‘Langlois and Duchene went up to the colonel, who was hardly
fifty paces from our first ranks. Langlois explained that Proudhon
was dead and that the crowd before him had come to accompany
the body to the cemetery. The colonel knew nothing: he was
returning from a march to the barracks o f La Pepini£re. As
he could not change his itinerary, he asked Langlois to open
the ranks so that his men could continue on their way.
‘We understood. The crowd opened, and the troops passed
between two living hedges. Suddenly a voice cried: “ Beat the
salute!” The colonel instinctively raised his sword, the drums beat
out the funeral march, all our heads were uncovered, and the
regiment passed before the house of the dead presenting arms.’
Paradox followed Proudhon to the end, and one can imagine
that he would have relished the irony o f this fortuitous tribute
by the forces o f the State to the first o f the Anarchists. Afterwards
the great procession moved peacefully through the streets to the
cemetery where, over the open grave, Proudhon’s companions
in the struggles of a quarter of a century, Langlois, Chaudey and
Massol, delivered their tributes to the inspired fighter for liberty
and the man with a genius for friendship.
THE STRICKEN YEARS