up carefully, and, on the orders of their chief, carried it to the
municipal laboratory. Scarcely had the experts assembled to examine it,
than the egg burst and blew up the amphitheatre and the dome. All the
experts perished, and with them Collin, the General of Artillery, and
the famous Professor Tigre.

The capitalist society did not allow itself to be daunted by this fresh
disaster. The great banks re-opened their doors, declaring that
they would meet demands partly in bullion and partly in paper money
guaranteed by the State: The Stock Exchange and the Trade Exchange,
in spite of the complete cessation of business, decided not to suspend
their sittings.

In the mean time the magisterial investigation into the case of those
who had been first accused had come to an end. Perhaps the evidence
brought against them might have appeared insufficient under other
circumstances, but the zeal both of the magistrates and the public made
up for this insufficiency. On the eve of the day fixed for the trial the
Courts of justice were blown up and eight hundred people were killed,
the greater number of them being judges and lawyers. A furious crowd
broke into the prison and lynched the prisoners. The troops sent to
restore order were received with showers of stones and revolver shots;
several soldiers being dragged from their horses and trampled underfoot.
The soldiers fired on the mob and many persons were killed. At last the
public authorities succeeded in establishing tranquillity. Next day the
Bank was blown up.

From that time onwards unheard-of things took place. The factory
workers, who had refused to strike, rushed in crowds into the town and
set fire to the houses. Entire regiments, led by their officers, joined