The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-10-12
TN PRISON win THE COMMUNE.
Uow Tnnocent Persons Were Made to Suffer
by Their Enemies.
--lIan1lnn Truth

~
WI military fortresses. The other temporary
ntlatns we're ths vaults underneath the Ch-
serne dc Nuatllee, the old RIDING -school ana
stables opposite the palace, a dlsuSed convent
md divers warehouses. Whlcn were itn.tu
from building contractors and the proprietors
al timber yards All these places were more
Or lesa poxto,ls owing to their being unhdnpt-
cd to the use to which they were put, ana ho-
cause the overctowdiDg was 50 great. Inc
uDyerptnent had such d muss Of prisoners on
hand TINT II had NJ tim u reckon how many
oubie feet OF air we're necessary Tor the health
OF each captive. rough sort o. computation
wns kept BY Eendarmas NJ 70 now many IN
mates n nrison would hold, but oven when
every place was full d few more could be
puahed la with q little Squeezing
Under these circumstances the orangery
became no bad imitation VI the ptombt o.
Venice. Built with 2 southern aspret. ana
exposed to that full share OF the suns rays
which oranges need. the heat il II IN fine days
was sitting. For nearly q month the prison
ers pleaded In vatn tor an awning % some
sort. They were denied II all through ne
torrid season of June. and many 81 them dlen
in consequence. The harder ones would squat
xgasping, all day with their coats spread over
their heads like tents, but this was only prac-
Mcable for those who could get near the places
I'm the walls where the window pulleys hunE
In order that five or six coats might be tiei
together and rugged up. The others proWleu
about, tanning themselves with newspapers
One day paper OF every sort was prohlblIeh
on pretense that prisoners USED Y W get iel-
ttsrs smaggled out; then pocket handkerchlets
were forbidden because u prisoner hhd Tried
to strangle himself, and for the Same reason
the window-pulleys were removed out ot
reach, 30 that the prisoners Were depafred
from continuing tents.
have these facts from Communist whom
I will call H, and who spent five weeks IT,
the orangery. He was master carpenter. OF
Bickly constitution, aud, like the composltor
Of the Rue Coo Heron, no had never borne
arms Iii the insurrection. He was blunt
spoken, rather CapttOus person, who Mt once
incurred the antlpathy OF his jatler by saying
that he should take note OF their names and
report them for misconduct when no had
complaint against them was that they would
give him no water. About twenty buckets OF
This precious liquid were brought Ia by q
fatigue party Of prisoners every morning, anu
it had to serve for the beverage and additions
or the whole gang during twenty four hours.
There was not enough To drink, stil loss to
wash with, SO the prisoners soon had TO give
mp all care about cleanliness. The carpenter
remarked that - there n VS. f. ,qnn,
parties might be easily told OFT seve,
raj times day, but as he shouted
I'm saying this, being half mad with
thirst. he was collareu, put 10 irons, and
dragged Off to the vaults under the orangery.
which were uaed as punishment cells. Before
being consigned to this place he was told BY q
fierce colonel that # he tried 70 excite rnu-
tiny" among hts fellow prisoners ne would be
shot summarily. Tue threat q shooting was
blurted out BY officers upon the slightest
provooation, and poor H. did not feel at
all sure, as he was hustled downstairs, that
he would not DO ''ohucked against wal, a.
the saying was, when he got below. In the
vaults, however, he found himself better OIL
than upstairs, for the atmosphere was cooler,
and he rot as much water Us he wished. Dix
other refractory persons shared bis eontlne-
ment and, barring the chains on their legs.
they felt comparatively go comfortable That II
was real misery TO them when their punish
upstairs again. H soon had moro
words with a jailer, IN order 70 De sent
back to the vaults. and he succeeded; but this
time, to his unspeakable chagrln, ne found
the place crowded. New conveys o1 prisoners
had arrived, and had to be hnddled In higgle.
dy-piggledy wherever there was room 60 hold
them. The wretched carpenter now endured
all the pangs Of heat, thirst. dirt and vermin
from which he had tried to escape, and he was
wearing chain with q cannon-bail TO It into
the bargain He fell i'll, and when 1t was sup
posed that he was at the point 81 death lfor
he had lost consclousness) he was removed TO
an intlrmary--an occurrence which saved ms
life for he recovered, and by the 1nterposltion
OF the doctors who attended him he event.
ually obtained his liberty. H had been
arrested week after the overthrow Of the
Commune, owing to the denunciation Of an
enemy.
course VI three months no less than 100000
denunciations, most OF them anonymous,
were sent to the prefecture dc police. What q
turpitudt In human nature was here revealed!
How many cowardly rogues must have re-
yenged themselves on men they hated by
trumping up falsehoods against them, too
often with the consequence OF getting these
victims shot. The papers not many months
ago had to report the trial of man who was
indicted for having Joined In the murder oil
la "a Clement Thomas. n
q matter Of fact. this mans only share IN the
crime was the quite unintentional one OF
having shown Gen Clement Thomas the road
to the Rue des Rosters, where the murder
took place. Later, when tho poor fellow
heard that the general had been killed, he ex-
claimed In the hearing OF some neighbours
tits who am the cause OF his death. De
met me Oh the streets and asked me his way.
The neighbours said nothing at tho time, but
five years later one Of them having quarrel
with this man went and accused him OF being
q murderer Oh his own confession The luck
less fellow was arrested, bullied cross-ques-
toned, and. after many months 81 imprlson-
ment, brought to trial and acquitted; but In
the meantime his confinement had ruined
him, for he was tradesman whose business
had gone all to pieces during his absence:
The denunciation OF the carpenter Il -
was quite as dastardly as the above He was
q man past forty, so that he had not been i'm
pressed by the insurgents, but three OF his
journeymcn had been forced to take up arms,
and H was accused by two OF his neigh
bors--a publican who was a police spy, and
an old woman who hated him on account OF
an old quarrel of having said that he would
continue paying his journeymen, though
they were not working for him. because no
felt that they were fighting In just cause. The
actual words OF H were that he would
take back the journeymen into his service
when they were discharged from the insurRent
army, because such men as they had no option
but to obey the orders given them, which was
q very different matter.
Most OF the men arrested for participation
Ia the Commune we're needy wights who
could not have refused to serve the rebel gov
eminent. The ministers at Versailles had Is
sued proclamation calling upon all law
abiding citizens to forsake Paris and come to
rally the Parliament's army, but petty trades
men, having their shops In Paris, could not
do this, nor could artisans and mechanics
with families and being ii the capital these
men had to Do as the Parisians did, under
pain OF being molested BY ruffians. It is this
that made the ruthless slaughtering and
szhnlasaIe TRANSFORMATION Of Communists such