“‘I was born in Paris, in 1844,’ said the ex-member of the Commune, lighting a cigar; ’I went through a primary school, and learned but little.  I was apprenticed to a machinist.  When I was twenty I found work on the Suez Canal.  I was already a member of a secret society organized against the Empire, with Blanqui at its head.  In 1866 I came back to Paris, and persuaded all my fellow-workmen in the establishment where I was employed to become conspirators.  We waited for a good opportunity to commence an insurrection.  Some of us wanted to begin when Pierre Bonaparte murdered Victor Noir; but it was put off till February 7, when about three thousand of us rushed into the streets, began raising barricades, and proclaimed a Republic.  The next day two thousand republicans were arrested.  On February 11 six police agents came to my house at a quarter past five in the morning.  I had a pistol, and when the first one entered my room to arrest me, I shot him dead.  You should have seen how the others scampered downstairs.  I am glad I killed him.  But five minutes after, I was overpowered, bound, and taken to prison.  I was condemned to twenty years in New Caledonia, with hard labor.  I was sent to Toulon, but before my embarkation the Republic was proclaimed, and a decree of the Government set me at liberty.  I came to Paris, and was named a member of the Municipal Council.  In October, 1870, during the siege, an order was passed for my arrest because I endeavored to deprive General Trochu of his command.  I hid myself, enlisted under a false name, and fought the Prussians.  Then I went to the South of France, and waited to see what would happen.  I was there when the Commune was proclaimed.  I arrested the prefect of Marseilles on my own responsibility, and put myself in his place.  I was prefect of Marseilles for eight days.  Early in April I made my way to Paris, was made a general, and put in charge of Fort Issy.[l] When Fort Issy fell, I was made commander-in-chief on the left bank of the Seine.  I ordered the Palace of the Legion of Honor to be set on fire; I defended the barricades on the Boulevard of Magenta; and when I left them on May 24, I found that Ferre and Deleschuze had given orders to shoot the hostages because the troops of Thiers had shot eight of our officers.’”

[Footnote 1:  General Rossel gave his opinion of the officers in command at Fort Issy in his letter to the Commune.]

“‘Did you approve that order?’” asked the “World’s” reporter.

“’Yes; why not?  Of course I approved it.  I went at once to La Roquette, to be present at the execution.  We were one hundred and fifty men, but one hundred and twenty of them slunk away, and only thirty remained for the work we came for.’

“‘And what did you do?’

“’Ma foi! I don’t particularly care to say what I did; it might injure me here where I have got work.  We called out the men we came to shoot, and we shot them as that kind of thing is generally done.  We took them down into a courtyard, put them against a wall, and gave the order to fire; that was all.’