The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-06-15

eSk6S Pere-Lachaise: "a battle here? But
there never was battle. 1t was an inven-
ton of the newspapers. This is exactly
what did take place: On the evening of the
ODD. which was Sunday, thirty Communist
artillerymen arrived with battery of
seven-pounders and a new-fangled mitrail-
leuse. They took position on the high
ground of the cemetery, and. as / have that
section under my charge, it was | who re-
ceived them. Their mitrailleuse was at
that corner of the alley, near my watch
box; their cannon little lower down, upon
that terrace. On their arrival they obliged
me to open several chapels for them.
thought they would break everything, steal
everything in them; but their chief re-
stored order, and, placing himself in their
midst, made this short speech: The first
scoundrel who touches anything shall be
shot! Dismissp He was a white-headed
old fellow with Crimean and Italian medals,
and had an air that was not at all indul-
gent. His men obeyed him, and l will do
them the justice to say that they took moth
ing from the tombs, not even the Due de
Morny's crucifx, which alone is worth
nearly 1000 francs.
They were. nevertheless, most villain
Gus lot, those Communist artillerymen-
cannOneers of the moment, who cared for
nothing but their pay. How they carried
on in the cemetery! They threw them
selves down pell-mell in tie vaults, in
Morny's, in Favronne's - that beautiful
Favronne tomb in which the Emperor S
nurse is buried. They put their wine to
cool in the Champeaux vault, which con-
tains a fountain. And all night they
drank-they guzzled. Oh! 1 tell you our
dead heard some queer talk.
THE BoMBARDMENT.
"All the same, despite their awkward
ness, those bandits did much damage to
Paris-their position was such good one.
From time to time an order reached them
Fire upon the Louvre-fre upon the
Paais Royal!
Then the old chief pointed the pieces,
and the petroleum bombs few toward the
city. What was taking place below none
of us exactly knew. We heard the reports
of musketry coming nearer little by little,
but that did not disturb the Communists.
With the cross-tre of Chaumont, of Mont
martrc, of Pere-Lachaise, it did not seem
possible to them that the Versailles people
could advance. What undeceived them was
the first bomb which the marines sent us on
arriving at the rising ground of Mont
martre-so little had they expected it.
Il was in the midst of them, leaning
pipe On hearing the bomb coming | had
barely time to throw myself upon the
ground. A first our cannoneers thought 1t
an error in aiming, or some colleague who
had become intoxicated. But 1t was 10 such
thing In five minutes Montmartre burst
out again, and another joker reached us, as
well aimed as the first, Instantly my gay
birds quilted their cannon and mitrallleuse
and ran off as fast as their legs could Carry
them. The cemetery was not big enough
for them. They cried out:
IS We are betrayed! we are betrayed
" The old chief, left alone under the hail
of bombs, rushed about like brave devil
in the midst of his battery and wept with
rage TO see that his cannoneers had aban-
doned it.
A MEMORABLE PAY NIGHT
However, later in the evening some of
them returned to him-at the pay hour.
See, Monsieur, look at my Matchbox. 1t
still bears the names Of those who came to
be paid that night. The old chief called
them out and wrote them down:
'Sidaine = present.; Choudeyras pre-
sent; Billet, VOllori-
LAS you see, only four or five came back
but they had women with them. All l shall
never forget that playwright. Below, Paris
was in fames-the Hotel de Vile, the ar
we could see as plainly as in broad day.
The Communists stroVe again to man their
guns, but they were not sufficiently nuRler-
Gus, and, besides, they were afraid of Mont
martre. Then they entered q tomb and fell
to drinking and singing. The old chief was
seated between those two tall stone figures
which are at the door Of the Favronne vault.
He gazed at Paris burning with terrible
air. One might say that lie thought it would
be his last night.
From that moment / cannot say with
certainty what happened. went to my
house, that little hut you see down there,
half-hidden among the branches. l was
greatly fatigued. threw myself upon my
bed with my clothes on, keeping my lamp
lighted, as on stormy night. Suddenly
somebody knocked roughly at the door.
My wife ran to open it, all in tremble.
We thought we should again see the COM
munists. The marines were there-a COM
mander, ensigns. surgeon. They said
to me:
Get up and make us some coffee
A DEADLY SEARCH.
81 arose, l made their coffee. I heard in
the cemetery a murmur, Il confused move
ment, as il all the dead had awakened for
the last Judgment. The Off ers drank very
quickly, standing the while then they led
me out with them. The cemetery was full
of soldiers, of marines. They put me at the
head of a sQuGd and we began to search
Pere-Lachaise tomb by tomb. From time
to time the soldiers, seeing the leaves move,
fired down an alley, upon bust, into
grating. Here and there they discovered
some unfortunate wretch hidden away in
corner of chapel. His business was soon
settled, This is what had happened to my
artilerymen. | found them all lying in a
pile before my Matchbox, with the medal
covered old chief on top. 1t was not a
pleasant sight at the cold dawn of day.
" But what made the deepest impression
on me WAS long file oil National Guards
led at that moment from the prison Of La
ROquette, where they had passed the night.
They assembled the main alley slowly, like
a funeral procession, We heard not a word,
not eomplaint-those unfortunates were
so worn out, so overcome. There were
some among them who slept as they
marched, and the thought that they were
CD their way to death did not waken them.
They were taken to the extremity OF the
cemetery and the firing began. They num-
bered Il hundred and forty-seven. You can
imagine that they were disposed of in short
order. This is what is called the battle of
Pere-LachaiSe."
Here the Waterman, perceiving his chief,
quilted me hastily, and l remained alone,
gazing at the names of the last pay-list
written upon his Matchbox by the lightfof
burning Paris. | called up that night of
May, disturbed by bombs, red with blood
aud with flames, this great deserted GENE
terry Illuminated like a city in festivity, the
cannon abandoned in the midst of the cross
paths, all around the open vaults, the orgie
in the tombs, ana, near by, in this contu-
sion OF domeS, of columns, Uf stone images
which the gambols of the flames vivitied,
the bust OF BalZac, with its high forehead
and large eyes. looking on.