a small prison in its
main building, and an annex for women. These prisons were full
of prisoners,--_reactionnaires_, as they were called in the last
days of the struggle.

On May 26, as has been said, nothing remained for the Commune to do
but mischief. Raoul Rigault was busy, with his corps of _Vengeurs
de Flourens_, getting through as many executions as possible; Felix
Pyat was organizing underground explosions, Ferre, the destruction
of public buildings. A gentleman[1] confined in the women's part
of the Prefecture, chancing to look down from a high window on
the offices of the main building, saw beneath him eight men in
the uniform of the Commune, one of them wearing much gold lace,
who were saturating the window-frames with something from a bottle,
and bedaubing other woodwork with mops dipped in a bucket that
he presumed contained petroleum. Their caps were pulled low over
their eyes, as if they did not wish to be recognized. At last he
saw the officer strike a match and apply it to the woodwork, which
caught fire immediately. Then rose frightful shrieks from the prisons
both of the men and the women, for many others had seen what was
going on. An earnest appeal to a turnkey to go to the director
of the prison and represent to him that all his prisoners would
be burned, was met by the answer that he did not take orders from
prisoners. But all turnkeys were not Communists, though Communist
officials were set over them. Some of them took advantage of the
confusion to look into the cells, and speak hope and comfort to
the prisoners. But as the flames caught the great wooden porch of
the Prefecture, the screams of the women were heart-rending; They
even disturbed Ferre, who sent orders "to stop their squalling."
One warder, Braquond, ventured to remonstrate. "Bah!" said Ferre,
"they are only women belonging to gendarmes and _sergents de ville_;
we shall be well rid of them." Then Braquond resolved to organize
a revolt, and save the prisoners. He ran to the corridor, and with
a voice of authority ordered all the cell-doors to be opened, thus
releasing four hundred prisoners. Braquond put himself at their
head and led them on. But when they reached the outer gate, they
were just in time to witness the departure of the last _Vengeur de
Flourens_. Ferre had just received news that the troops of Versailles
were close at hand, and he and his subordinates fled, leaving the
prisoners to shift for themselves.

[Footnote 1