The Washington herald., 1914-03-01

| expelled and packed the legislative coun-
Cils at pleasure, the councils were now
eNpelling and packing IT. Director Barras.
dn ex-noble, was negotiating with the
] Bourbons for their return. Director
Sieyes, an eN-priest, was looking for a
soldier with whom TO conspire for the
| overthrow of the government and the
1 constitution. All realized that the down.
| fall was near and each faction was plan
ming to profit by the inevitable revolution.
! Ready-made Plots. ..-..
The day Napoleon arrived on the scene
! nearly every plotter began an attempt
| to draw him into his own particular
plot Yet he exercised no official power.
He had no army. having left his COM
mand in Egypt. .s. 2.
He really did not have to conspire. He
cies already hatched before he landed on
the shore of France. The conspirators
fairly pulled out his doorbeil
In the end he selected the Sieyes brand
! of revolution. Sieyes was a member OF
the directory OF five members, which
heId the executive power, whiie the Coun-
| Gil of Ancients and the Council of Five
Hundred formed the upper and lower
houses of the legislative body. His plot
called for the assembling of those two
houses in an extraordinary session at
an early hour in the morning. before the
city should he astir. The Ancients. whose
leaders were favorable to change, were
| TO declare that Paris was in danger or
a terrorist uprising. appoint Napoleon to
4 the command OF the military forces fOr
the protection of the capital and adjourn
the legislative sessions TO the quiet and
! security of st. Cloud.
In the midst of the panic thus foment-
ed Sieyes and a felow-conspirator in the
Directory were to resign and the remain
| ing directors were to be frightened into
| retiring. while the legislature at st.
Y st. Cloud was to be hastened into estab-
| constitution. Sieyes proposed to handle
/ the politicians and look to Napoleon to
! control the army officers, who naturally
| rallied around him in unquestiontng
loyalty. when they saw him preparing to
| act -.
| Scheduled Revolution.
Like everything with which Napoleon
had to do. the revolution moved accord
| ing to nicely arranged schedule. All
his trusted companions in arms were to
| be at -his house in Rue dc la Victoire at
an unseemly early hour on a certain Mo-
| vember morning. And at s o'clock they
were all present and accounted for. In
deed. guard of 200 dragons were in the
! saddle as early as 5, with Sebastiani, a
trusted Corsican. at their head.
The uniformed crowd of officers over
| flowed the little house and stood in the
yard: Gen. Bernadotte was there, but
not in his uniform and in no mood to
! further the ambition of one whom he
dared deem a rival. The general in com
burst in with a demand to be Informed
what 1t was all about This was Lefebre,
| the husband of the former laundress, the
| Nine. Sans Gene of the stage and the
novel. He was too hot-headed a repub-
/ lican to have been approached In cold
blood and to be told the secret in ad-
| vance.
''Lefebre.,' cried Napoleon. you. one of
| the pillars of the republic, will you leave
1t TO perish at the hands Of the lawyers?
Here Is the sword i wore at the Pyra-
lnids; | give IT to you as a pledge of my
4
.Let US throw, the lawyers into the
river" roared the fierce republican as he
| fondled his new toy.
| Sieyes now sent word that he had play
ed his part. with the Ancients. There
upon Napoleon came out Of his house and
asked the, overflow meeting of officers in
the yard. ..Can depend on you to save
I the republic?" (Cheers).
| Mounting his horse and followed by
his comrades. the morning sun cleaning
Crossing the AIps'-Mr. Mergaa's *