During the Red Terror [pp. 465-468]

LITERA TURE, SCIENCE, AN'_D ART.
old man, with white hair, was frequently spat upon by the ferocious
guards, whose blasphemies and indecencies augmented the miseries
of the captives. On the 23d of August, one of the sections came as
a deputation to the Council of the Commune, and declared formally
that the citizens were tired and indignant at the delay of justice, and
would break open the doors of the prisons and immolate the prisoners to their vengeance. The following day, Tallien declared in the
Assembly, "We have arrested the disturbing priests, and in a few
days the soil will be purged of their presence." "No one," says M.
Michelet, "doubted of the probability of a massacre." The unhappy
prisoners were deluded with promises of liberty, but the oldest among
them too well construed the real state of events to indulge a hope.
The majority began systematically to prepare for death. On the eve
of September 2d, rumor announced that the King of Prussia had invested the town of Ferdun. The Committee of Public Safety proposed to transport the seat of government to Saumur. This Danton
resisted, concluding his speech with these words: "My advice is, to
disconcert these measures and arrest the enemy; you must strike fear
into the royalists. Yes, you must make them fear, I say." In the
Carmelite Church, the situation became more distressing every hour.
The surveillance redoubled, and every prisoner was searched with the
greatest caution. Many of their friends came to see them, and, by
their tears and grasping of hands, it was easy to see that they anticipated a catastrophe. Nevertheless, the priests remained calm. After
dinner, which took place at noon, the roll was called as usual, and the
hour's exercise began. A little while afterward guard was relievednot by soldiers, but by persons without uniform, armed with pikes,
and wearing the red cap. At four o'clock all were ordered into the
garden, and, contrary to custom, the old men and the infirm, who
were wont to retire into quiet places for reflection, were compelled to
keep with the rest. The garden is in precisely the same condition today as it was then. It consists of a large square, subdivided into
four spaces of equal size, and separated by gravelled walks. In the
centre is a circular basin. Having reached the garden, the prisoners
separated into groups, and dispersed about the walks. One only, the
Abb6 Girault, remained near the basin, reciting his prayers.
Meanwhile, a stormy assemblage was holding session at the Church
of Saint-Sulpice. The deliberations were on one point only-what
should be done with the prisoners, and especially the priests at the
Carmelite Convent. The president, Ceyrat, remarked: "All those
imprisoned in the convent are guilty, and it is time that the people
execute justice. They must be got rid of in a uniform manner!"
One of the assembly demanded how this could be done. The president and a large number of the citizens replied, "By death!" At
this word, the most impetuous rushed out of the church and took
their way to the convent. One person, M. Carcel, foreseeing the approaching danger, entreated the commandant, Tanche, to interfere,
but in vain. Arrived at the Rue Vaugirard, the assailants spread
themselves through the corridors of the convent, taking possession of
the cells that overlooked the garden. There, awaiting a signal, they
remained some time, thrusting their sabres and bayonets through the
bars of the windows, and uttering the most sanguinary cries. The
unfortunate priests fled to the bottom of the garden, where there was
a small oratory, and commenced to say the Vespers for Sunday. The
Archbishop of Arles was there, accompanied by the Abb6 de la
Pannonie. The latter remarked that he believed they were coming to
assassinate them. To which the archbishop replied: "Well, if the
moment of our sacrifice has arrived, let us thank God, and submit ourselves to Him; we offer our blood in a good cause." He was interrupted
by cries proceeding from a new quarter, the Rue Cassette. Four vehicles full of priests w ere on their way to the Abbey. The drivers were
ordered to go slowly, under pain of death. The soldiers guarding the
carriages informed their occupants that they would not reach the Abbey, for the people were risen to revenge themselves. They accompanied their words with blows from sabres and pikes at hazard. The
crowd augmented every moment until the vehicles reached the Abbey.
