The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-04-08
HELD At BAY BY ONE Man
REMARKABLE SIEGE THAT HAS
JUST ENDED IN A CITY
OF FRANCE
APPETITE CAUSED A TRAGEDY
Caught in a Cabbage Patch, but Els
capped to His Home, Where He
Refused to BE Taken
Alive.

| oOOuI SAgnLy miles southeast OF
Parls. The siege of Troy had it's Homer.
and perhaps some poet OF the department
or Aube will yet arise to sing the siege
OF lroyes In some ways it was as re-
markaple, for during five days one old
man ana hfs-faithful dog defied the civil
authorities, the gendarmes. and a regi
ment of foot chasseurs, and part of this
tl!ne ne was dead. 1t was an affair
winch reminded one of the famous Fort
ChambroP incident in Paris after the
| Dreyfus case
lsidore Nicholas Couuard. a. stone
breaker, sixty-two years old, living in a
supurb OF the town, was caught stealing
! caDbageS from a neighbo..s garden. Two
gardeners chased him, one firing q
| charge OF shot into the old mans leg,
| Out ne escaped III the darkness and pro-
ceeoed to barricade himself in his house.
Next morning, following the trail of
blood, the officers of the law came to
/ arrest him. Addmittance was denied.
ana tney were Sternly warned away by
! Coquard, who enforced his orders by
| pointing shotgun at them out of one of
| the upper windows. Then came the mag
lstr&teS with all their pomp and legal
authority to threaten or coax the thief
| On seeing a gun covering them they lied
! precipitately. 1t began to be rumored
| around that the old man had a lot of
! stolen goods in his house and would
| never be taken alive.
! The gendarmes were sent for. and they
formed a Gordon around the house TO
! the AID OF the gendarmeS came a detacn-
ment of the First Foot Chasseurs. and
! the siege was fairly begun. Any one ar
| preaching the house was fired on imme-
d1ately by Coquard. A faithful dog. who
! Kept himself concealed either in the
mouse or behind angles on 1t or other
! natural covers when he went out gave
| warming OF any attempe 20 approach the
| door. In the afternoon a great crowd
| OIL cltlZenS hadc collected and one of
them, Paul Woelfiay determined to show
that there was still courage in the men
of Troyes Watching his opportunity, he
made rush for THE door. He had al
most reached it when the dog gave
warning and Immediately from an up
| per window sifoterang out and Woeltav
fell dead with a charge of buckshot in
ms breast. The soldiers and the gen
darmes made no attempt to recover the
BODY, so two other citizens Dorey and
Ragon, volunteered to go and get it.
squad of rifiemen covered every aperture
IN the 'front.' of the. beSieged house while
the two men rushed in and dragged the
bCdy OF their FELLOW citizen within the
lines of the besiegers.
1t was Fridayemorning when the siege
began, Saturday passed without incident
lines about the house strengthened The
shooting Of Woelfay had produced such
terror that no further attempt was made
to approach Fort Coquard The civil
authorities turned the matter over to the
military, and the officers of the First
Chasseurs held councils of war
ON Sunday morning Gamer to the scene
of action Maj. Driant, of the Chasseurs,
gorgeous in uniform. The major looked
Wilt ,5o4o
tremely dignifed. The crowd hailed him
az a hero about to do OF die and the
military saluted him as they would an
officer. about t0siead a.. forlorn hope
against frowningubattery The major
crept along the.twall of the garden until
he had reached in safety the house near
est to Fort Coquard. The proceedings
might seem trifie undignified to some
persons, but the people who watched the
gallant soldier hailed Ithel ter0ier4act with
loud acclaim. The house reached by
the major had been abandoned BY It's
cwner. when the siege began. 4..tW Working
his way warily to the garden gatue of the
cid Stonebreakers house, the major drew
himself up and shouted twice. - Co
guard! Coquard! For reply the old man
appeared at a window and leveled his
shotgun at the major, who thereupon
beat a mastery retreat. On his return
major ''receiveds an ovation as they
say, for his bravery and his superb STRAIT
egg.
In the afternoon the faithful old dog
of the garrison came into the courtyard
of the house in plain view Of the SOL
diers and the citizens. A soldier was or
dered to shoot it. In the midst Of q
breathless silence sthe man took careful
aim fired-and missed. The dog stopped
Ion c.hn hi
ears and slowly walked back into the
house.
On Monday morning Maj. Drlant. the
hero of the hour again came in state
to the scene of hostilities, announcing
that a second time he would imperil his
life. He was accompanied by the secre
tary general of the prefecture, the chief
of the cabinet of the project the procu-
rateur of the republic the major of
gendarmes and the police commissioners.
Soon after the project himself appeared.
All the chief officials of the department
of Aube being now assembled, the major,
accompanied by soldier with loaded
rifle, approached to within a few yards
of the besieged house and cried out as
before, "Coquard! Coquard!" This time,
however, no one appeared at the window,
no sound of the cooking of a gun was
| heard. Only the dog came out into the
| courtyard and barked for a few mo-
ments, and then retired. So retired the
| major, now twice hero.
! All the rest of the day was spent in
the drawing up of strategic plans on the
| part of the military authorities long
| legal consultations on the part of the
| civil authorities and speculations and
the discussion of rumors on the part of
! the citizens. The citizens gradually di-
vided into two parties, one declaring that
Coquard had committed suicide and the
other that he had escaped in the night
Those who held to the suicide theory
found people to declare that they had
| heard a shot and had seen shingles fl
up from the roof-an evidence that the
besieged stonebreaker had placed his
shotgun butt on tbs floor and the muz-
zle under his chin, and, pulling the trig-
ger with his toe, had blown his brains
out and the shingles off of the roof The