LADY RANDOLPH CHURCHILL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 81, 30 December 1907, Page 3

LADY RANDOLPH CHURCHILL.

Lady Randolph Churchill, who is now Mrs. Cormvallis West, contributes' some of her early recollections of Paris to the November number of tho "Century . Magazine." As Miss Jennio Jerome, sho lived with her mother in tho French capital from 1867 to tho early'seventies, and has much , to say of tho Imperial Court and tho war.. Sho gives an interesting account as an eye-witness of tlie trial of tho fallen marshal —tho surrender of Metz:— "In tho autumn of 1873 I remember going to Bazaino's trial at' Versailles. A long, low room, filled to suffocation with a curious crowd, many of whom Were women, a raised platform, a tablg covered with green baizo and holding a bijttlo of water, a few chairs arranged in ssmi-circles, completed tho inisb-en-sceno, which seemed rather a poor one for tho trial for life or death of a Marshal of France. The Due d'Aumale, who was president; having seated himself at tho table, Bazamo was brought in. 'AH eyes turned on him, and somo of tho women jumped 'on their chairs, levelling thoir opera-glasses at tho unfortunato man. This was promptly put a stop to by tho gendarmes present, who pulled the offenders down unceremoniously by their skirts. "Fi done!" I heard a gendarme say, "e'est pas gentil"—nor was :it. Bazaino sat impassivo oven while'Maitro Lauchaud, his'- advocate, making a curious defence, at ono ■ moment pointed with a dramatic gesture to tho accused, exclaiming "Mais, :regardez le done! Co n'est pas un traitro, e'est un imbccilo!" How tho mighty had fallen! I thought of him and his wife-in the glittering throng of Compiegno only throo years before, and again as commander-in-chief of a hugo army, .'which now ho was sunposcd to havo betrayed and 'sold. . . . His permitted eseapo on August 9, 1874, from the Ho Stc. Margerite had tho elements of tho grotcsquo about it.