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Wee Tenerable-Peolate Assassinated By ths Commune'In Paris. The Hon. REB Washburns, United Minister to France during the last days of the Empire and the Communé, has con’ted several in pape to Scribner's Monthly detailing the stirring events of the Franco-Prussian war and the Paris Commune. From his last cpnpet we take the, following account the arrest and execution of Archbishop Dar boy by the : 7 “It was the afternoon of June 2, when making my last round, going to Belleville, Pere Lachaise, La Villette, Place de la Bas ille, etc., that I went to La uette in order to get information in to the last hours of the Archbishop. Every thing relating to the fate of that sltustrious excited within me the deepest. Iater- By the courtesy of the officer in me who was one of the old guardians of the prison, I was shown into the cell which the Archbishop had occupied, from the time he was brought from Mazas to the moment he was taken out to be shut. The cell was even smaller than the one he occupied at Mazas, but it was higher up, better lighted, and more cheerful, ere was a small chair, a little table, and a few loose things lying upon the table which had evidently been left there by the Archbishop. These little trifles were of no value except as souvenirs, and the guardian was kind enough to permit me to take some of thun. The days of Tuesday and Wednesday, the 28th and 24th of Stay, were anxious days at La Roquette, but there were no very striking incidents. About 6 o'clock Wednesday evening a detachment of forty of the National Guard, belonging to the “Vengeurs de la Republique,” as they were called, arrived at the prison with a Captain, First and Second Lieutenants, o ne of Police, and two civil dele gates. They all wore bright red scarf e ntering the office of the jailer, these cevil delegates demanded the director of the prison the releus of the hostages, say ing that they were commanded to shoot them. The director at bret refused to de liver up the prisoners, saying that he would not consent to such a massacre of men con fined to his care without more formal orders. A long dispute thereupon arose, which finally ended by the director's giv ing supeei to deliver up six victims who been especially designated The menu awaited the decision impatiently in the court, and as soon as the delegates had got the consent of the director to give up the prisoners they all mounted the staircase pell-mell to the first story, where the hos tes were then canticed, the presence of such a contemplated crime a silence came over these assassins, who awaited the call of the names of the victims. The names of the six martyrs were called. The President, Bonjean, oc cupying cell No 1, was the first, the Abbe Deguerry, occupying cell No 6, was the second; and the last called was Mgr. Dar boy, Archbishop of Paris, who occupied cell No. 28.) The doors of the cells were then opened by the officer of the prison, and the victims were all ordered to leave. They decended, going to the foot of the staircase, where they embraced each other, and had a few words, the last op eart. Never was there a more mournful cortege her one calculated to awaken sadder emotions. Mgr Darboy, though weak and enfeeble by disease, gave his arm to Chief Justice njean, and the venerable man, well known in all Paris, Abbe Deguerry, leaned upon the arms of the two priests. A good many straggling National Guards and others had gathered around the prison as the victims went out, and they heaped upon them the vilest epithets, to an extent that aroused the indignation of a sub- Lieutenant, who commanded silence, say ing to them, “that which comes to these persons to-day, who knows but what the same will come to us tomorrow?” And a man in a blouse added, ‘men who go to meet death ought not to be insulted; none but cowards will insult the unfortunate.” When they arrived in the court of La Roquette darkness had already come on and it was necessary to get ladlerns to con duct the victims between the high walls which surrounded the court. Nothing shook the firmness of these men when they were thus marched to assassination. The Archbishop was the coolest and firmest, because the greatest. He shook each one by the hand and gave him his last benedic tion. When they arrived at the place where they were to be shot, the victims were all placed against the walls which in closed the sombre curtice of the prison of Roquette. The Archbishop was placed at the head of the ring, and the fiends who murdered him scratched with their knives across upon the stone in the wall at the very place where his head must have touched it at the moment they fired their fatal shots, Heo did not fall at the first Gils hide later tin tier dntyennens . before the other ryes came A launched him fto enternity, he crossed himself three times upon his fore head. other victims all fell together. The of the bullets after they had passed through their bodies were distinctly visible. The Archbishop was afterward mutilated and his abdomen cut open. All the bodies were then put into a cart and removed to Pere Lachaise, which was but a few squares off, where they were thrown into a common ditch (from which, how ever, they were happily rescued before de composition had taken place). On returning from La Roquette I came by the palace of the Archbishop, where I was lying in state. He was so changed that I hardly knew him. Great pain of good people of Paris were passing through the palace to look for the ast time upon him who was so endeared to them by his benevolent acts, his kindly disposition, and his consideration for the poor and the lowly. In all the six or seven interviews | lad with him in prison, except the last, I always found him cheer ful, and sometimes even may, and never abeve a word of comp a No man could be with him without beingapti vated by his cheerful disposition, Christian spirit, ami interesting conversa tion. He was scorned, accomplished, at eloquent; and above all, he’ was good, his religious and political sentiments he was liberal. He met his fate with the firmness of_a linn martyr, and any one who knew b’u could not but join in ‘a tribute of sincere mourning. For my self, I can never think of sin without be ing overwhelment sit vinations that I am scarcely able to express. His funeral, and that of the other vic tims massacred with him, took place at the Church of Notre Dame, in Paris, June 7, 1871. The National Assembly at Versailles, worthily interpreting the sentiments of all ce, decided that the interment suena run place * the expensé of i treasury preparations overs mundifete the funeral ceremonies; and it was one of the most imposing funéral services that I ever attended, Where Musical Instruments Are Made, Markneukirchen, a little town in Sax ony, is known far beyond the frontiers of that kingdom as the place where excellent musical Instruments are manufactured, more especially violins, to which latter it owes the name of “Saxon Cremona.” Its manufactures comprise nearly the whole field of instruments, such as guitars, flutes, clarioneta, wlod in trumests in brass and German silver), accordions, concertings, others, chass violins, violincellos, etc. Many a thusicien owns an instrument sexatding ‘which’listerely knows whens atae owing to the fact that a large portion o f his thneukirchen manufactures sxil ander a foreign fag, and many an ipatru chent, helping a celebrated *lsbal,” orien. SSM Abs Guirtling sewed: town, wh AS BM the present moment, stands at the peas. this special branch of Industry,
Newspaper Details
Sterling Gazette
Sterling, Illinois, US
Sat, May 21, 1887
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Matthias T.
DE 14 Sep 2026
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