Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-01-28
RED ANGEL OF PARIS. "
Louise Michel, Prominent French Anar-
chist, Dies in Marseiles-Fig-
ured in Commune

Louis Michel. known as the Red
Angel of Paris, who has been promi-
nent in France for the past thirty-fye
years as an anarchist and revolutionary
leader, died the other day ut MarseilleS,
aged 80 years.
The Red Angel" or Red Nun" under
which names she has won Il conspicuous
place in French history. first came INTO
prominence during the Franco prussian
war. when she joined the ambulance.
corps and took part in the defense of
Paris, later siding with the commune and
advocated the burning of Paris to pre-
vent the entry Of the Versailles troops.
She was arrested and tried Tor treason
and sentenced to transportation to New
| Caledonia, where she renamed until
1880, when she was allowed to return 70
Paris under an amnesty act.
Three years later she was again i'm
pris0ned for three years for her activity
III communist movements. She then re-
moved to England, where she continued
her advocacy of cOmmuniStic and an
archiStic doctrines
Louise Michel was the illegtimate child
of Il nObleman and poor peasant girl
The care Of this mother was her re-
llgion. Had she renowned the mother
she could have been a fine lady. pam
pered her life long with the luXuries of
wealth.
Her father was kind to her, but he
died when she was young Her early
years were spent in the paternal chateau
in the south of France. where she fe-
ceived the instruction given to the young
girls of good family at that time. Upon
the death Of the marquis, her father the
latterS wife turned her ont because Of
her affection for the peasant woman. her
mother. Perhaps this act had much TO
do with planting the seeds of anarchy
III the soul of Louise Michel
Before she was turned out she was
very religious and intended entering a
convent. She wrote little book of verses
full of sentiment and girlish pietv and
they earned the praise of both Victor
Hugo and De Musset
To support herself and her mother she
taught one of the church schools in the
village of Chaumont, but later she moved
to Paris. where she hoped to better her
circumstances by literary work. But she
made the acquaintance of the leading
Anarchists of the day, and. being pos
sessed of wonderful powers of oratory
and the gift of passionate address, she
soon became a noted figure at the public
meetings of these societies.
Subsequently, in the dark days of the
commune. she was one of it's central fig
ures. Like many other valiant hearted
women of that time, she fought at the
barbados. She riSked her life a hundred
times, and fought like Il demon side by
side with her sweetheart When can
non shot cut him i'll two his blood
spiaShed in her face. Yet she kept on
fighting with the frenzy of tigress.
There We're only few who survived
the attack on that barricade. and Louise
Michel was one Of them. Two of the
men who were captured with her were
shot. Sac delied the government TO nut
her to death and tried to spit in the faces
Of the judges when her trial day came.
She was the personifcation of turbulent
anarchy i'll the courtroom. Her ringing
cries of give la Commune" could be
heard blocks away. She laughed when
she was led away to serve her sentence
of transportation for life in New Gale
donia.
After the amnesty of 1880 she returned
to Paris. bringing with her Il curious red
cat of some wild species. That cat be-
came almost as famous as it's owner, and
g 4ry Anarchist in Paris knew it.