The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-03-07
FRENCH PREMIER
SHOT BY RED"
Anarchist Tries to Kill the Aged
S~tateSman-TW0 Men
Arrested.
THREE WOUNDS NOT SERIOUS
WouId-Be Slayer Declares Leader
"Was Preparing for Another
War"-Condition Is Consid-
cred Satisfactory.

Paris, Feb. 21.-Premier Georges
Clemenceau was shot three times as
he was on his way to confer with
Colonel House.
Late bulletins say his condition is
considered satisfactory, as he had par
taken of food and is cheerful.
Emile Coffin, the man who shot the
premier, says he planned to kill the
French statesman because he "was an
enemy to humanity and was preparing
TO start another war"
The French premier is expected to
make an early recovery from the three
wounds inflicted on him by the as
sasin.
scratches. The third is more serious,
but, several hours after the shooting,
the physicians said they feared no
complications and hat the only effect
observable was a slight rise in tenn
perature.
The great age of the premler-he is
Seventy-siX-at first caused alarm that
complications would set in, but the
powerful physique with which the
statesman is endowed permitted him
to escape this danger.
The bullet which inflicted the most
serious wound struck the premier in
the right shoulder and lodged under
the left shoulder, missing the spinal
cord and the lungs. The other two
bullets caused scarcely more than
abrasions of the skin OF the right
arm and the right hand.
In all, seven shots were fred at the
premier. Two bullets passed through
his clothing, but missed his body.
Professors Laubri, Gosset and Cuts
sier examined the wound in Premier
Clemenceau's shoulder. According to
their diagnosis, the premier vas
struck in the posterior part of the
right shoulder blade. The bullet pene-
trated without a visceral lesion. The
surgeons reported general and local
conditions perfect.
Two arrests have been made. The
man who fred the shots was seized
on the scene after he had been badly
beaten by the crowd. The man says
he acted by himself in the attack.
The assassin is Emile Coffin, known
I'm red circles as "Milou." He said
he was twenty-five years old and was
born at Creil. He said his home was
In the Montrouse quarter Of Paris.
The police, however, do not believe
the papers he holds belong to him and
ARE inclined to think him a Russian.
He is fair, with long, light hair, and
is tall of stature.
Later the police took another man,
named Dreyfus, who protested his in
nocence and said that he had been
merely a spectator of the shooting.
He resides in the Sixteenth ward, not
far from the premier's home.
The premier, both at the time of
the attempted murder and afterward,
showed the fearless spirit which
earned for him the title Of "the Tiger
Of France" He walked unaided to
his residence nearby and refused to
worry about his condition.
Before he reached the door a num-
Der of persons came running up to as
sist him.
"It is not serious this time" said
the premier In reply to a sympathetic
inquiry.
M. Clemenceau sat down on the big
armchair and began to joke with the
servants, who were in tears, saying
to them:
zee nest rlen ut is nothing)."
Marshal Foch arrived at the pre-
mier's residence and had a few words
with the premier. He reported Nj.
Clemenceau as saying:
~ have lodged bigger mes than
that at the front"
The shooting took place at sos
o'clock in the morning as the premier
was leaving his house in the Rue
Franklin to go to the war office to
meet Col. +. NJ. House and A. j. Bal
four for q conference.
The automobile bearing the premier
was turning a corner of the Rue
Franklin into the Rue del Essert when
a man standing on the sidewalk
Jumped toward the door Of the auto
mobile and fired several times.
AS the first shot struck the automo-
bile Premier Clemenceau leaned for
ward and began TO open the door. 1t
was In this clearly visible position
that Coffin fired the shots which took
effect. The premier continued his
movement to open the door, which he