THE HISTORY OF A CRIME ***

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THE HISTORY OF A CRIME

THE TESTIMONY OF AN EYE-WITNESS

By VICTOR HUGO

Translated by T.H. JOYCE and ARTHUR LOCKER.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

THE FIRST DAY--THE AMBUSH.

I. "Security" II. Paris sleeps--the Bell rings III. What had happened during the Night IV. Other Doings of the Night V. The Darkness of the Crime VI. "Placards" VII. No. 70, Rue Blanche VIII. "Violation of the Chamber" IX. An End worse than Death X. The Black Door XI. The High Court of Justice XII. The Mairie of the Tenth Arrondissement XIII. Louis Bonaparte's Side-face XIV. The D'Orsay Barracks XV. Mazas XVI. The Episode of the Boulevard St. Martin XVII. The Rebound of the 24th June, 1848, on the 2d December 1851 XVIII. The Representatives hunted down XIX. One Foot in the Tomb XX. The Burial of a Great Anniversary

THE SECOND DAY--THE STRUGGLE.

I. They come to Arrest me II. From the Bastille to the Rue de Cotte III. The St. Antoine Barricade IV. The Workmen's Societies ask us for the Order to fight V. Baudin's Corpse VI. The Decrees of the Representatives who remained Free VII. The Archbishop VIII. Mount Valérien IX. The Lightning begins to flash among the People X. What Fleury went to do at Mazas XI. The End of the Second Day

THE THIRD DAY--THE MASSACRE.

I. Those who sleep and He who does not sleep II. The Proceedings of the Committee III. Inside the Elysée IV. Bonaparte's Familiar Spirits V. A Wavering Ally VI. Denis Dussoubs VII. Items and Interviews VIII. The Situation IX. The Porte Saint Martin X. My Visit to the Barricades XI. The Barricade of the Rue Meslay XII. The Barricade of the Mairie of the Fifth Arrondissement XIII. The Barricade of the Rue Thévenot XIV. Ossian and Scipio XV. The Question presents itself XVI. The Massacre XVII. The Appointment made with the Workmen's Societies XVIII. The Verification of Moral Laws

THE FOURTH DAY--THE VICTORY.

I. What happened during the Night--the Rue Tiquetonne II. What happened during the Night--the Market Quarter III. What happened during the Night--the Petit Carreau IV. What was done during the Night--the Passage du Saumon V. Other Deeds of Darkness VI. The Consultative Committee VII. The Other List VIII. David d'Angers IX. Our Last Meeting X. Duty can have two Aspects XI. The Combat finished, the Ordeal begins XII. The Exiled XIII. The Military Commissions and the mixed Commissions XIV. A Religious Incident XV. How they came out of Ham XVI. A Retrospect XVII. Conduct of the Left XVIII. A Page written at Brussels XIX. The Infallible Benediction

CONCLUSION--THE FALL.

CHAPTER I CHAPTER II CHAPTER III CHAPTER IV CHAPTER V CHAPTER VI CHAPTER VII CHAPTER VIII CHAPTER IX CHAPTER X

THE FIRST DAY--THE AMBUSH.

CHAPTER I.

"SECURITY"

On December 1, 1851, Charras[1] shrugged his shoulder and unloaded his pistols. In truth, the belief in the possibility of a _coup d'état_ had become humiliating. The supposition of such illegal violence on the part of M. Louis Bonaparte vanished upon serious consideration. The great question of the day was manifestly the Devincq election; it was clear that the Government was only thinking of that matter. As to a conspiracy against the Republic and against the People, how could any one premeditate such a plot? Where was the man capable of entertaining such a dream? For a tragedy there must be an actor, and here assuredly the actor was wanting. To outrage Right, to suppress the Assembly, to abolish the Constitution, to strangle the Republic, to overthrow the Nation, to sully the Flag, to dishonor the Army, to suborn the Clergy and the Magistracy, to succeed, to triumph, to govern, to administer, to exile, to banish, to transport, to ruin, to assassinate, to reign, with such complicities that the law at last resembles a foul bed of corruption. What! All these enormities were to be committed! And by whom? By a Colossus? No, by a dwarf. People laughed at the notion. They no longer said "What a crime!" but "What a farce!" For after all they reflected; heinous crimes require stature. Certain crimes are too lofty for certain hands. A man who would achieve an 18th Brumaire must have Arcola in his past and Austerlitz in his future. The art of becoming a great scoundrel is not accorded to the first comer. People said to themselves, Who is this son of Hortense? He has Strasbourg behind him instead of Arcola, and Boulogne in place of Austerlitz. He is a Frenchman, born a Dutchman, and naturalized