Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-08-25
RIOTSN PARIS STREETS
Churches Entered and Pillaged by
a SacrilegiOuS Mob.
AFFAIRS AND STATUES SMASHED.

Tho Figures of the Savior and the
virgin Torn Down. Broken and
Thrown Into Bonf1 Built From
Articles Taken From the Edifice.
Paris. Aug. 21.-Paris was yesterday
the scene of most serious disturbances,
recalling some aspects of the commune.
In response to an appeal of the Journal
du Peuple and La Petite Repub-
lique, groups of anarchists and social
lists gathered about o'clock in the
afternoon In the Place de la Repub-
lique The police bad taken precautions
and there seemed no danger of dis
orders Sebastion Faure and Faberot.
we'll known revolutionary anarchists
were the ringleaders. Faure. standing
on the pedestal of the statue which
rises in the center of the Place de la
Republique. addressed the crowd.
The police then interfered and dis
lodged Faure and FabertO, making
three arrests. The crowd at this point
dispersed, but a column of demon
strators headed by Faure and Henri d
Horr, made for the Place de la Nation.
The police broke through the column
and a struggle for the mastery fol-
lowed Shots were fired and Nj. Goul-
lier, commissary of police was twice
stabbed with a knife.
This threw the police into momen-
tary confusion. The mob reassembled
and ran toward the Place de la Nation.
The police, reinforced by a squad 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 ediflces on the way. Suddenly.
either at the word of command or in
obedience to impulse, the column made
a 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 a compact body.
Hatchets we're suddenly produced,
with lcEg 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 hatchets
and bars OF iron. The massive oaken
doors were then attacked.
The wild horde burst into the
church, which instantly became scene
OF pillage and sacrilege. Affairs and
statues were hurled to the floor and
smashed. pictures were rent. candle
sticks, ornaments and hosts from high
altars we're thrown down and trampled
under foot. The cruciix above was
made the target for missiles and the
figure OF the Saviour was fractured in
several places Then. while raucous
voices sang the "Carmagnole.' the
chairs were carried outside, piled up
and set on fire in the center of the
square fronting the church.
When this stage was reached the
cruciflx was pulled down and thrown
into the flames. Suddenly the cry was
raised that the statue Of the Virgin
had been forgotten and the crowd re-
turned and tore this down also.
At length the officers began to gain
the mastery. A score Of anarchists
took refuge in an adjacent house.
Others entrenched themselves in the
belfry and fiercely defended themselves
by showering missiles on the republic
can guards, but finally these were dis
lodged. Twenty anarchists were ar
rested, taken to the police station,
searched and found to be carrying re-
volvers, loaded sticks and knives.
When the police entered the church
the anarchists had just set fire to the
pulpit. The interior of the edifice was
a 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
sacrament and replaced them In the
clborium. The people living in the
houses nearby extinguished the bonfire
An attempt was made to fire the
choir OF st. Joseph's with petroleum
and the firemen were called to quench
| the flames. Several parishioners were
| severely mauled in their efforts to de-
fend the church from sacrilege.
A lamentable feature of the affair
is that It will be regarded as a pro-
Dreyfus demonstration and react
greatly to the detriment of the chances
of acquital. 1t is much to be feared
that yesterdays scenes were due to the
weakness the government has dis
played over the Guerin affair. The
governments liberation and desire tc
avoid bloodshed has been misinter'
preted with the worst results.
The prefecture Of police gives the
following statistics Of yesterday'sriots:
Three hundred and eighty persons
were injured. Three hundred and
sixty were taken to the hospitals
Fifty-nine police agents were wound
ed besides Commiassaires Coulter and
Domsimone. One hundred and fifty
persons were arrested. OF whom eighty
are detained IN custody.