The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-06
HOW A "sEAT" WAS SECURED.
A Journalistic Feat Executed by De Bio

witz, the Correspondent.
It took place in 1ST3. NJ Theirs had just
been overthrown. Nasr-ed-Deen, the shah
of Persia, had announced his visit to Paris
He was the first sovereign who had visited
Paris in state since the war. The De
Broglie ministry, the first cabinet of Mar
shal MacMahon, resolved to give great
ecla5 to his reception. The shah was re-
ceived in ponp at Ranelagh. Masts and
oridammes adorned the length OF the Ave
nue. du Bois de Boulogne. The Champs
Elysees were decorated with flags and col
ors. The Place de Ii Concorde was bril-
liant to the eye, and the Pont de la Con-
corde marvel of decoration.
Soldiers stood in serried lines all along
the route, and it was in the midst of dag
zlipg splendor that Nasr-ed-Deen reached
the Palais Bourbon, which had been pre-
pared for his residence Fetes followed
fetes, and it was resolved to finish the
series with the most brilliant of all, by a
fete at Versailles, with a gala dinner in the
Galerie des Glaces, and with truly royal
display OF fireworks in the Neptune four-
tain.
N. Leon Renault, the great advocate,
now senator, was then prefect of police
was a friend of his. The Due de Broclis
and the DUO DecSzes were very amiable to
me, and l set out for Versailles furnished
with everything that could give me access
to any places into which l might think It
worth while to penetrate.
ALI doors, indeed, opened before me.
But at certain moment four or five Of
my colleagues III the foreign press found
themselves ct my side, resolved not to
leave me. and intending to profit by all the
facilities at my disposal. This lasted
throughout the evening. l attempted to
make shifts and turns, but still / found
this cortege at my heels rather increasing
than diminishing.
I was extremely Indignant What use
was it for me to see everything if all the
world saw the same, and If on the morrow
all the English papers published the same
details? For we had not then a private
wire, and Nersaillls ls had the only wire by
which our telegraIns could be sent. We
thus reached-my friend NJ. Bertholon and
1.-THE basin Of Neptune, still followed by
my colleagues.
The official tribune was almost supported
against wall, and behind it was small
gate, by which there was a narrow passage
between the platform and the wall to the
street. There were more than 10000 per
sons present, and the soldiers on guard had
great difficulty in maintaining order and
preventing a 'crush," letting the people
pass only very slowly. l decided that we
must either ascend to the chateau straight
against the crowd or wait two hours to go
out. Now 1t was 10 o'clock, and the tele-
graph at Versailles closed before midnight,
SO that when we got out it would be too
late to reach the Versailles office and too
late also to return to Paris or TO telegraph.
However, so much had been said of this
fete that to be disarmed by the telegraph
agencies was TO be beaten.
We were now pushed against wall on
which rested a roof which rose above a
court On the other side I could see the
top of a long ladder, by which people from
without had climbed upon the roof in Or
der to enter the park.
'Listeni' said ! in a low voice to II. Ber-
tholon. Take one of the chairs by the
side of the platform and let us lean i:
against the wall; get up on the roof and
give me your hand" 1t was done Now
have thrown back the chair, which am
about to replace, descend the ladder quick !
ly, hold it and ] will follow you, and when |
once | am down you, who are big and |
strong, will help me and we will upset it."
Just as NJ. Bertholon came to my rescue !
the others appeared On the roof and tried /
to retain the ladder, which, however, es- |
capped their hands and fell into the court. |
The man to whom the ladder belonged ran I
forward, crying out. Here are twenty \
francs" | said 10 him. Throw the ladder /
into the street" The man hastened to l
execute the order. heard some furious /
cries. | FASTENED toward the carriage /
which l had ordered to wait for me at a 4
particular spot, and at breakneck speed we /
rushed to the telegraph Office. / had the /
wire free, all to myself, and wrote my tele
gram, which was transmitted word by /
word. When was just finishing an en-
ployee came to me and begged me to make /
haste, as the Office was about 70 close. / 1
handed him my last page and he gave the !
order to shut the doors.
In the street / met those who had re-
mained in the park and who were running I
with all their speed to dispatch their tele-
grams. and I heard them striking their |
fists against the closed doors of the tele-
graph Office.
This is the way that one manages to send
kilograms before other people and succeeds
in making five enemies in one single well
employed evening.-De Blowitz in Har-
per's.