The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1899-08-24
|aOISN PARIS STREETS
Churches Entered and Pillaged by
q Saorilegious Mob.
|ALTARs AND STATUES SMASHED.

|rhe Figures OF tho Savior and the
virgin Torn Down, Broken and
Thrown Into Bonfire Built From
Articles Taken From the Edifice.
Paris, Aug. 21.-Paris was yesterday
1.-The scene of most serious disturbances,
recalling some aspects of the commune.
|ln response to an appeal Of the Journal
|du Peuple and La Petite Repub-
|liQue, groups Of anarchists and social
lists gathered about 3 o'clock In the
afternoon in the Place de la Repub-
|liQue. The police had taken precautions
and there seemed no danger Of dis
|orders. Sebastion Faure and FaberOt.
we'll known revolutionary anarchists.
were the ringleaders. Faure. standing
lon the pedestal of the statue which
rises In the center Of the Place de Ia
|RepubliQue, addressed the crowd.
The police then interfered and dis
lodged Faure and Faberto. making
three arrests. The crowd at this point
dispersed, but q column Of demon
Istrators headed by Faure and Henri d
Horr. made for the Place de la Nation.
The police broke through the column
and q struggle for the mastery fol-
{lowed. Shots were fired and M. Goul-
.lier, commissary of police was twice
stabbed with knife.
This threw the police into momen-
tary confusion. The mob reassembled
and ran toward the Place de la Nation.
rh . oolt,a roto f0rcod hv q cuuod that
| had been held In reserve, made another
attempt to stem the current. and fresh
fierce fighting occurred. three con-
stables being wounded.
In the meantime the anarchist mob
retraced its course to the Place de Ia
Republique, smashing the windows OF
religious edifices on the way. Suddenly,
either at the word of command or In
obedience to impulse, the column made
loop and curved toward the Church
of st. Ambrose. where the rioters
smashed the windows.
Proceeding thence toward the Fau-
borg du Temple, which they reached.
they formed up into compact body.
Hatchets we're suddenly produced,
with long knives stolen from the count
ers Of shops, and concerted rush was
made upon the Church Of st. Joseph.
The aged sacristan, seeing the mob,
hastily closed the outer gates. but
these were soon forced with hatcheta
md bars of iron. The massive oakeu
doors were then attacked.
The wild horde burst into the
ehurch, which instantly became scene
pt pillage and sacrilege. Affairs and
statues were hurled to the floor and
smashed, pictures were rent, candle
bticks, ornaments and hosts from high
bltars were thrown down and trampled
under foot. The crucifix above. was
made the target for missiles and the
agure Of the Saviour was fractured In
beveral places. Then, while raucoua
voices sang the "CarmagnOle," the
Ehairs were carried outside piled up
Ind set on fire In the center Of the
bQuare fronting the church.
When this stage was reached the
truciAx was pulled down and thrown
into the flames. Suddenly the cry waa
kaised that the statue Of the Virgin
bad been forgotten and the crowd re-
burned and tore this down also.
At length the officers began to gain
(he mastery. A score of anarchists
look refuge in an adjacent house
others entrenched themselves in the
belfry and fiercely defended themselves
by showering missiles on the republi-
ban guards, but finally these were dis
odged. Twenty anarchists were ar.
rested, taken to the police station
earched and found to be carrying re-
Bovers, loaded sticks and knives.
When the police entered the church
he anarchists had Just set fire to the
bulpit. The interior of the edifice was
complete wreck. Several valuable old
pictures that can never be replaced
we're ruined. After the mob had been
Driven away. Able Lacour, the incum.
bent, collected the fragments Of the
acrament and replaced them In the
iborium. The people living In the
houses nearby extinguished the bonfire
An attempt was made to FIRE the
Fhoir of st. Joseph's with petroleum
lnd the firemen we're called to quench
he flames. Several parishioners were
everely mauled In their efforts to de-
end the church from sacrilege.
A lamentable feature Of the affail
that It will be regarded as q pro-
Dreyfus demonstration and react
Greatly to the detriment Of the chances
bf acQuital. It Is much to be feared
hat yesterdays scenes we're due to the
weakness the government has dis.
played over the Guerin affair. The
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