Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-03-09
ATALE OF THE COMMIas
Curious History or ) -.
Partisan Landmsa,. 'n0a
Destruction and Restoration q !. ,
VendOmo Napoleon Colo, ! -

the Place Vendome, Paris. j.
structed BY order of the p.ea ~ -, y
from cannon captured in his va. s.l
was designed to illustrate !
the wonderful career of the Co,.,.a
boy. It was modelled after tAo ~s
column and is to-day one Of ths y.
splcious and notable lapdma,.. y. w.
French capital. But it has had
rious history. In 1871, when p.
was held by the commune, i -. 's
solved to pull down the pill., Y
steps were Immediately taken = y
dermine its base, the idea h.,..
cause it to fall with one great -.
symbolical of that national fan ws,s s
the communists hoped to s0s ~
place as result of their insignia,
efforts.
A bed of sand, fagots and mann.
was prepared for the huge mas, !.
fall upon, that the conclusion i i
surrounding buildings might BE- les,,
ed. The Office Journal, on the morn
ing of May Is, announced thai i.
column would positively fall that a,
at 2 o'clock. At the hour named
large crowd of spectators assembla
The members of the commune n,
their staff, amounting to two hundra
attended on horseback. Bands pavs
and everything was done to give ii.
occasion festive character. Colon
Mayer, commanding in the Place Ven
dome, ascended to the top Of the cd
umn aud waved a small tri color an
He then tore the iiag, cried "IOar
live the cOmmuner' tied the aarAssi
to the rails OF the summit Of the paw
and descended. When the ropes were
frightened the band struck up tn
'Marseillaise.' and all eyes were fua
on the doomed monument ut falls
exclaimed the onlookers, and the grst
mass bowed slowly toward the Ruedl
Ia Paix. AS it fell it broke into pieces
i'm the air and struck the ground d
four distinct pieces. A loud yet daH
report followed, and clouds Of dus
roseinto the sky, but the concusia
wasinothing like so bad as the peOpb
had expected The column fOrcede
self s0me way into the ground, but
windows were broken, nor was ths
square in any way injured.
AS soon as the huge fragments Bad
settled themselves, Col. Mayer noun
ed them and waved a red flag, The
popnlace cheering and shouting Long
live the communeI". At nearly tas
same moment there was posted 4
Versailles. the headquarters Of th'
government troops, a brief yet slgniH
cant despatch. dated Mont Valerian'
''The tOp,of the Vendome column hs
disappeared from view"
The excited communists immediae
" set about making the indignig
the memory Of Napoleon even gsaIa
than It had already been, BY breaking
the bronze pieces OF the column an
throwing them into the Seine and '1'
ryingthem into hiding In dinsfsl'
parts OF tha city, so that by nignHa
Of the following day not a piece We'ss
ing so much as twenty pounds o.
once magnificent monument "ar
lowered into the air los feet remains
in the Place vendome, or was @F
where to. be found.
But the. fortunes Of war chang
The communists were driven from
city, and order once more rslg'~
Immediately an effort was made 80
store the many ruined public anu !.
yate portions Of Paris, the Nap''.
column among them. Rewards
offered for the finding OF the - -
pieces. under the stimulus o. ="
the Seine was dragged and tnoa' 49,.
Of out-of-the-places explored. 81
to say. every piece of the grea' \. -
nent was found. It was once go.
raised, and to-day the heroic 's- =,
the great emperor stands a. pl H..
On the summit Of the mags 49,
pile q the Place Vendome $50