The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-09-02
4GoNYICT CONSPIRACY
! MuRDERoUs PLOT UNMAsKED

IA MURDERouS PLOT uhhASKEL
A. ~. Pierre Island-Fronch Convict
and CuIpFIts Banded Together
to Murder the Governor
and Inhabitants.
ST. JOINS, n. F., September L. A com
prensive conspiracy has just been unmask
ed at the French Island Of St, Pierre, which
is situated ut the entrance to Fortune Bay
This colony OF France contains perma
nent population OF 800 persons, to which
is added in the summer season an addition
Accomplishment Of $500 fishermen, who con
stitute the floating population Of the island
1t is q French naval station, Is strongly fort
ifed and is grrisoned by gcpdmnes
France liRs utilized this possession MS a con
vict colony, into which, as also into New
Caledonia and Algeria, the great cities o
Paris, Marseiles and Lyons disgorge theil
social feIons aud naval and military recall
citrants. These social and State offenders
are known ut 81, Pierre us disciplinaircs
As II rule they are incoTigibly vicious, and
the batch that Is ut present undergoing
purgltion beneath the military lash Mt st
Pierre bears the reputation of unparalleled
turpitude ..,
Among them are several counts and
other Representatives Of the aristocatiC
orders in France, Among these dlsCiplin'
aires, then, II conspiracy was Matched, hay
ing for its object the murder Of the Cover
nor Of the island, and the murder also ol
the Chief Justice, who in the absence ol
the Governor administers bOtli State an d
judicial afTairs, anil tho assassination Of the
gendarmes, who were to be surprised and
slaughtered, and also the assassination Of
the custodiansoi the armory and the mill
tNry hospitals. No reasonable preCaution
to insure the successful development nj the
plot appears to have been overlooked by
the cOnspiratOB The town was to be fired
ut various points simultaneously In order
to produce the largest possible amount OF
CONSERVATION and distraction; butpreviOus
to igniting the Carefully'laid trains
the water pipes were to be. sew
cred in the neighbOrhood Of the
great reservoir that supplies the city, 50
tlNt the successful progress OF tho hOClntagra'
ton should bG guaranteed against mOlesta-
ton, Had the plot prospered the holocaust
Of human life would have been terrible be-
yond all former experience, For probably
no town ever constructed il better fitted to
aid Il conflagration than IL the island city
OF st. Pierre. Thq inhabited portion OF the
town is huddled together as densely Us the
cells in beehive, and there Is no single
street, or rather fO0tpath, interseCung Il
through which two hulloCk carts gould
pass each other without collision. With
such cOnditiOnsbcfOru them, so promising Of
success, the ConsplrltOS brOoded night and
dayovGr their devllish design. Yet all these
were merely preliminary steps, but abso-
lutCly essential to the execution Of their
chief purpose, which was simply their es-
cape from penal servitude and from the
tyranny Of their task nNsterS, through the
channel Of two sailing vessels that were to
be In readiness for their use. The nrnory,
which is in charge Of u sergeant major, con.
taincd all the arms and accoutrements
which belong to the island. This sergeant
mnjOr one Of the more Hdroit and diplQ:
matte Of the COnspirntors, succeeded in
''muddling," and tlen purlOined the keys,
Of which plastCr casts were Immediately
made, and with very little delay the origi'
nails were replaced without exciting slis
piCion and duplicates were made by some
OF the maChinists among the DiaCiplinniTes,
for this motley body Of men embraces rep
resentatives Of many cmfts, as well as inll.
sjciAns, actors and orators
They first determined to release fpllow
convict, now lying undersentenCe Ofdeath,
before he passed into the hands OF the exc.
cutioneer, Thispurpose rapidly developed
itself into the lpucl wider apd wilder
scheme Of libenting the whole convict col.
ony, and Of escaping under coyer Of the
confusion they had In their contemplation
to raise, aud Then 10 leaye and steer for n
distant land. They had determined to
wade to liberty through al the horrors Of
plumber, fire dnd assassination. ReC0gniz,
Ing tllat there was no safety IN delay they
pushed forward their plans with pstanisl:
Ing rpIdity, and before many days had
passed all Was ripe. One party was deputed
bO select two vessels best adapted for their
purposes, which could be easiIy tinmoored,
while their owners and crew would have
been drawn off By the fire and CommOtion
in the city Another batch WINS Clarged
with procuring and getting ready for i'm
mediate shipment the necessary provisions
ind outfit Tor a sen voyage. The. most
desperate Of the gang were selected for the
hurryihg into eternity the Governor and
the other prominent officials Of the Island.
On II fourth purity rested the duty. OF seiY-
Ing the arnIs and ammunition from the
qrsenal aDG RrlDqrYi All arrangements
were thus speedily ind satisfactorily COM
pleted. They had even succeeded In win
ming over to their plans and enlisting in
their service two OF the custodians of the
military hospital. The precise date was
fixed for the accomplishment Of the scheme
and the hour eleven o'clock at night. The
drImmCr would haye gn hour before pass,
Ing around the city, the lights would be
then extinguishel and the inhabitants
would have retired TO rest. Then the as.
sassins intended I'd carry out their designs
against property and huinan life.
How nearly they lad succeeded will ap-
lQar from thu EaGt that at9 o'clock on the
evening Of the very same day named for
the simultaneous dttack Of the cOhspiratOrs
OIL the city, uhd before even one solitary
whisper NJ lheIr designs lad reached the
cars bf Tie authorities The two hospital Ctis.
tohians that had heen won from tlieit post
oiduty Oypr 10 the nRt were discussing lts
merits and itS chances OF success In one OF
the ward adjoining the room, where an
invalid was lying, but whose presence
there at TINT time they never even stis-
pected, us no had beer left summing him.
self hut II few minutes before on the Glacis,
Ii" Tie tb1t pi the hpapilal Within
tile hearing Of tllIs sick soldier,