But the populace are not satisfied with this. In vain do the municipal officers appeal to it， in vain do the gendarmes interpose themselves between it and the prisoner； it rushes in upon them and disperses them. Meanwhile， volleys of stones smash in the windows， and the entrance door yields to the blows of axes； about thirty of the villains scale the windows， and pass the priest down like a bale of goods. A few yards off， "struck down with clubs and other instruments，" he draws his last breath， his head "crushed" by twenty mortal wounds. -- Farther up， towards Orleans， Roland reads the following dispatches， taken from the file for Loiret：[58] "Anarchy is at its height，" writes one of the districts to the Directory of the department； "there is no longer recognition of any authority； the administrators of the district and of the municipalities are insulted， and are powerless to enforce respect. . . . Threats of slaughter， of destroying houses and giving them up to pillage prevail； plans are made to tear down all the chateaux. The municipal authorities of Achères， along with many of the inhabitants， have gone to Oison and Chaussy， where everything is smashed， broken up and carried off On the 16th of September six armed men went to the house of M. de Vaudeuil and obliged him to return the sum of 300 francs， for penalties pretended to have been paid by them. We have been notified that M. Dedeley will be visited at Achères for the same purpose to-day. M. de Lory has been similarly threatened. . .Finally， all those people there say that they want no more local administrations or tribunals， that the law is in their own hands， and they will execute it. In this extremity we have decided on the only safe course， which is to silently accept all the outrages inflicted upon us. We have not called upon you for protection， for we are well aware of the embarrassment you labor under." -- The best part of the National Guard， indeed， having been disarmed at the county-town， there is no longer an armed force to put riots down. Consequently， at this same date，[59] the populace， increased by the afflux of "strangers" and ordinary nomads， hang a corn-inspector， plant his head on the end of a pike， drag his body through the streets， sack five houses and burn the furniture of a municipal officer in front of his own door. Thereupon， the obedient municipality sets the arrested rioters free， and lowers the price of bread one-sixth. Above the Loire， the dispatches of Orne and Calvados complete the picture. "Our district，" writes a lieutenant of the gendarmerie，[60] "is a prey to brigandage. . . About thirty rascals have just sacked the chateau of Dampierre. Calls for men are constantly made upon us，" which we cannot satisfy， "because the call is general on all sides." The details are curious， and here， notwithstanding the Minister's familiarity with popular misdeeds， he cannot avoid noting one extortion of a new species. "The inhabitants of the villages[61] collect together， betake themselves to different chateaux， seize the wives and children of their proprietors， and keep them as bail for promises of reimbursement which they force the latter to sign， not merely for feudal taxes， but， again， for expenses to which this taxation may have given rise，" first under the actual proprietor and then under his predecessors； in the mean time they install themselves on the premises， demand payments for their time， devastate the buildings on the place， and sell the furniture. -- All this is accompanied with the usual slaughter. The Directory of the department of Orne advises the Minister[62] that "a former noble has been killed (homicide) in the canton of Sepf， an ex-curé in the town of Bellême， an unsworn priest in the canton of Putanges， an ex-capuchin in the territory of Alen？on." The same day， at Caen， the syndic-attorney of Calvados， M. Bayeux， a man of sterling merit， imprisoned by the local Jacobins， has just been shot down in the street and bayoneted， while the National Assembly was passing a decree proclaiming his innocence and ordering him to be set at liberty.[63]
Route of the East. -- At Rouen， in front of the H？tel-de-ville， the National Guard， stoned for more than an hour， finally fire a volley and kill four men； throughout the department violence is committed in connection with grain， while wheat is stolen or carried off by force；[64] but Roland is obliged to restrict himself； he can note only political disturbances. Besides， he is obliged to hurry up， for murders abound everywhere. In addition to the turmoil of the army and the capital，[65] each department in the vicinity of Paris or near the frontier furnishes its quota of murders. They take place at Gisors， in the Eure， at Chantilly， and at Clermont in the Oise， at Saint-Amand in the Pas-de-Calais， at Cambray in the Nord， at Retel and Charleville in the Ardennes， at Rheims and at Chalons in the Marne， at Troyes in the Aube， at Meaux in Seine-et-Marne， and at Versailles in Seine-et-Oise.[66] -- Roland， I imagine， does not open this file， and for a good reason； he knows too well how M. de Brissac and M. Delessart， and the other sixty-three persons killed at Versailles； it was he who signed Fournier's commission， the commander of the murderers. At this very moment he is forced to correspond with this villain， to send him certificates of "zeal and patriotism，" and to assign him， over and above his robberies， 30，000 francs to defray the expenses of the operation.[67] -- But among the dispatches there are some he cannot overlook， if he desires to know to what his authority is reduced， in what contempt all authority is held， how the civil or military rabble exercises its power， with what promptitude it disposes of the most illustrious and most useful lives， especially those who have been， or are now， in command， the Minister perhaps saying to himself that his turn will come next.
