that =" the Archbishop, the
different cures, BoDjean, Senator, and
all those of any Importance" be removed
to La R,quette. The selection was
made by Raoul Rigault and two others
from the names on the prison registers,
and on the back of the warrant CASTOR
4
be shot"
La Grande Roquette was at this time
under the rule of brutal drunkard and
rabid priest~hater, Francois by name,
who, when the guillotine was publicly
burned, embraced tenderly and danced
with two of his prisoners, murderers
under sentence of death, to felicitate
them on their good luck. sc Fifteen
centuries these priests have been devour-
ing III" were his words; they must all
be killed-and yet their hides are not
good to make boots Of" Ga the 22d he
received garrison under command of s
blood>thirsty little laborer, Verig, whom
he showed over the prison, pointing out
especially door leading to the walled
in path surrounding the prison building
, then he went over the list of hostages
two hundred and fifty-one in all-old
soldiers, gendarmes and policemen. Al
ten O'Clock the hostages from Mazss
wrote a receipt for " forty priests and
magistrates" to which he added the
prison stamp by way of signature, and
after examining Fathers Caubert and
} Olivaint closely, to see what Jesuits
) were made Of" locked them up in s
corridor by themselves, neither food
, water nor seats being given them. One
1 asked for a chair, one for cup of water,
For the time you are going to be here
, it isn't worth bothering about such
q triles," was the response.
r The Commune was III its dying throes
and fury, suspicion and despair Teigned
/ everywhere. At the Marie of the
: Eleventh ACCOMPLISHMENT Ferre, Gabriel
: RsmiCr and some other desperate leaders
! in all probability resolved upon the
! massacre of the hostages. IN the midst
/ of scene OF horrible confusion a 81 court
:. martial" of three members was set t.
I work One was drunken officer of the
4 National Guard the second was Joiner
+ | Gustave Ernest Genton by name; the
third was an old man who nobody pres
ent knew! It was first resolved to exc
: cute sixty-six hostages. The numbe,
was afterwards reduced to six, and Al
!, order to put the six TO death was issued
: only the Archbishop and NJ. BonieaI
! being named specifically. Jules Valie
= and Vermorel opposed the execution.
y Between four and five o'clock a squa,
of fedeTates and some white~capped Ven
> geurs de Flourens entered La Grand
: Roquette, "It's fixed for to-day, Ell p
e said Francois. Genton nodded an,
handed in his order. &c This is irreeu
lar" said Francois clerk, who (like al
Tue pE1SOu oHptOycsl WAS Inter posing al
l. possible delays to gain time. " Are vol
n Versaillist, too?" said angrily tn
n officer, but the clerk pointing out tina
d as the order called for six prisoners. bu
q only names two, could not be compile,
% with without producing confusion in tn
: books, Francois supported him wit
IS drunken dignity. Give that here
= growled Genton &" there's more red>tap
/ than there was under old Badingueu-
o I've killed men before with infiniteI
d less ceremony" and he wrote on tn
h back of the order the names Darboy
i Bonjean, Jeeker, Allard, C:erc an
% Ducoudray; then he scratched out tn
q name OF Jecker, the banker (whsm h
>, shot next morning when be discovere,
l. that his prisoner had not a fabulou
10 amount of money in his possession where
e with to ransom himself). and substitute
o that of Fa-her DuguerrY. 4" viii tina
n doP" he said, presenting it again
!; d" Certainly. il it is approved" returne
d Francois, Damn your scruples !" So;
is Genton angriIy, and ran of to hea'i
e quarters, leaving Edmond Megy in tn