" When he had reported his arrival to the
King, Lafayette stationed guards about the palace, and, worn with hours
of marching in the rain and mud, so far forgot his duty to his Sovereign
and his command that he retired to his house in the town of Versailles to
seek sleep. In the masses of people outside the gates were thieves and
men of violence. "What a delightful prospect was opened for pillage in
the wonderful palace of Versailles, where the riches of France had been
amassed for more than a century!" exclaims the commentator, Michelet.
Here follows a dramatic account of what followed, based on the story of
Madame de Stael, who witnessed many of the bloody scenes in person. "At
five in the morning, before daylight, a large crowd was already prowling
about the gates, armed with pikes, spits, and scythes. About six
o'clock, this crowd, composed of Parisians and people of Versailles,
scale or force the gates, and advance into the courts with fear and
hesitation. The first who was killed, if we believe the Royalists, died
from a fall, having slipped in the Marble Court. According to another
and a more likely version, he was shot dead by the body-guard.
"Some took to the left, toward the Queen's apartment, others to the
right, toward the chapel stairs, nearer the King's apartment. On the
left, a Parisian running unarmed, among the foremost, met one of the body
guard, who stabbed him with a knife.
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