Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-04
Intense CommOtiOn Over the
May-Day Riots.
The Affair at FOurmies Char
acterized as a Massacre.
Soldiers Charged With UnprovOked
Slaughter of Citizens.
Danger of France Being Isolated, Com
mercially, From the Other Con-
tinental Countries.
Associated Press Dispatches.

PARIS, May "Details of the labor
trouble at Fourmies have immensely
heightened the political Importance of
the incident. The fact that six women,
several children and eight men were
killed on the streets, while twenty were
seriously wounded, several fatally, gives
the affair the character of massacre.
The soldiers were merely exposed to
stone-throwing, but they replied with
succession of volleys from their rifles,
inflicting frightful wounds on their vic
Tins. Houses exposed to the fire were
fiddled, and there is every sign that
reckless and wanton inhumanity was
shown by the troops.
POPULAR FEELING INTENSE.
Local popular commotion is intense,
and it finds response in growing excite
ment in every working center. Four
mics tonight is practically in state of
siege. Cavalry patrol the streets, and
are everywhere greeted with yells OF
apprehension from excited groups of
men and women. The tension of feel
ing may be judged from the fact that
the military are hailed with cries of
"Vive Prussia !"
The funeral of the victims was fixed
for today, but the enormous number of
workmen arriving from other industrial
centers caused the government to send
for reinforcements and to order the post
ponement of the funeral until tomorrow.
The project today refused to receive a
deputation asking for the removal of the
regiment that fired upon the crowd.
CoNsTANs BITTERLY CENsURED.
A section of the Left and the Socialist
and Boulangist deputies will join in de-
manding, tomorrow, vote of censure
against Constans, minister of the in
terror, as responsible for the slaughter.
The majority of the Right and Left ap-
prove generally the measures of repres-
sion taken by Constans throughout tie
country, but will advocate an inquiry
into the conduct of the troops at Four
mics.
Parliamentary circles view the affair
as shaking the position Of the minister.
Labor centers throughout France are
profoundly moved, and public meetings
here and at Marseilles, Lyons and else
where are being organized to protest
against the precipitate action of the
authorities. 4r
THE RESPONSIBILITY ASSUMED.
The commander at Fourmies, in his
report to the minister of war on the
May-day troubles, assumes full respon-
sibility for the action of the troops. He
says he only ordered firing when the
troops were in danger of being killed or
disarmed.
FRANCE GREATLY ALARMED.
The movement of the German and
Austrian governments to isolate France,
commercially, begins to alarm the
French ministers more seriously. Dis
patches from the French embassy at
Vienna state that Germany has opened
negotiations with Russia, with the view
OF arranging for Russian cooperation in
the projected commercial union. Con-
cert with Russia, at first sight, appears
impossible, but under the German
Austrian treaty, provision is made to
treat other powers reciprocally. Both
countries can offer Russia the benefits
of aabenefcial tariff. Switzerland and
Servia will send delegates to the Vienna
commercial conference. Russia has
been invited, but has not yet replied.
A significant semi-official note in to-
days Fremdenblatt, of Vienna, pro-
claims the wide economic and political
bearing of the German-Austrian treaty,
and predicts that other powers will be
forced to make similar arrangements
Even France, the note says, will find it
impossible to remain isolated, and will
be compelledlto return to the treaty sys-
tenn.
FRENCH ART EXHIBIT AT CHICAGO.
Ballou, a leading official of the expo
sition of 1889, will probably be charged
with the French art exhibit at Chicago,
although Benjamin Constant will put
the control OF the exhibit in the hands
OF two artists, one to be appointed by
the Champs Elysees society, and the
other by the Champs de Mars society.
vIeullefroy, secretary of the Champs
Elysees society, favors a collective ex-
hibit by the two societies.
SENSATIONAL MURDER TRIAL.
The trial at Moulins OF Madam Achet,
young widow, for the murder of
notary named Lepine, has filled the
court daily with crowd of intensely
interested spectators. There was con-
tiict of testimony in the case, and the
prosecution failed to prove that the wo-
man had accomplices, but it was shown,
beyond doubt, that she murdered Le-
pine in order to rid herself of creditors.
Madam Achet, while confessing the kill
ing, said she had acted in self-defense,
Lepine having attempted to assault her.
The court imposed sentence of twelve
years at hard labor upon the prisoner,
and ordered her to pay the sum of 2O00
francs to the relatives of the victim.