o take flight. He had come from Versailles for the express
purpose of accomplishing this quadruple crime, and, by this means,
obliterate every trace of his past villany. His name is Jules Ferry.
You who read this, revenge me!'"

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 72: Vermesch, who was born at Lille, in 1846, though not an
official member of the Commune, was one of its most powerful champions.
He was founder and principal editor of the _Pere Duchesne_, a poor
imitation of the journal, published under the same title, by Hebert, in
the time of the first Revolution. This paper, one of the most
characteristic of the Commune, was filled with trivialities, in the
vilest taste and slang, which cannot be rendered in English. The first
number of Vermesch's journal was published on the 6th of March, but was
suppressed by General Vinoy; it re-appeared, however, on the eighteenth
of the same month, and met with such prodigious success, that even its
editor himself was astonished. Intoxicated with the result, the writers
became more and more virulent, and not content with penning the vilest
personal abuse, Vermesch assumed the _role_ of public informer. For
instance, he denounced M. Gustave Chaudey, a writer in the _Siecle_, in
the _Pere Duchesne_ of the 12th of April, and that journalist was
arrested in consequence on the following day. The journal became, not
only the medium of all kinds of personal abuse and vengeance, but did
the duty of inquisitor for the Communal Government, for whom it produced
a terrible crop of victims. The _Official Journal_ contained a number of
decrees, the drafts of which at first appeared in _Pere Duchesne_.

Amongst other acts, Vermesch organised what he called the battalion of
the Enfants of the _Pere Duchesne_, and considering the origin of this
corps, the character of the rabble which filled its ranks may easily be
imagined. The children of such a father could only be found amidst the
lowest dregs of the Parisian population; fit instruments for the
infamous work which was afterwards to be done.]

[Footnote 73: Paschal Grousset prepared himself for politics by the
study of medicine; from the anatomy of heads he passed to the dissection
of ideas. Having turned journalist, he wrote scientific articles in
_Figaro_, contributed to the _Standard_, and was one of the editors of
the _Marseillaise_ when the challenge, which gave rise to the death of
Victor Noir and the famous trial at Tours, was sent to Pr