Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-11-13
PARIS SO YEARS AGO.
IT WAS NOT THE MAGNIFICENT CAPT.
TAI IT NOW Is.
"Reminiscences Of student-Days There
Alibaud's Execntion-The Coup 'Etnt.
The Paris OF the Present.

rative.
We landed at Boulogne July 1, 1886, late
in the day. We were marched like prison.
ers between hle of soldiers to the custom
house. where We were directed to deposit
our passports for examination, to be re-
turned the next morning, our " effects "
mean time remaining on the steamer. We
then had the liberty of the town. The tol,,
lowing day our luggage was examined
and we wore asked where we were going.
ThereupOn we were told that We should
find our passports at the office of the pre-
lecture OF police IN Paris The diligence
was waiting for us. We got as far as
Amlers the FIRST day and reached Paris on
the evening of the second day. We Sc
cured lodgings opposite the upper corner
OF the Garden of Plants. in the Rue
Copeau, near the famous hospital OF Our
Mother of Pity. We were made very CON-
fors1ble az a very low price in one OF the
hotels Of the ancient nOblesse, which had
been turned into students quarters. The
td5e d'h5te was excellent, with good
ordinary red wine at s sous per
bottle. ] attended both law and medi-
cal lectures, all OF which were
free. Vivisection was constantly prac-
ticed. Majendie's most famous lecture
was on the cause of pulsstion. He Illus
tire; cd 1t by the gradual dissection OF
live goose. We followed Louis, who had
charge Of the feyer-ward at La Pite,'
and learned how typhoid-fever should be
trea.ed-to wit, by not treating it oil.
II law Il listened to Dupin and Cou-
lange. But Paris, lie beau Paris" Alas,
whOt disappointment! To be sure there
were three or four fine bouleyards-the
Rue de la Paix. the Place Vendome, the
Rue Riyoli. the Tuileries, the Louvre, and
fine public buildings. but beyond these
precincts Paris was still in appearance
the city Of Louis Ky. No sidewalks-a
stone post was placed at intervals against
the buildings to obstruct the amusement
OF the aristocrats of the eighteenth cen
tury in running down the canallle by
cru shing the poor wretches against the
wal. In our quarter the streets were
lighted by O lantern suspended from cord
in the middle of the road connected with
a su Dstantial post on both sides. 1t gave
Us vivid comprehension OF the phrase
h bnierw 80 often employed during the
French revolution. The gutter was laid
in the centre of tho street, down which
flowed at times q disgusting mass Of filthy
water. II was perilous traversing these To-
cGlities az certain hours of the day, as little
respect was paid TO pedestrians by the
occupants OF apartments who were lodged
In .he upper stories. There were proba.
bly, at that time in Paris 10000 students OF
all 1escriptions-more, think, than there
are to-day, Vienna and Berlin having
greatly depleted the Paris medical schools.
The students, while students-and our
establishment was no exception-were all
ReyOlutiouists.
SHOT AT THE KING.
II was only few days after we were
settled that Alibaud shot at aud barely
missed Louis Philippe, the glass from the
broken window OF his carriage cutting the
Kings face. There was an immense COM
motion, aud the next day two of our COM
pany were arrested Mt the table d'hOte and
marched off the concierge.
Alibaud was sentenced 10 the guillotine.
A demonstration of the students was
planned, but no one could ascertain the
day when the execution was to take place.
IL was discovered late in the evening be-
fore that 1t was TO be at sunrise the fol-
loving morning. My companion and |
were on the spot at daylight with our
passports. An immense crowd was already
assembling. We got where we could see,
s9s. h 40 a distance. Ah16ud AGd b5g-
ged for a cigar, declining the glass Of
cognac generally offered. 1t was allowed
hun and the poor wretch marched to the
guillotine smoking 1t. The fall OF the
sharp axe which severed his neck was q
horrible sight.
We soon settled down TO our student
life. but q serious trouble confronted US
later. The wild panic of 1887 resulted in
the failure of nearly oil bankers who bad
dabbled in American land speculatlons.
The staunch American house of John
Welles Il Co. escaped, having been sus-
tanned 10y the Bank of France.
All of our letters of credit were dishon-
ored. 1t would take sixty days 70 write
l. 4 Mo
on the point Of starvation. What was to
be doneI
WIRE ALLOWED TO DRAW.
After long consultation it was resolved
that one of us should call on our Minister.
General Cass, and represent our situation.
We drew lots which of us should go. |
drew the ticket with the "Cass" " on it, the
rest being blanks. | called on him with
my heart in my mouth. found benevo-
lent-looking man (he was at that time
fftv-fve), who received me with great
kindness and asked what | desired. l
gave him my name and residence, Leban-
on, n. H.. and told him our whole story,
also giving the names OF my companions
and where they were from. | made an
exhibit OF our dishonored letters of credit,
which had brought with me. He looked
at the letters and told me to leave
them with him. II will see Mr. Welles
tomorrow, and you shall not starye for the
next sixty days. BY that timeyou will have
beard from home" That was what he said
to me. As / was coming away he said :
"Do You who are from New Hampshire not
know that | am an Exeter boy? | was
educated ut Phillips Academy, and did not
leave the State till ! was nineteen" The
words went to my heart. had called with
fear and trembling and returned radiant
to my associates. need not add that we
were allowed 10 draw at Welles il Co.'S for
necessary expenses. | learned atterward
that Cass became responsible for the ad-
vances.
The French newspaper of that date
amounted to nearly nothing-no news,
no enterprise. The sluggish honieT pup
blished at Its leisure the records or the
Government. The morning journals were
printed indolentlv the night before their
issue. Old-fashioned GdiiglGni, with ex-
tracts from the Times, came out with de-
leotable regularity for the English reader.
Meurice's Hotel. even to-day fairly first-
class place. where tue Englishman still re-
sorts. was the only refuge for the English
traveller. Large hotels there were none.
For the others, certain accommodations
at these hotels, which Will not partlcu-
lariZe, were horrible, but the cook-roOm
was perfect.
Il was two OF three years after the reyo-
luton of 1913 that | had conversation
with James Gordon Bennett, the elder.
with whom / had been been for many
years we'll acquainted,) about the state OF
things In France. He told me that shortly
before the crisis which drove Louis
Philippe from the country Louis Ma
poleon had asked him (Mr. Bennett) what
he thought OF the situation. l replied" ]"
said Mr.. Bennett, that the press was free
and the Opposition had so many journals,
naming them, with such circulation,
naming it, while the Government had but
so many journals with such a-circulatlon,
snd that the Government was outnumber-
ed five 10 one. / added that no Govern
ment with free press could stand under
such a condition of things"
What was Louis Napoieons reply Z" /
asked.
"He made no reply. He put his hand
to his chin and said nothing. But" con-
tinued Mr.. Bennett. when no got into
full power be muzzled the press and gave
universal suffrage, reversing the previous
condition of things"
| have had some reason 20 remember
Louis Napoleon. i was in Paris few days
before the coup Petdt of 1851. had taken
rooms in company with my brother-in-
law, Mr.. James Stuart, of Philadelphia, on
the Boulevard Poissoniere. Paris was
fearfully disturbed. On the I'd OF De