St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-11-03

to which they devoted their lives.
Their happiness became even re-
proach to them, and they burned to
take part in the mortal struggle with
despotism which had now become one
of acts as well as of words. They con-
trived a plan of escape. In February,
1879, they left Solvitchegodiv, and
after a long and perilous journey sue
ceeded in reaching St. Petersburg,
where they were at once affiliated
to the organization known as the Mar
odnaio Volts.
The difficulties and dangers which
always beset the path of conspirators,
especially in Russia, were greatly in
creased in the case Of the Franiolis by
the state of Andres health. His nat
urally not robust constitution, after
suffering from the fatigues and priva-
tons inseparable from the life of an
active propagandist, had become still
further enfeebled by his long imprison-
ment, and he never fully recovered
from the effects of his terrible leap from
the railway carriage. He was affected
with chronic anemia and disease of
the bones, and the physicians whom he
consulted at st. Petersburg were able
to afford him but little present relief,
and not much hope of ultimate rccov-
cry. The life of a revolutionist who
had to be perpetually on the move, and
to hide where he could, was moreover
altogether incompatible with the care,
attention and regimen which his case
imperatively demanded, and Andre
grew worse and worse.
A friend-one of the editors of the
NaTodaaaio Tolia-relates that in De-
cember, 1873, when he went to warn
Franjoli that his whereabouts had be-
come known to the police, and that he
must instantly remove to fresh quar-
tiers, he could hardly walk, and it was
only by sort of miracle that they con-
triyed to evade the spy by whom they
were tracked. Yet, despite his suffer-
ings, aggravated by the dangers to
which he was exposed, and the entreat-
les of his fellow-workers, he refused to
retire from the contest. In the courage
of this young man, stricken with a
mortal malady, as weak as a child, and
with the look of corpse, there was
something superhuman and almost sub
lime.
Not being able to move about, Fran
jolt took always the position of house
master in the Conspirationy Koartiry-
that is to say, in the rooms in which the
terrorists met to receive their orders and
discuss their plans. Holders of this po-
sition are invariably exposed to great
danger by reason of the coming and
going of the conspirators, and the risk
thereby incurred of attracting the notice
of the police or their spies.
Now that both are gone there is no
reason why it should not be known that
in the house of Franiolis was made the
dynamite destined to blow up the mine
on March Is, 1880, and that Andre and
his wife superintendent the making of
the bombs which were used with such
fatal effect on the Katarina Canal.
Demenico Guerrazzi, an Italian
writer, describes battle between Cor
sican patriots and a French force much
superior in numbers, in which the
wounded Corsicans formed with their
bleeding bodies a barricade to protect
their comrades from the bullets of the
foe and enable the survivors to continue
the struggle. No less heroic was the
conduct of the two Franjolis. He hard
Nv able to move from his bed, the house
full of deadly explosives, not knowing
what day might bring forth, liable at
any moment to a visit from the police,
and neither able to escape himself nor
destroy the damning evidence which
would have insured his death on the
scaffold. She watching over her hus-
band day after day, hardly ever daring
to venture from his side; listening even
in the watches of the night for the foot.
fall of the enemy and the summons to
admit the emissaries of the Gar; living
in instant expectation of death, for both
carried poison, and were tirmy resolved,
if the summons should come, to die
rather than be taken.
But great as was their love for each
other, their devotion to that which they
believed to be their duty was even great
er. Eugene, with the full consent of
her husband, placed herself unreserved-
" at the disposal of the Executive Com
mittce, and offered to go whithersoever
her services might be most useful to
the cause. But none had the heart to
require from them so terrible sacri-
flee, and they remained together to the
last.
After the death Of Alexander Ii. they
left st. Petersburgh-Which had become
more dangerous than ever-for the
south of Russia, and from that time
forth, owing to Andres increasing
weakness. they were unable to take any
further part in the revolutionary move
ment. Early in the present year it
was deemed expedient for them to leave
Russia, and in May last they arrived in
Geneva, where they received a warm
welcome from many old and faithful
friends. But death was written in An
dre's face. and none who saw him could