The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-28
THE COMMUNISTS OF PARIS.

Remarkable Scenes at the Burial of Louise
KicheI,s Mother Revolutionary Speeches.
Paris Letter.
Six thousand persons followed the cortege
which bore the remains of Louise Michers
>saother to the cemetery yesterday morning. and
all along the route other thousands hailed the
bloodred banners and the communistic inscrip-
tons carried in the funeral procession with
shouts of applause as they were borne by. AS
you will know, the government after much
vacillation, finally decided not to allow Louise
Michel the poor privilege of dropping flower on
her mothers coffin before it was loweredinto the
grave They were afraid that her presence in
the cemetery would lead to serious outbreak on
the part of the Anarchists and Blanquists, who,
they knew, would form the major portion of the
attendants. She could prepare the body for the
casket, they decreed, bat this done she was to
repair to st. Lazare, the hospital for invalid
prisoners where she is to remain until her
health, shattered by her long confinement and
this new grief of her mothers loss, is restored.
She accordingly left her cell the evening be-
fore last, and accompanied by a commissary of
police went to the house in which her mother
died. In the oaken coffin which contained the
remains she placed her photograph, some flow
ers lock of her hair, cluster of red immor
telles she had gathered at the burial of Marie
Ferre and the portrait of the latter. With her
cousin she passed the night at the side of the
dead.
Yesterday morning at 7 o'clock Henri Roche
fort and NJ. Clemenceau, the radical deputy
came to see her.
'Bly dear friend said Rochefort as he entered,
'I have the sad mission to lead you to St
Lazare."
ooh, it is who will escort YOU she tran
gully replied. ''Only it's so long since I've
breathed the free air that wish to go on foot
Accompanied by NM Rochefort and Clemen-
ceau, and followed by two detectives, she started
out for the hospital. On several occasions dur
ing the walk she might have made good her es-
cape They arrived at ST. Lazare about 8
o'clock, just at the moment when two women,
each with child on her arms, were mounting
prison van to be taken TO court. 'Look, Roche.
fort" she said, Isn't it sad to see those infants
already in prison2 That would alone be suf-
ficient to excuse what they call our madness.
And they have no covering the poor, unfortun-
ate babes She fumbled in her pocket
do not Search" said Rochefort 'tyou have
nothing" He then gave the director of ST.
Lazare 20 francs, with the request to have the
infants properly clothed
After Louise Michel had entered her new quar-
ters Nj. Ciemenceau made his excuses for not be-
ing able to attend the funeral, while M. Roche
fort went to the house OF mourning to superin-
tend the last details for the burial, the expenses
or which ne pafu OUT OF MS own pOck6t
The door Of the house was Idraped in black.
The bier was exposed to view and covered with
crowns and flowers. large crown of pearls
bore the words, "To my mother" At a quarter
of ii a group of Anarchists arrived bearing a
huge red flag with the inscription, 'sThe Revolu-
tionary Sentinel, Communistic-Anarchist Group
of the Eighteenth ACCOMPLISHMENT" The staff
was surmounted by Phrygian cap. On each
side were borne two smaller red flags without
Inscriptions and the scarlet gold fringed banner
of the Group Of Atheists of the Thirteenth
ACCOMPLISHMENT and of Gentilly." The process
sion. headed by the iearse and carriages contain
ing the relatives and friends of the deceased, set
itself III motion. Or. the way it was saluted by
cries of ''Vive la Revolution Sociale,n ''Viye
pAnarcIlie.S AS it passed guard-h house the men
shouted: down with the Army" before
church they cried: 'Down with Religion"
1t was near o'clock when the cortege reached
the cemetery, already full of people. The re-
mains were to be placed in the vault of the Ferre
family, but the hearse could not penetrate the
crowd First the crowns and flowers and then
the coffin itself had TO be passed over the heads
Of the people. The orators could not approach
sue tomb. They Were obliged to mount head
etone twenty PAGES from the bier in order to de-
liver their speeches
The first speaker was Citizen Ernest Roche,
who said: "Ali factions of the revolutionary
party are represented at this ceremony II the
socialists differ as to tho means TO be employed