The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-09-13
ANARCHIST MOB IN PARIS
Street Fights That Recall the Days
Of the Commune.
PlLLAGE AND BURN CHURCHES.

Church Of St. Joseph-Wild Rabble
DESTROYS Affairs, Fonts, Statues and
Rare Paintings-Many Persons Injured
PARIS By Cable).-A mob Of Anarchists
and Socialists, innamed by revolutionary
harangues, attacked number OF churches
In Paris. The Church OF St. Joseph was
broken into and the interior wrecked In
mad outburst OF sacrileRious furv. The
rioting was suppressed by the police and
Republican Guards only after fierce fight.
ing. t......
Tho Prefecture OF Police gives the :ol-
lowing statistics OF the riots: Three hum
dred and eighty persons were injured.
Three hundred and sixty were taken to
the Larlbolsiere and st. Louis hospitals.
FIity-nine police agents were wounded,
besides Commissaires Coulter and Domsi-
none. One hundred and fifty persons were
arrested, Of whom eighty are detained IL
custody.
The trouble originated In an attack made
by Anarchists on Anti-Semites. A thou
asnd Anarchists under Sebastian Faurs as
sembled In the Place de la Republique and
resisted the police who attempted to dis
2erse them. 's
A police commissary and an inspector
attempted to arrest some rioters who were
carrying red flag, but they were trampled
upon and beaten with bludgeons. A num-
Der Of shots were fred by the mob: The
inspector was mortally injured by the
clubs. and the commissary was hit by a
bullet, receiving serious wound: Four
other policemen were stabbed. Notwtth-
Ifopdfno fhafr dafaaf tho n0Ifoa made n
number Of arrests, among their prisoners
being Faure.
Subsequent to the riotIng in the Place de
la Republique the mob rushed to Rue St.
Maur, where they stormed the churches OF
st. Maur and st. Joseph. They entered the
buildings, and whi some OF them tore
down the affairs aud pulplts, others seizsd
the sacred pictures, holy vessels and the
Host, the consecrated waters, all OF which
and pulpits furnished wood for bonfire,
and all the seized church property was
burned. A similar scene was enacted at
st, Nicholas'5 Church. The mob tried to
burn the churches, but failed.
While the rioters we're stormiug 81.
Nicholas's Chur:h they were charged by
police and cavalry, but they succeeded IN
carrying out their plan despite the efforts
to dispense them. The sacklng OF the
churcheS recalls t0e eXceSsoS coumiltoo
by the Communists IN 1871.
Church carried hatchets and long knives,
which they had stolen from the counters
OF various shops. The aged sacristan,
seeing the rioters coming, hastily closed
the outer gates, but his precaution was
futile. The mob attacked the gates with
hatchets and long bars Of iron: and soon
forced them open. The oak doors were
next attacked. They finally gave way and
the crowd burst into the church.
The six side altars and bapttsmal font
were thrown to theground. The holy water
stoups were broken, pictures were torn,
and the statues and other devotional OBJ.
ects were thrown to the floor and smashed
to pieces.
The tabernacle was torn from its place.
The sacred hosts were thrown on the
ground and trampled upon, and the candle
sticks wore broken. A figure OF the saviour
hanging on a great cross above the altar
was made the aim'for all sorts OF missiles,
and was fractured In several places;
While some sung the "CarmaRnole, the
rioters seized the chairs and carried them
to the small square In frort OF the church,
where q bonfire was made OF them. NOT
content with the destruction that hadbeen
wrought, some Of the mob returned to the
sanctuary and succeeded in pulling down
the cruclfx, which they then threw into the
flames.
Some one raised the cry that the statue
Of the Virgin had been forgotten. back
into tho church poured the crowd ana
quickly they pulled down the image,
When the police had routed the mob and
entered the church the Anarchists had lust
set fre to the pulpit. which they had been
unable to destroy. 49,.
The interior OF the church is simply q
wreck. Several valuable old pictures
were destroyed and they can never be re-
placed.
A lamentsble feature OF the affair Is thar
It will be regarded as pro-Dreyfus de-
monstration and react greatly to the detri'
uent Of the chances Of acquittal. - .