The Penn's Grove record., 1885-02-07
A Tale OF the Commune.

The famous Napoleon Column in the
Place VendOme, Paris, was constructed
by order of the great soldier from IAN
non captured n his wars, and was de-
signed to illustrate in bronze the won
derful career of the Corsican boy. 1t
was modelled after the Trajan Column,
and is to-day n of the conspicuous
and notable landmarks of the French
capital. But it has had a curious his
tory. In 1871, when Paris was held by
the Commune, it was resolved to pull
down the pillar, and steps were immedi-
ately taken to undermine its base, the
idea being to cause it to fall with one
grand crash, symbolical of that national
fall which the Communists hoped to
see take place as a result of their mis-
guided efforts.
A bed of sand, faggots and manure
was prepared for the huge a to fall
upon, that the conclusion to the sur
rounding buildings might be lessened.
The Official Journal, on the morning of
May I6, announced that the column
would positively fall that day at 2
o'clock. AT the hour named a large
crowd of spectators assembled The
members of the commune and their
staff, amounting to 200, attended on
horseback. Bands played and every
thing was done to give the occasion .
festive character. Colonel Mayer, COM
manding in the Place Vendome, ascend
ed to the top of the column and waved
a small ~tricolor flag. He then tore the
flag, cried "Long live the Commune ~
tied the f1aghead to the rails at the sum-
NIT of the pillar and descended. Wher
the ropes were frightened the band
struck up the "Marseillaise, " and all
eyes were fixed on the doomed monu-
ment. sit falls y exclaimed the N.
lockers, and the great mass bowed
slowly toward the Rue de la PAX. As
it fell 1t broke into pieces in the air and
struck The ground in four portions. A
loud yet dull report followed. and the
clouds of dust s into the sky, but the
conclusion was nothing like so bad as
most people had expected The column
forced itself some way into the ground,
but no windows were broken, nor was
the square in any way injured.
AS o as the huge fragments had
settled themselves Colonel Mayer
mounted them and waved a red flag
the ~populace cheering and shouting,
"Long live the Commune" At nearly
the same moment there was posted at
Versailles, the headquarters OF the
Government troops, a brief yet signih-
cant dispatch, dated Mont Valerien:
''The top OF the Vendome Column has
disappeared from view"
The excited Communists immediately
set about making the indignity TO the
memory of Napoleon W greater than
it had already been, by further breaking
the bronze pieces OF the column and
throwing them into the Seine and ear
rying them into hiding in distant parts
Of the city, SO that by nightfall of the
following day not a piece weighing 50
much as twenty pounds of the once
magnificent monument which lowered
into the air los feet remained ia the
Place Vendome, 81 was anywhere to be
found.
But the fortunes Of wal changed.
The Communists we're driven from the
city, and order once more reigned.
Immediately an effort was made to re-
store the many ruined public and prl-
vate portions of Paris, the Napoleon
Column among them. Rewards were
offered for the finding OF the missing
pieces, under the stimulus of which the
Seine was dragged and thousands of
out of the way places explored. Strange
to say, every piece of the great mona
nlent was found. 1t was once again
raised, and to day the heroic figure of
the great Emperor stands as proudly on
the summit Of the magnificent pile in
the Place Vendome as though it had
never been plunged piecemeal into the
Seine by an angry populace.