Page:The Rise and Fall on the Paris Commune in 1871.djvu/78



and showed a disposition to drive the National Guards from their position.

"I wished to parley with them, but they refused, with characteristic monarchical intolerance, and hissed and shouted. They retired, threatening to return the following day. On Wednesday they again prepared a demonstration, and some were armed. I placed men in the Rue de la Paix to keep back the mob, if any attempted to invade the Place Vendome, with orders not to fire. At one o'clock a large crowd of ten thousand advanced and overpowered the first line, wrenched the rifles from the troops, beat and maltreated them. I ordered the second line to retire slowly on Place Vendome, and to keep back the crowd, without violence. The guns were taken from more soldiers, upon which I ordered the line to take up a position across the road in sufficient numbers to resist the crowd by force; but I told them to throw up their rifles, so as to show the people that we wished to avoid an effusion of blood. They remained face to face some minutes. The crowd tried to break the cordon; and, yelling against the Government and the National Guard, at last they commenced using their revolvers, so that four of our men fell. One died immediately, shot through the brain, and the others are very seriously wounded. The National Guard, finding that the mob meant bloodshed, fired first in the air. Some, enraged at seeing their comrades fall, fired at the crowd, and killed five and wounded fifteen or twenty. The mob then dispersed in great confusion, and I hope will attempt nothing of the kind in future. We do not want war, nor do we want to kill each other; for our enemies are scarcely out of the city. What can we do? The Government attempted to take our cannon, and to prepare for a monarchy. The Assembly has a fixed determination to force a king upon us. We will avoid further bloodshed."