1804.] 
Ménchoud ; fo that his Majefty was com- 
ais to proceed without halting to Cha- 
ons. 
Near St. Ménéhoud, Count de Dam- 
pierre was obferved following the King’s 
carriage, at a diftance of about four hun- 
dred paces, and was never at all fo near as 
to {peak tothe Royal Family, as has been 
often afferted. He rode fome time by the 
fide of a cabriolet, or two-wheeled chaife, 
in which were two ladies of known at- 
tachment to the Queen, and who narrowly 
efcaped afflaflination on that account.— 
Thefe ladies frequently advifed M. de 
Dampierre to withdraw from the danger 
to which he wasexpofed, and which {con 
came upon him. The vile infigators of 
the populace having, even in contradic- 
tion co their own eyes, perfuaded them 
that Dampierre had actually had converfa- 
tion with the King, it was the fignal for 
infulting, affaulting, and finally murder- 
ing, that unhappy officer, 
During this tranfaction the other com- 
manding officers, and all thofe under them, 
remained perfectly inactive, and took no 
fiep whatever to reftrain the favage fury 
of the mob. 
In order to efcape from their rage, 
after being fhot in feveral places, he made 
his horfe leap the ditch on the road fide ; 
but fome national guards on horfeback 
foon came up to him, and literary hacked 
him in pieces. 
With his mangled limbs each man of 
the party returned, and held them-up to 
the Royal Family as trophies of their vic- 
tory. 
“© Vive la Nation” was on this occafion 
triumphantly bellowed forth by the fero- 
€ious multitude. 
An officer of the national guards, 
whofe name M. de Mouftier laments to 
have forgotten, young and well-looking, 
the fon of a major in the army, who had 
received his commiffion from the King 
prior to the revolution—this young gez- 
tleman prefented himfelf before the Royal 
Family, bearing the hat of poor Dam- 
pierre thruft down on the blade of his 
{word, 
When the King’s gardes-du-corps, who’ 
during thejourney back to Paris were all 
feated on the coach-box, reprefented to. 
this officer the indecency of fuch condua, 
efpecially from him, whether it was from 
revenge on being reproved in the hearing 
of the multitude, and of thofe under his 
command, or from a more than common 
meafure of atrocity in his difpofition, it 
i of little importance to confider, byt, 
Montuty Mac, No, 114, 
‘fourney of Louis XVI. from Paris to Varennes, 329 
with a look and air of outrageous fury, 
he fnatched the hat from his fword, tore 
it in a hundred pieces, and f{cattered them 
among the crowd. y : 
It muft, however, be obferved, for the 
honour of this young hero, that he was by 
no means fingular ; the greater part of 
the leaders of the populace on this occa- 
fion giving evident figns of fimilar difpo- 
fitions. 
After a fucceffion of fcenes of this na. 
-ture, the carriage at laft arrived, late in 
the night, inthe court-yard of the Intend~ 
ant’s hotel at Chalons on the Marne.— 
Here the Royal Family alighted, in the 
midft of a crowd of national guards, who 
by their language and behaviour fhewed 
themfelves to be not a whit behind any of 
their companions in revolt and diforder. 
M, de Mouftier, who with the other 
attendants had remained behind in the 
court to take out fuch articles as were ne= 
ceflary for the Royal Family, and to lock 
the doors of the carriage, obferved a paper 
work out of the Queen’s pocket, and fall 
on the ground, as fhe alighted. 
He inftantly, as by accident, dropt one 
of the /acs-de-nuit on the paper, and, in 
taking up the bag, fecured the paper, un- 
noticed by the bye-ftanders, ‘This paper 
he refolved to {wallow, rather than that it 
fhould come into the hands of the multi- 
tude, who now talked openly of difpatch- 
ing him, and regretting that they had fuf. 
fered his two companions to enter the 
hotel. bie 
M. de Moulftier was cruelly treated 
by this mob, but at length, through the 
darknefs of the night, contrived to efcape 
from their fury. 
His fafety was likewife owing to the 
circumftance, that thofe who preffed the 
clofeft on him, were foon obliged to turn 
their fabres again{t their companions be- 
hind them, to ward off from themfelves 
the blows intended againft M. de Mouf- 
tier. 
The Royal Family, inceflantly occu- 
pied about the fafety of thofe who were 
attached to their fervice, had directed fe- 
veral perfons to endeavour to refcue M. 
de Mouttier ; but when the hazards of 
fuch an attempt are confidered, he is not 
furprized that no one was able to execute 
the order. : 
Such was the kind anxiety of the Royal 
Family for M. de Mouftier, that they 
would not fit down until he made his ap- 
pearance inthe houfe. His ftruggle with 
the multitude without had continued fo 
Jong, that on entering their apartment he © 
P, © found | 
