Year: 1874




The escape of Marshal Bazaine from prison |
to which he had been consigned for term of
wears which was expected to cover his entire re-
naming lease of life is ali event interesting not
only to the people Of France but to people every
where. The offence of this famous criminal was
10 grave and the case was 30 complicated by tie
positions of the great powers, by the rank OF the
accused and by the great services to France with
which he is credited that it would be difficult to
name circumstance which would more quickly
appeal to the general interest. Equally difficult il
it to convince many people, with the information
now at hand that the immediate authorities in
whose hands Bazaine was placed did not COM
nive at his escape. The probabilities point strong
ly to some great political movement of which this
stupendous piece of jail-breaking is but the COM
mencement. Recent events have shown the
spirit of Bonapartism to be still strong in France,
and Bazaine is known TO be one of the firmest
believers in the Empire. Bazaine in prison was
useless. Bazains free and leader might still be
invaluable. The work of "Emigres," aided by
disaffection at st. Marguerite will very posi-
bly, be shown to have been prominent in the
startling affair of last Sunday night. Further
and in this view most important-it must be
remembered that st. Marguerite is not prison
from which it is easy to escape. So strong,
80 remote and isolated, is 1t that condemned
persons whom it was desirable to place under
particularly strict scrutiny have often been sent
there. Itwas thought secure enough to hold
the secret of "The Iron Mask and the luckless
unknown associated with that phrase was re-
moved thither after the Government had incar-
cerated him in several other PRISONS but had
reason to doubt the security of each. At st.
Marguerite the " Man in the Iron Mask" passed
most of his miserable captivity, and there he
died. What St Marguerite was in the 18th
century it is to-day. 1t is not supposable that
such an escape as this of Bazaine's could have
been made without treachery and widespread
conspiracy and the conspirators could only be
enemies of the Republic The Republic has
many enemies but such act as this was evil
IDENTIFY not the work of either of the monarch
ical parties, for Bazane is in az little sympathy
with these movements as with the MacMahon
Government. We are thus logically led to the
conclusion that the escape was the result Of a
successful Bonapartist stratagem, aided by in
ternal dissensions showing plainly leaning to-
wards the old regime. 1t is this aspect which
renders the case so interesting, for it is Of
course remembered that Bazaine's treason con-
sisted in the surrender at Metz Of great army
and immense stores. with the manifest intent
TO injure the Provisional Government. Napoleon
III was in captivity, and Versailles had declared
his dynasty thing of the past, but .Bazaine
thought it possible to at least crush this new in
umation Of popular government, and that event.
would gradually restore his imperial master t,
power. 1t was tremendous game that h'
played, and he lost but if this latest act shoult
prove to be what we have considered it, it wi
be shown that the Imperislsts have still grea
reserve Of hope and strength.