Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-02-14

wounded by shot from tie troops
and lay bleeding on the pavement.
Most of the women who fought with
the commune were hays This woman
was not more than twenty years old.
She looked up at lie Moyne with pair
Of lar re dark eyes. They expressed a
spirit of martyrdom.
1t was all plain to LIE Moyne. The
commune was breaking down. The
barricade had been deserted except by
this Maid of Orleans. who constituted
herself its sole defender.
LIE Moyne turned, called on lieuten-
ant to bring the men to a rest, then
went down the barricade to the wo-
man.
"Are you badly wounded?" he asked.
mo; have a broken leg.
"Who are you?'
elise Fourchet."
"what are you doing here alone be-
hind this barricade?
Il could not get the men to stay.
They heard that our defenses are bro
ken down In other parts. and they
dared not remain"
And you?"
Il would not desert"
By this time the soldiers had climbed
the barricade and were waving the
tricolor of France from its crest. lie
Moyne called upon them to carry its
defender into a house beside it, going
with them as they did SO. There was
only one person besides the captain
and his men. an old woman, who min
istered to the wounded girl A surgeon
accompanied the soldiers. and he was
called in to set and bandage the bro
ken limb.
Had the damage done by the COM
mune ended with its loss of control
perhaps the wholesale slaughter Of its
votaries which followed would not
have taken place. When its leaders
found that they were beaten. adopting
the motto of rule or ruin, since they
could not rule they resolved to ruin.
They murdered tie archbishop Of Paris
and other distinguished persons whom
they held a: hostages. Not content
with this, they undertook to destroy
the city. Paris was then full of beau
tiful buildings. Many Of these were
destroyed, including the most interest
ing, historically considered, the palace
Of the Tuileries. the ancient abode Of
the kings of France.
1t was these acts of vandalism that
led the government to get rid, SO far as
possible, OF so dangerous portion Of
the population Of Paris. The captured
communists were marched out to the
yards Of the prisons in which they
were confined. stood up with their
faces to the walls and shot down by
scores. Doubtless many of these be-
lieved that they were dying in sacred
cause.
Captain lie Moyne could he have
foreseen these horrors would undoubt-
edly have continued to save his pris-
oner from the universal sacrifice
though he had but little time, and
Elise Four het was not IN condition
to avail herself of permitted flight.
The only thing the captain could do
for her was to leave her with the wo-
man who was caring for her. He
marched his men away, but the ma
tional troops were pouring into the
city, and when Mile. Fourchet was
found wounded and confessed that she
had received bullet while defending
a barricade she was removed to
prison.
If the communists received a trial
they were tried In large numbers to-
gether. When Elise Fourchet was
brought before judge for one Of these
wholesale sentences. noticing she was
OF different class from most of the
others. he asked her why she had en-
gagged in such nefarIous work.
II fought to build. not to destroy"
was her reply. Il did not know that
we were led by bad men. One Of our
leaders, Cluseret, fought with the
Union armies In the late war between
the states Of North America, and sup
posed that q man who had risked his
life In the cause Of civil liberty must
be representing the same cause in
France"
Inc Judge was touched by this ap-
peal and remanded the prisoner to
prison for further evidence. But the
Parisians soon tired Of the wholesale
slaughter Of the communists, and Mile.
Fourchet was never again brought to
trial. In time, when all danger of
recurrence Of the outbreak had passed,
the prison doors Of all communists
who had not been executed were
thrown open. and among those who
walked out free was Elise Fourchet.
She ever afterward had horror of
the men who had led SO many innocent
persons into crime. Not all of them
were punished unless by their own
eonsciences. A few escaped. others per-
ished in the havoc they had made,
while others were banished from
France. Probably no body of men ever