The court-yard was filled with people. One of the priests thought to
escape by rushing among the crowd, but he was instantly killed. A
second tried, and was also killed. A fourth received a blow from a
sabre. Twenty-one priests were killed in all by a mere handful of men
led by a miscreant named Maillard. When the last victim had expired, the leader exclaimed, "There's no more to be done here-let us
go to the Carmelites!" |
Infuriated with blood, they rushed through the streets shouting,
" Vive la nation! /Jfort atnx rgfractaires! " It was the shouts of this
mob that interrupted the archbishop. No sooner did those at the
window hear them, than, as if they had received the signal they expected, they broke open the garden-gate. Dividing into two groups,
they went in search of the priests. The first group met the Abb6 Girault, who was still absorbed in reading his breviary. A blow from a
sabre divided his skull, and he was killed by blows from numerous
pikes in an instant. Seeing this first victim fall, the Abb6 Salins
rushed to the assassins, hoping to arouse in them some sentiment of
pity. A shot instantly killed him. The second group directed their
steps to the oratory. They met a number of priests on the way
among whom was the Archbishop of Arles, with M. de la Pannonie.
Addressing the latter, they demanded if he was the archbishop. Joining his hands and lowering his eyes, M. de la Pannonie made no reply,
hoping they might mistake him for the prelate. But another addressed
Monsignor Dulan himself:
"It is you, wretch, who are the archbishop."
"Yes, gentlemen, I am," replied he.
"Ah, villain," rejoined the man, "it is you who have shed the
blood of so many patriots in the city of Arles."
"I have never done harm to any.one," replied the archbishop,
calmly.
"Well, I am going to harm you," rejoined the assassin, who levelled a blow at his head with a sabre.
The prelate, unmoved, received the blow without testifying the
least fear, or uttering the least cry. A second blow opened his skull.
He raised his hands to his head, but the right hand was instantly
struck off, and a last blow stretched him lifeless on the earth. One
of the assassins then thrust his pike into the chest of the archbishop
with such force that he could not withdraw it; then, placing his foot
on the corpse, he drew the watch from the pocket and held it up to
his companions as a token of triumph.
While this dreadful scene was being enacted, the remaining clergymen rushed into the oratory. Addressing them with a trembling
voice, the Abb6 Despres remarked:
"Friends, we cannot be better than at the foot of the Cross, in offering to God the sacrifice of our lives."
At these words all knelt, and received mutually absolution. In
this position they were found by their murderers. In a few minutes
they were all slaughtered, and the white pavement of the chapel swam
with blood. All this occurred in less than fifteen minutes.
Meanwhile, in other parts of the garden, similar scenes of atrocity
were enacting.
The commandant gave orders that the surviving priests should
enter the church. They attempted to do so, but were opposed at the
steps by a band of men with upraised pikes, who would have killed
them but for the earnest intercession of the commandant that they
might enter the church. The majority took refuge in the sanctuary
and behind the altar. Two or three hid themselves in a recess leading to the pulpit. The Bishop of Saintes concealed himself in the
choir. A moment after, the Bishop of Beauvais was brought in on a
mattress, with his thigh broken by a bullet. Two other priests at risk
of their limbs climbed the roof by a waterspout, and lay on the leads
all the time the massacre went on below, listening to the agonizing
cries of the defenceless victims. They remained in this position from
five in the evening till seven the following morning ere they durst attempt to move.
The slaughter in the garden continued. When all was still, the
assassins entered the church. An officer stopped them, and tried to
reason with them. But his arguments had no effect. They rushed up
to the choir. A man named Violette deliberately seated himself at a
table with the prison-register. He called up the priests one by one,
and then caused them to go through a passage where the crowd
awaited them. As each one fell, the shout, "Vive la nation!" rang
through the building. The name of Pierre Louis de la Rochefoucauld,
Bishop of Saintes, was called, and the old man walked resolutely to
his doom. He hoped that the wound which the Bishop of Beauvais,
his brother, had received, would excite the pity of the crowd. But no
sooner had they killed the Bishop of Saintes, than they cried out,
"Where'is the Bishop of Beauvais?"
"Here," replied the prelate. "I do not refuse to die like the rest,
but you see I cannot walk.'I beg you will have the charity to help
me up, and carry me where you will."
They carried him to the staircase, and there killed him.
s1870.]
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