Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-03-26
A NARROW ESCAPE,
A TRUE STORY OF THE COMMUNE.

A TRUE STORY OF THE COMMUNE.
fa1 been through the French war-or
as the precise word-mongers have it
through the Franco-German war 1t will
be understood by any military man that
such was no jocose experience. The
word went out on the 18th of july 1870
from the bumptiou3 French assembly
that France was going to have one of her
period cal walk-overs across the German
states and in effect that this was all to be
for the glory of the rein of Napoleon III.
While some Of its chief actors still sur
vive, let me tell little experience of an
associate in journalism, who afteward be-
came the bravest and ablest newspaper
correspondent of his time. This was the
late J. A. MacGahan, whose remains
were removed from their temporary sepul-
ture on the Bosrhorus, where they were
inferred on the 18th of June, 1877, at the
instance of the State of Ohio, whose son
he was, on board a national man war,
and afterward buried with great cere-
mony at the expense of the common
wealth. MacGahan had accompanied
Bourbaki in his disastrous campaign
in the southeast of France
where the generals forces were finally
annihilated, and the entire command of
merry 100, 900 men was driven into Swift
zerland, where they were subsequently
interned. Thence MacGahan fastened
away to Bordeaux, where newly elected
assembly was convened to determine if
the French would accept the terms of
peace hid down by Bismarck, which,
among other conditions provided for the
partial and temporary occupation of Paris,
or continue the war E0Utydnce as de-
manded by Gambetta, Garibaldi and
Victor Hugo. 1t was here that | first
met MacGahan in his striking costume,
top boots, military overcoat and slouch
hat, in the midst of an excited crowd,
arguing with hot-headed delegate. |
had arrived in Bordeaux from ChanzyS
army of the Louvre, which had been
terribly defeated by the splendid com
mald Of Frederick Charles, who, uron
my capture as a prisoner, imposed such
rigorous conditions in my parole that !
surrendered the instrument, and, in a
binding snow storm, mounted on a fleet
horse, and pursued by a squad of Uhla1s,
succeeded in jumping the German lines
and was kindly concealed by the sisters
in convent near Saumur until the
a miStiCe was declared. Then | started
for Bordeaux.
Throughout the stormy sessions of that
remarkable assembly there were gath
cred in that beautiful city of the Gironde
all of the foremost men of France, Thiers,
jules Favre, Grevy, Simon, Rochefort,
Dupanloup and others of equal fame
among the number. The elective body
finally accepted the humiliating terms Of
the German conqueror amid the increaS-
ing restlessness of the French people
Nearly all of the great cities were agita-
ted by labor troubles, socialStic demon
stratiDns and communal manifeStoes II
was in such dark hour that MacGahan
and | went up to Paris on the first train
that entered the capital from the south
west, to find the people dark; gloomy
and SOmbre, Sallow in skin, irresolute In
gait and savage in aspect, when pleasant
ly greeted; and all of this as the net out
come of an unhappy termination of a
five months siege, when threatened
starvation even went to the point in some
instances of eating human flesh. Turbll-
lent signs began to appear Immediately in
the evacuation of the caDital by the Ger
man corps of Blumenthal, which occurred
on the 3d of March, 1871. A week later
red flag was hying from the column OF
the Ba tile. The communal clubs be
gan to organize Sodition was preached
i the cafes and the almost universal cry
of the population was for a republic,
while divers factions wanted divers forms
of anarchy. Events were not slow in
minating. Cannon, insecurely guarded
by the regulars, were seized by the arti
san politicians carried away to the
heights of Montmartre, and in twink.
ling barricades rose upon that naturally
fortified elevation. A few shots on tho
morning of the 18th of March, two gen
erals, Thomas and LeCompte, put tC
death on Montmartre for inspecting tho
communal camp, and the regular troop.
withdrew from the city, and on thai
beautiful Sunday morning the red faa
was flying from the Hotel de Vile, anC
than began ten weeks rein of one Of
the most frightful chapters in French
history-one, too, that came near being
repeated throus hout France aud, indeed
in the great capitals where the tendency
was for revolutionary and democratic
forms
l will not give the details Of thi,
bloody drama, in which MacGalan anC
myself were called upon, from our pecu
liar dutict and associations, to act rather
conspicu ous and unwelcomc parts, beyond
saying that we were in the secrets of the
)mmunists from the moment they
took possession of the city until the last
of them-th the elders-were either sum
mariy shot on capture, subsequently ex
! ecuted after trial by drum head court