New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-18
A RADICAL ARISTOCRAT,
FELIX PYATS WILD CAREER. TIE CON.
QUEROR OF BOSNIA.-FANNY LEWALD.

and who was the exact opposite OF it. lie was
designed by Nature 10 be White In fact, he was
the reddcst Of the Reds. AS father. son. is the
proverb Pyat was a living denial Of its truth
have heard him tell of his parents. They were
the most devoted of LegtimiSts, to whom the
names Of Charles X and Chambocd were too sacred
ever to be uttered save reyerently and with heads
uncovered How did Felix get his resstless bent
toward republicanism? / doubt il he was him
self ever able to tell. | have never been able 10
ascertain that he ever even tried to explain his
conversion from monarchy to radicalism.
But certainly he imbibed or evolved radical no.
tions at an early age lie was not yet twenty
years old when the Revolution of July drove out
Charles and put the Citizen King upon the
throne Yet he not only entered heart and soul
into that revolution, but he was one Of the fore
most leaders of it. lie made his debut IN the
Faubourg St. Antoine. II at a great public
meeting lie sprang upon the platform, tore down
and trampled upon a picture Of the hing lCharlesl
and shouted, Long live the National Conven.
tom" From that moment he was the idol OF
the proletarat They saw in him another Camille
Desmoulns. But he by no means satisfied
with the result Of that revolution. lie wanted
the Throne abolished altogether. So he kept on
agitating. All through Louis Philippes reign he
n
sion and clever one, but he spent most of his
time in writing political tracts and making po-
ltical speeches, each one more fiery than the form
er. lie also wrote plays and various other literary
productions of considerable merit II really is
pity that he did not devote his attention exclusive
ly to paywritng. He had the real dramatic in
stinct and might have become the foremost play
author of the day. But his love Of politics was
too strong.
Do not for moment suppose, though, that he
was typical Bohemian conspirator, or even the
sort OLA rough diamond that Gambetta was before
Juliette LANDER polished him. Ry no means.
rs a meodrama hero-or villain-would say. Felix
Pyat always gentleman. And he was
particularly mild hammered gentleman, too.
don't believe that he ever could have been
fighter. lie never would have helped man barri-
cade. Possibly he was coward His enemies
said so. and his friends were not eager TO deny
IT, He was foremost in advocating the most vio-
lent measures, but when they were TO be executed
he was in the rear ranks. That was the case in
the Commune. ! do not think that he ever
welded weapon there. But he was ali
the time eXhortinG the others TO fight it
out to the bitter end. II was he
who conceived, planned and melted the deStruc-
ton of the Vendome Column and the destruction
of Thers's house. lie wanted all the foreign
newspaper correspondents in Paris shot or at
least locked up He urged the slaughter Of all
prisoners and hostages. He finally advocated the
utter burning of the city, and the scheme would
have been fulfilled to the letter had not rhe Yer
Sailles troops got IN in time to stop it, But amid
it all he KEPT himself ont of danger lie was,
too fostidlouS fellow in dress almost dandy
This made some Of his Observation-Disclosures dis
Il min ,Ii u
"A true democrat and wear clean shirt.
All of Felix Pyat's fighting. then. was done
with tongue and pen BIT it lad its penalty;
though the penalty was not always paid. Very
seldom was il pad. indeed I will not undertake
10 enumerate all the different sentences passed
upon him by the courts. but l will give the az
gregate Of them, as stated 10 me by Pyat himself
IT," said he. had suffered all that was passed
upon me- would have paid quarter of q million
francs 100000 in fines. been under police sur.
veillInce five year. been i'm confinement ten wears
been imprisoned in n dungeon twanty-ninp wears
been eXiled for le and been put to DEATH lie
managed, however, always TO get across the from
tier just before the police caught up with him
Thus he spent much Of his life in exile Some
thirty-ive years were spent by him in Brussels.
London and Geneva. He was in London when he
wrote his famous ode TO "A Ballet in which he
urged the assassination of Napoleon ILL., This
was just after the murder Of Victor Nor by
Prince Pierre Bonaparte. banquet was got up
by the RevolutoniNts to celebrate the beheading
of Louis XVI. Pyat was invited but dared not
attend. But he sent tonSt in the form of an
ode "Oh, little bulet!7 h wrote only
week ago 100000 men did solemn homage
to your victim Listen now TO me. Would you
have pardon? Would You change eternal shame
f,po al, H. Ella In,
man what you did in the hand of a Prince
There is vet time. Everything depends on you,
everybody invoices you, everybody has hope of
you. Deliver us from the tyrant. Aim well and
have no pity Two hundred thousand men cursed
your crime: two hundred millions will bless your
glory For this he sentenced to five years
imprisonment and 81 POO fine. but escaped both
by his timely absence in London. Thereafter
they called him Lllomme IA Ia Petite Bale"
Felix Pyat was q clever journalist lie was
not only a fiery political prOpa gandiSt, but he
was literary critic of very great ability. Wien
was granted TO him he went back TO
Paris and was presently elected 90 the Chamber.
That made great sensation. | remember that
many looked with fear and trembling for his first
appearance as a Deputy. They really expected 10
see an unwashed sans cullotte, waving a Phrygan
cap and shouting "Vive ia Communel" In
stead, however, they saw an uucommonly well
washed and weLdrssed elderly gentleman of
quiet aud dgnifed bearing who might well have
been n nobleman of the old regime. lie made a
few speeches, eloquent, but void. He must have
realized that he had fingered beyond his time on
the political stage, for he was soon glad TO slip
away quietly to his cottage at ST Gratien, where
he lived peaceful and happily with his wife
and took much pleasure in his little garden. |
Ills next neighbor there, by the way, Princess
Mathilde
The death Of the Conqueror of Bosnia has
removed one Of the really greatest military
figures of the age Baron josef Philipporich of
the Austrian Army became a soldier az eighteen !
and at twenty-three was Il general There was |