The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-05
GENERAL DE GALLIFET.
His Career in Mexico and His Bloody Share
in Putting Down the Commune.

His Career in Mexico and His Bloody Share
in Putting Down the Commune.
Richard whiteng's Paris Letter.
General De Gallifet is the typical French
noble of the old school and character, at
least-about the last of the race. He has
some of the best blood of France in his
veins; his mother was a Richelieu; his fathers
title has been in the family for three centu
ries. He was rich and handsome, and he was
brought up with the knowledge that he
would have three millions to play with as
soon as he came of age. He was the life OF
the imperial court, for, Legihmist as he
was by his traditions he was equally,
by the same rule, skeptic in politics,
and he attached himself to Napoleon III. be-
cause he found Napoleon III. there The life
of that early court will one day make sec
ond Decameron of intrigue and gallant adj
venture; and to complete the resemblance it
will be easy to show that the plague was in
the distant city all the time. They cared lit
tie or nothing for that at Compiegne, while
De Massa was writing comedies and charades
for the Empress and her ladies and De CALI
fet was hunting, dancing and making love.
His three millions soon went in this way but
the usual resource was at hand, rich
banker wanted a noble son-in-law; LATTE
offered more millions and De Gallifet cheer
fully offered name. The youthful couple
were well matched in more ways than one.
The lady was one of the beauties of the i'm
perial court, and there was certain dis
tinction in her appearance which did not
entirely extend to her mannerS-in a word,
she entered into the court life with much
spirit, and she outdid her lord in
all her peculiar achievements. She went
too far, even for him, for among his
baggage of traditions of the old regime
was a certain respect Tor appearances he
was much too well-bred to ask for more
and SO they soon agreed to live apart lie
wanted thorough change, and he found 1t
in the Mexican expedition. He was always
cynical, and his family troubles had made
him savage, so he let blood for his ill-humor
freely on the wretched half-breeds who fell
into his power as prisoners of war. He
hung and shot without mercy and without
a pang his war-making was the battue OF
Compiegne transferred to the Mexican
battle-felds, and, sportsman-like, he wrote
home rafting accounts of the bag to
his friends. The letters were so good that
some of them were sent to the papers. There
was an cutlery, but he did not mind; and
matters were going so i'll in Mexico that the
government could not afford to stick at tribes.
There was but one redeeming point mis-
reckless bravery. He rode in among the in
surgents-or the patiiots as the issue of the
struggle decided they should be called
as tiger might spring among sheep. He
had the same contempt for his employ
ers as for his victims. Bazaine, his general
in-chief. he saw and said was even then
thinking more of himself than of the
Interest OF France. He had his eye on
rich estate in the country and did not want
to leave till he had made the estate his own,
whatever must become of Maximili6n'S
throne Macmillan himself was described
as a poor make believe, and De Gallifet
thought that the best way out of it would be
to depose him by coup d,etat, pack him on,
and keep the country for the French. If Ma
poleon had given him carte blanche he would
have answered for the issue of the affair.
That was one of the notes OF his character
his answering confidence in himself.
At the siege of Puebla he went into the
assault as handsome as ever, and after his
wont, dressed and combed as for the boule-
wards; he came out of it a shapeless mass of
flesh. He had mounted into the air, be-
lieve with a ruined wall. Everybody said
he must die His muscles were torn from
his bones in strips, and half the bones were
broken. He came back to France literally
packed up in leather to hold him together,
ana in this state he used to be carried out into
the sunshine at Vichy motionless, and with
nothing alive about him but his eye. People
used to look on and cry, especially the
women. The Emperor found him one day,
stopped and said some words of comfort and
gave him the cross. Everybody thought it
was merely an ornament for his coffin, but
he lived to wear it on his breast, restored in
How he came out of it was a miracle, but
the doctors gracefully owned that the chief
remedial agent was his own pluck.
But times had changed in France and they
had changed with him too. The other mill
ions had gone the way of the first, and his
fortunes went into mourning with those of
the dynasty. Another war was wanting and
it came in 1870. He went out with as near
an approach to a desperate resolution as
man of his temperament would be likely to
take he tried to get killed, but he was only
made prisoner instead. Then, after the war
and the long captivity in Germany, he was
called back to help put down the Commune.
He was in much the same frame of mind as
when he went to set up Macmillan, and the
Communists took the place of the half-breeds
as chopping blocks for his hate. He swooped
down on them with his cavalry in the final
struggle and gathered them up in hordes for
Versailles and death. But he could not wait
till he got to Versailles; he shot men on the
road. He would ride down the struggling,
weary line and pick out faces he did not like
it was his artistic sense working in pecu-
liar way. Woe to the scolding womanl woe
to the scowling man on that dreadful march.
He took none but meek faces into Versailles