New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-02-07
MICHEL AND KRAPOTKINE.
FREE FROM PRISON AT LAST-HOW THEY
LOOK AND TALK.

Ferrvs diplomatic astuteness; to wit, Louise
Michel and the Prince and Princess Krapotkine,
who are now Free They owe their freedom TO the
pressure put upon NJ. Grevy and NJ. de FTeyclnet
bv the Radicals in the Cabinet and i'll Parliament
and 70 the Radical Gu trent which the baloiage
elections and the complementary ones OF December
81 indicated. But these combined influences were
not enough TO bring NJ. Grevy to sign an amnesty
ON his own responsibility. He was greatly urged
TO do So Clemenceau when he heard from his
friend NJ Granet dhe Minister OF Posts
and TelegraphS that the head Oh
the State would not go further imam
restricted measure of jail delivery paruonj
which would not free the released persons rom
certain penal consequences of their CONVECTION
went to the Elys6e and exered ali his eioquence IN
favor of amnesty. When that faited he quoted the
magnificent speech of POrtia from The Merchant
of Venice" not as translated by Guizot or Francois
Victor HUGO but as his own knowledge OF French
and English enabled him to translate it, The
head of the State did not perceive of whom the
Radical leader borrowed but showed that he I'M
derstood the verbal beauty of the appeal for
more comprehensive measure OF PARDON
:" Whom do you quote |" he said " Shake
spearep Oil that's from Shakespeare
is iti He was only a haIum-scarum poet
Tan poefcet an brouiilonJ and knew nothing OF
state affairs" Clemenceau, venture to add SAID
10 himself: what % bourgeois Phillstlne! Ana 10
think that he has been twice elected to serve as
gurehead for the nation reputed to be the DrlaDt-
est IN Europe!" What is now decided is that an
amnesty bill will be proposed by Rochefort IN the
| Chamber. which the Government is to accept. If
the acceptance is feeblc RochefOrt will resign and
ask the Department of the Seine to Te-elect him.
| Lonise Michel is, should say, fifty years old.
| She has singular graciousness and simplicity Oh
| manner Her zeal, far from burning her up, keeps
her young Although she has now been two years
in prison and spent eight years in the severest har
| ship as q convicted Communist, she has lresh
| compexiou. fresh checks and that soft brightness
| of eve which shows inward contentmeht Ier
neck stoops and she has the heavy walk of one
| whose limbs are stiflcmed with rheumatism. Dut
the voice remains Youthful and is singularly sweet
! She has a forehead exactly like that of the COme
| de Paris in its want of development i'll the upper
mart bnt hers being the most prominent Just al inc
| brows, is the best. In profile it appears to slope
hack almost to the top of her head, which Is capped
with \ small scalp of frzzed black hair. ScuTvy
deprived her of the natural capillary covering Just
at the bump of hTmness. 1t Is noteworthy that she,
| who is the most lmpulsive and reckless OF women,
| should have forehead which Is almost Identical
with that of the most shy, tiinOrous aud pru-
dent OF PTetenders. The nose is big, strong, hlgh
| at the bridge and has an ndentatiOn near the
end Her under lip is heavy and her chin is impcr-
| fectIv developed The month is wide and the gains
scorbutlc She has some false teeth of clumsy con-
| struction and few yellow pegs. She had when
vounp n dazzling set But scuryy, caused by bad
diet in the Antipodes, destroyed them
The face of Louise Michel tells a story Of honest
and unselish purpose and of long pursuit OF what
is IDEAL One feels that she has been saved from
| nnacy by the warmth of her heart. and the eXer-
| else of its affections THIS Red Heroine has al
nf hmm bpin
animal. In New-Caledonia. and in the ST. LazaIe
Prison. she never tired of performing acts
| of self.sacrifce, and without apparent con-
| sciousncss That there was any merit
IN them. Unless when she ~ on the Revpiu-
| ton the law of her mind and soul is love. Her
mother was her child in latter years Nhen Louise
| was arrested she took to prison her three cats, to
live in frendlineSs with troops of rats which visited
her cell dailv remarked that she has not concen-
| tration enough to write well. But anything more
interesting than her verbally related observations
| of rat life | never heard. Rats are not only
affectionate parents, but respectful and kind
10 their seniors, and TO the infirm and
rat who shows itself undntful to an aged one is
chastsed by the other members OF the community.
IT seemed to Louise that sociability and family
affection enable rats TO be gregarlous with comfort
to themselves. Her visitors at st. Lazare showed
confidence in her good nature. but beyond that, no
affection for her. Before she had taught her cats
to overcome their natural hostility to the rats the
paw of one of the latter was bitten off by Nous
tache." one of The former Louise kept the invalid
with the most wachfu kindness. But when il was
well and WAS granted It's liberty it showed
no desire to become her permanent companion,
whereas the cats were only happy with her. and
when she was i'll they were she AYERS from sheer
force of sympathy "off their feed"
Louise N Iche is of aIisiocratic and Celtic accom-
the paternal side and of plebeian and Burgundian
blood ON the maternal side. She is the Legitimate
daughter of NJ des Mahis, Vendean whose
father filled the post OF Lieutenant General OF the
King IN Brittany before the Revolution, and was
member of the National Assembly in 1889. His
son married q BurgundIan heress who died child
less. Louise was adopted by her paaternal grand
mother and carefully educated. That lady be-
| oneatbed her a number of family miniatures Her
father meant to settle his fortune on her. but dying
suddenly aud she not having been recognized as his
child, she thrown on her own resources and
became a schoOmIstreSs She was flTst led into
politics by the persecution which she encountered
by teaching the children under her that the Coup
dEtat was a crime. After she was forbidden 10
teach III Burgundy she came TO Paris 10 oren an in
dependent school at Montmartre, and was greatly
paironzed by NJ. and Mime. Jules Simon. Her self
abnegatiOn enabled her TO play heroines part in
the two successive sieges. During the second one
she was constantly under fire to pick up and aid
the wounded.
While was talking with Louise Prince Krapot-
kline and his wife entered. They had been to
breakfast with ROchefort and came TO see Louise.
| The Princess is young, blooming very interesting
and so soft of speech aud eye that nobody would
| give her credit for her extraordinary energy OF
win; Prince Krapotkine 's short, and has a
Of offe hair as Sa' Billiard bail This frpge Is sv%T S
His beard islong thin and white, and his face has
the yellow waxen hue which IS n symptom Of
cancer. The check bones seem to cut through the
skin A pair of small brilliant and lively eyes lie
| in ambush behind spcctacles, above which he often
looks at distant objects. The tumehcd gums do-BOt
hold a single tooth and too diseased 10 support
the pressure of false teeth: Like most mon who
led solitary life ne 9sst
when he warns up and gets clear and ELOQUENT: