The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-28
Attacking the Bastile.

All morning, since nine, there has oeen
a cry everywhere, ITO the Bastlef Re
peated Populations of citizens have been
here passionate for arms; whom De Lau-
nay has got dismayed by soft speeches
through portfolios. Towards noon Elec-
tor Thuriot de la Rosiere gains admit
lance; finds de Launay indisposed Tor sur
render; nay, disposed for blowing up the
place. rather. Thiriot mounts with him
to the battlements.. Heaps of paving
stones, old iron and missiles lie piled; can
non all duly leveled; in every ernbrasure
a connon-only drawn back a little! But
outwards. behold, o Thuriot. how the null
titude flows on, yelling through every
street; tocsin furiously pealing; all drums
beating the beneraIe; the suburb Salnte-
Antoine rolling hitherward wholly as one
mani
Such vision, (spectral, yet reaD, thou, o
1hurioti as from thy Mount OF Vision,
beholdest in this moment; prophetic or
other phantasmag orias and loud-giooering
spectral realities which thou yet beholdest
not, but shalt
Que Voulez-vous?'' said De Launay,
turning pale at the sight, with an air
Of reproach, almost a menace
.SsMonsieur,' said Thuriot, rising into
the moral sublime what mean you?
Consider If I could not precipitate both Of
Us from this height" say only hundred
feet exclusively of the walled ditch.
whereupon De Launay fell silent.
Woe to thee, De Launay. in such an
hour, If thou canst not, taking some one
firm decision, rule circumstances. Soft
speeches will not serve; hard grapeshot
it questionable; but lowering between the
two is unquestionable. Ever wilder
swells the tide of men; their infinite hum
ans
into crackle of stray musketry, which lat
ter. on walls nine feet thick, cannot do
execution.
The outer drawbridge has been lowered
for Thuriot; new deputations of citizens
Gt is the third and noisest Of AID, pene-
trate that way into the outer court: soft
speeches producing no clearance of these
De Launay gives fire; pulls up his draw
bridge. A slight sputter, which has kim
died the too combustible chaos, made it
a roaring fire chaos Bursts forth in
surrection at sight of its own blood (for
there were deaths by that sputter of fire.
into endless rolling explosion of musket-
~, distraction eXecration; and overhead
from the fortress, let one great gun with
its grapeshot go booming, to show what
we could do The Bastile is beseged!
On, then, all Frenchmen that have
your threats of cartilage and metal, We
sons of liberty; stir spasmodically what
soever of utmost faculty is in you, soul,
body, or spirit; for it is the hour! Smite
thou. Louis Tourney, cartwright of the
Marais, old soldier Of the Regiment Dau-
phine; snite at that outer dTawbridge
chain. though the fiery hail whistles round
theel Never one nave or felloe did thy
ak strike such a stroke. Down with it.
man; down with it to Orcus; lie the whole
accursed edifice sink thither, any tyrdn-
ny be swallowed up forever! Mounted
some say, on the roof of the guardroom
some on bayonets stuck into joints Of the
wall, Louis Tourney smites, brave Au-
bin BOnnenere (also an old soldier Sec
onding him; the chain yields. breaks;
huge drawbridge slams down, laundering
(avec fracaS. Gloriousi and vet, alas,
it is still but the outworks. The eight
grim towers with their Invalides' mus
kerry, their paving stones and cannon
mouths, still roar aloft intact ditch
yawning impossible, stone-faced; the in
ner drawbridge with its back towards
us; the Bastile is still to take,-Thomss
Carlyle in History Of French Revolution