The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1899-02-16
A SPIRIT OF MURDER
Seems to Constantly Hover Over the
City Of Paris.
The signs Are Right for . Repeti.
tiOa Of the BIoedy scenes OF
Revelation Of 1850
and 1871.

In rams. mat unhappy city, oaptlzed
SO often with blood. is threatened again
with murderous disturbance such as
those which have so frequently black
en,J its fair name. 1t is but thin
barrier tina, stands between Paris aud
u slaughter Of the innocents. Uprisings
IL which blood has flowed freely are
OF such recent occurrence as to be with
~ the memory of all. and the further
bach one goes in the country's history
The worse are the deeds OF this highly
strung people.
The terrible days Of the revolution,
during which the whole country wa,
deluged with blood, were succeeded by
a lull that was broken after the captur"
OF Paris by one of those terrible muir
der waves that have given the Partisan
popuace SO unenviable q reputation.
On March IS. 1871. the city was in the
hands Of the red republicans, and nine
days later the commune was declared
the only lawful government. Nothing
was safe from the wild mob after that.
The column erected to the memory Of
Napoleon and his army In one of the
principal squares Of Paris was pulled
down as a monument Of tyranny" a
systematic war was begun on all pub.
lie buildings, petroleum being used to
ignite them and the flames being fed
with oil to make them burn the faster.
No one was allowed to interfere with
the progress Of the flames, and the loss
was incalculable. many priceless relics
being destroyed.
Murder stnlked through the streets
by day and night. Human life wa.
counted SO cheap that the sight Of the
dead lying In the street excited scarce.
ly any attention at all. While the muir
derers were killing they were them
selves being killed. for the government
troops under Marshal Mac Mahon fierce
iy attacked the insurgents. and behina
hastily thrown up barbados Of paving
stones. wagons. household furniture
and anything that came handiest, the
strife ran red in the streets of Paris.
Cannon shot were fired at the barri-
cades, volleys were fired up and down
the streets; the sight Of man fleeing
for his life. pursued by o mob of demons
firing at the fugitive until he fell riddleh
with balls, was sight that could be
seen almost every hour Of some Of the
days. So demoniacal had become the
u,Nrierous mobs Of Paris that women
were shot down In the streets. and the
dends who did this, not content with
killing tho living, would empty their
guns again and again into the faccid
corpse in sheer excess Of passion and
wnnton eagerness to kill
The commune came to an end only
Nhen $4,000 prisoners had been taken
and Paris had been 50 torn by strife
that II seemed hopeless task to bring
order out OF chaos. Many OF the pris-
ouers suffered death, while number
were transported. The commune was
beaten down, but not killed entirely
during this terrible era. The spirit OF
the commune survives in Paris, and. a.,
the late riots prove, it needs only an
opportunity and leader to break oui
red-handed once more.
The commune and the spirit of the
commune are old and familiar phan-
toms Of Paris The war that gave
America its freedom gave birth in
France to the hope that there was re-
lief to the people from the lash under
which they had groaned for so long
Contemptuously kicked aside by the
mobiles. treated far worse than the
horses In the aristocratic stables, the
French peasants covered and shrunk
from their prosecutors, but nursed feel
ings Of revenge nevertheless.
The storm broke at last, and for once
at least the people had some cause to
kill. The tide of murder rose in every
part Of the country. Blood was first
shed on July IL, 1889. in fight be-
tween the people and the kings troops
II was the first blood Of a terrible era
that left France satisfied with killing
The streets literally ran blood. Tn.
guillotine, called into existence by tho
necessity for some means Of putting
an end to life that would be more ex-
peditious than the comparatively slow
method Of execution by the headmar's
AK. cut off heads as fast as their owners
necks could be barred and placed be-
meath the fatal knife. King. queen.
family, mobiles. suspects, passed by -
the guillotine. until there was no NOR,
aristocratic blood to be shed. and still
the people thirsted for more. Then
came the leaders who had condemned
Others to death. In their turn they
were condemned and killed. and those
who saw them go to their death them
selves went to the beyond by way Of
the guillotine at the command Of newer
leaders OF the murder mob.
The suddenness with which the
French nation plunges into a vortex
OF blood is only equaled by the eass
with which the country is mopped up
and set to rights again after the reigr
Of terror is over. Order succeeds chaos
with amazing celerity. 1t Is faculty
peculiar TO the French. No other M
tons history can show such fearful
combined with an cnm-