The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-26

The arrest of the two qumstors NJ
Baze and Gen. Lefo, both living in the Assem-
bly, Palace. occasi0ned no uneasiness when once
the palace had been mlitarily occupied. All the
outlets We're guardet., so that they We're prison
ers even before their arrest. The affair, never
theless, did not pass off without difficulty.
At the foot of his staircase Gen. Lefo,
meeting Col. Espinasse, who, with a detachment,
had kept near the scene Of operations addressed
hlm in the bittereSt terms and hailauguCd the
troops around him. The Colonel and his men
were unmoved. Once in the carriage with d.
BertoSliO and the two policemen WHO were to
take him to Mazas, the General offered no fur
Their resistance The second qupstor, NJ Baze,
was still more lrtated and violent than Gen.
Let1o. He resorted to every means of resistance,
persisted in not dressing himself, and had to be
seized and dragged to the carriage awaiting him.
On the way he exhausted evefy form of insult,
and, like Gen. Leto vehemently addressed the
officers and soldiers whom he passed. Not q
syllable Of sympathy greeted his words.
The arrest of Gems. LamOriciere and
Badeau and Col. Charras gave rise to similar
episodes. The same aimleSs resistance, the same
threats, the same attempts to harangue the
troops. the same Indifference Of officers and sol
dleIs, and lastly the same pUnctiliousneSs by
the eommissalies IN the execution Of their or
ders. General Cavagnac showed moro reserve
In the expression Of his irritation. He was dig
nified. and confined himself to asking about the
other measures which he supposed had been
taken with his colleagues of the Chamber. He
was informed on reaching Nlazas.
las to NJ. Theirs. his arrest was a strange
scene. Awakened out of his sleep by the entry
OF the police commissary, he seized with
positive terror on hearing that he was being ar
rested. His words were incoherent He did not
want to be arrested; he was not a criminal ne
was not cOnspiring he would hcnceforth remain
a stranger to politics. he going abroad All
this was said with great volubiity, without NJ.
Hubault, the cOmmissary, being able to put in u
word. But when his first agitation was over. and
q had 1a1a fbat feA
was In no danger he recovered himself. and the
illustriOus orator sitting III his bed commenced
to hold forth if he had been a simple spec
tator OF what was passing. To the re
quest to rise and dress himself, he
replied by a singular proceeding, from
which it would have been more dignfed to
abstain. Then. still unclad, he approached
piece of furniture in order, he said, to take
pair of pistols. If l blew your brains out said
he-and added, do you know that l am armed,
and that ii would be very eXcusahle if | treated
you like malefactorP NJ. Hubault soon Gained
his belicose humor by showing him that he him
self was armed; but NJ Theirs had regained
confidence, and he began testing i'll a way alto
gether out Of harmony with the situation, be-
traying effort to conceal his real state of
mind. This painful scene lasted upward of
quarter of an hour. NJ. Theirs vas evidently
anxious to gain time. What hope had he? NJ.
Hubault at length insisted on his dressing, and
in a few moments he was beside the commits
sary in the carriage awaiting him outside. The
attitude of NJ. Theirs then suddenly changed
His first terrors revived. You are going to
shoot me- he said, L see you are leading me to
death Then, once more treasured as to his
life he tried to ascertain whether he alone had
been arrested. He tried by promising consider
able sums to obtain permission to escape from
Mazas. At Mazas he fell into state of complete
prostration, and was treated with the greatest
care
'"rhe most important and most decisive act of
the I'd of December was accomplished General
Changarnier's plot was annihilated by his arrest
and that of his chief accomplices. The dema-
gogic rising was also paralyzed-its organizers
were at Mazas. Their satellites only remained
at large, and we may judge by what the riot de
prived of its chiefs accomplished of what it
might have become had they been at its head to
recruit the revolutionary masses and lead them
to combat"
The most extraordinary thing is that so many
persons were aware of the intended coup detat,
and that nobody betrayed the secret This is
unprecedented. 1t is also surprising that man
can write such things after huying done them,
and this will show that NJ. de Maupas is not
wantingin courage; though he has not published
his book till thirty years afterward