Page:The Rise and Fall on the Paris Commune in 1871.djvu/49

 was the abominable act perpetrated in the afternoon at Montmartre, and of which Generals Lecomte and Clement-Thomas were the victims.

Early in the evening a body of some three thousand National Guards, composed of the 64th and 172d battalions, belonging to the Montmartre quarter, approached the Place Vendome without having encountered the slightest resistance in the way. Arriving at the Rue de la Paix, they found themselves confronted by the 1st battalion, Commandant Barré, who ordered the Montmartre men to halt; but as they manifested the intention of continuing their march, the 1st were ordered to load. This show of firmness brought the others to a stand-still, and they raised the butts of their muskets in the air, asking the 1st to do the same. The latter, however, remained resolute and awaited the orders of their chief. After having argued for some time and taken the instructions of the superior officers of the staff, the commandant of the 1st gave his men orders to retire, and the Place Vendome was abandoned to the others, who shortly after occupied the Etat-Major and the headquarters of the first military division.

The eleventh arrondissement, which is populated by most advanced republicans, who were positive that a ''coup d'etat'' was intended, seeing the streets occupied by cavalry, infantry and artillery, was spared a scene of bloody strife by the action of M. Mottu, Mayor of the arrondissement. He immediately waited on Ernest Picard who assured him of his republican sentiments, "Then do not defy the people. Why and against whom this display of force? I answer for the maintenance of order and peace in my arrondissement, if you do not yourselves offer provocations to disorder and civil war." "The general command," was the reply, "is in the hands of General Vinoy." M. Mottu went to the General and represented to him in warm lan