A Good Lie

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 130, 30 April 1892, Page 4

A Good Lie

— • A cough was mainly responsible for the blooofhed that attended the coup d'etat whereby .'Napoleon the Thir-. obtained his throne (writes the " Marquis de Fontenoy" in the Recorder). Ihe unscrupulous Marshal de &t Arnaud bad charge of the military operations. But he was unwilling- to assumo the- direct responsibility ot ordering the troops to fire upon tbe people, being not altogether certain as to ihe result of Napoleon's memorable enterprise, Whjn the moment ior action arrived and tbe mob began to show signs of sweeping aside the troops, the brigadier general under his order sent an officer to him ut headquarters to ask him what they were to do. Strangely enough, St. Arnaud was seized at that moment with a violent fit of coughing, which lasted for several minutes. Finally, when it ceased, the general just tnauaged to gasp the words. "Ma sacree toux ! " (my cursed cousr-h). The officer, having waited until the general had recovered his breath, repeated the question. Again St. Arnaud was seized with a violent fit of coughing, which terminated, as on the previous occasion, with the parting exclamation ot " Ma sacree toux ! " The officer was no fool ; he could take a hint as well as any one elsQ. aiid, saluting left Sti ArnaucTs presence. Un returnto the troops, he was nsked what, J reply St Arnaud had made. The general's only words were massacres tons ! (massacre everybody). These commands were obeyed to the letter and many thousand people were shot down and bayoneted in consequence.