Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1901-04-13
: The b0I|e0f PGe- -|0-CDQiSe
A STORY OF THE
, PARIS COMMUNE.
BY AlphOnse Daudet.

Here's all that actually did happen.
On the evening of the ODD, which was
Sunday. we saw some 80 federal ar
tillerymcn come up with battery of
Founders and n miltrailleuse of the
new kind.
They took position right above the
cemetery, and as that part was in my
beat it was who had to meet them.
Their mitrailleuSc was there at that
corner of the path near my box, their
guns little lower on the level.
AS soon as they came they made me
open several chapclS. | thought they
were going to smash and plumber ev-
erything down there. but the officer
kept good order and. putting himself
right in the middle. made them little
speech: The first hog that touches
anything. I'll smash his jaw for him!
Break ranks
He WAS an old men. all gray, with
the Crimcan and Italian medals. and
didn't have an easy going way about
him. The men took il as settled and
| will do them the justice to say that
they did not take Il thing from the
monuments. not even the Duke of Nor
ny's cruciiiN. which they say is worth
1000 francs by itself.
For all that, they were lot of ras-
Gals, these grnncrS of the commune.
Second rate artillcrymcn, they did not
dream of anything except to swallow
down their big pay. three francs fifty.
You ought to have seen the life they
led here i'll the cemetery. They slept
in heaps in the vaults in Mornys in
Favronnc'S, that beautiful tomb Of
Favronnc. where the cmperors nurse
is buried.
They put their wine to cool down in
the ChampCauX vault, where there is
spring. Then they had their women
come. The whole night they drank
and boozcd. .\h. you'd have thought
the dead people would have heard their
jokes.
All the same. in spite of their clumsi-
ness, these robbers did Paris a great
deal of damage. Their position was so
fine. From time to time would come
an order: "l'ire 1T the Louvre. Fire at
the PaaiS Royal Then the old sol
diCr would aim the guns. and the petro-
leum shells would fall into the city at
every discharge.
What was going on down below no.
body knew exactly. We heard the fir
ing coming nearer. little by little, but
the communists did not disturb them
selves about that. 1t did not seem pos
sible that the Versailles troops could
advance under the cross fires from
Chaumont, MOntmartrc and pere-la-
ChaiSe. What brought them to their
senses was the first shell the sailors
sent us when they reached the Mont
martrc hill. They expected it so little!
As for me, | was right in the middle
of them all, leaning against the Morny
monument, busy smoking my pipe.
When heard the shells coming. | just
had time to throw myself fiat on the
ground. At first our artillcrymcn be-
lieycd that it was Il mistake in aim or
some comradc on Il spree.
But that WAS just the beginning. At
the end of five minutes there was
Montmartrc blazing out again and an
other big bombShcll coming down upon
us just as straight as the first. This
time my bullicS let their guns and mi
traillcuse lie where they We're and
stretched their legs to save themselves
The cemetery wasn't big enough for
them. They kept crying out: I'VE are
betrayed! We are betrayed"
The old fellow, left there alone under
the shells, stood like a brave devil in
the middle of his battery and cried
with rage TO see his gunncrS had de-
serted him.
All the same. toward evening, at pay
time some of them came back to him.
Hold On. sir; look at my proofs There
are still the names of those who came
to draw their pay that evening. The
old man called out their names and
wrote them down as they came along:
"sidaine, present; Chomlcyras, pres
Cnt; Eillot, Nollon."
As you see, they were not more than
four or five, but they brought their wo-
men with them. All, shall never for
get that pay night! Down there Paris
was blazing, the Hotel de Vile. the ar
scnal, the warehouses, full of goods.
In PcrC-iC-ChaiSc You could see as in
broad daylight. The FcdcralS tried to
settle down to their guns again. but
they were not enough, and then Mont
martrc made them afraid. Then they
went down into Il vault and set to
drinking and singing with their wench-
eS. The old man had seated himself
between these two big stone figures Mt
the door of the FavrOnne tomb and
was staring ut burning Paris with
terrible look. You might have said
that he suspected it was his last night
From this time on do not know
very well what happened. | had gone
to our place-that little hut you see
down there hid in the branches. was
very tired. | lay down. all dressed, on
my bed, Keeping my lamp lighted as If
1t were stormy night. All of n sud.
den there was rough knocking at the