Page:The Rise and Fall on the Paris Commune in 1871.djvu/345

 their suspicions by courageously confronting the enemy at the Boulevard Ornano.

On Tuesday afternoon, during the attack, he arrived at the barricade. He was on horseback, followed by several aides-de-camp. He had hardly been five minutes on the scene of battle when a ball struck him in the abdomen, inflicting a mortal wound.

Placed on a litter, he was carried by four insurgents to the hospital of Lariboisière, where every effort was made to save him by Dr. Cusco, the surgeon-in-chief. An hour after, he expired amidst most horrible sufferings. His last words were these: "Kill me at once, I suffer too much."

This was at about seven o'clock Tuesday evening. At half-past eight, the regular troops being still advancing, Dombrowski's chief of the staff, Commandant Brioncel, arrived at the hospital followed by the escort of the General.

"Is the General dead?" asked Brioncel.

"Yes, sir," replied the attendant.

"Then give me his body."

The corpse of Dombrowski was placed in a cab and delivered to his staff.

At this moment the Director of Lariboisière arrived.

"Why are you taking away this body?" he asked from the soldiers of the Commune.

"It is our General; we don't wish the Versaillese to have this corpse," they replied, in giving the order "To the Hotel de Ville."

As the carriage started, an artilleryman threw himself precipitately from his horse, and approaching Dombrowski, kissed him on the forehead and said, "General, I will avenge you!"

He then withdrew, but, as he mounted his horse, a ball struck him in the forehead, killing him on the spot. The carriage left immediately for the Hotel de Ville.