348

LIFE OF COLONEL MACERONI.

and O’Farril, together with several members.of the junta ofstate, rode about, and exposed themselves to the most immi-nent danger to stop the further effusion of blood. TheSpanish regular troops, although they did not fire upontheir countrymen, which they were not called upon to do,nevertheless now rushed forth, and by their exhortationsand, as it were, interposing attitude, assisted in the restora-tion of tranquillity. Unfortunately, however, the calm wasbut of short duration; for on the setting in of night, anumber of the insurgents who had concealed themselves inthe houses after or during the conflict of the day, recom-menced a fire from the windows upon the French patrols.In order to get at these new assailants it was necessary toforce the doors; and certainly on this occasion fifty-six ofthose who were taken with their smoking arms in theirhands, were conveyed to the Prado, and very legitimatelyshot. Thirty-two insurgents of this same category, that is,taken in the act of killing the French or any other passer-by, were conveyed to the barracks of those who had seentheir comrades fall beside them, that is, the infantry bar-racks not far from the palace, and then and there very regu-larly executed.

Monstrous and absurd were the accounts for a long timecredited in the world “ as proofs of holy writ,” of this“ Murat’s massacre of Madrid .” Upon all occasions, whenin the quickly succeeding war, the Spanish troops were ledon to be routed by the French , the war cry was,—“ Re-member the 2d of May!” “Remember Velarde andDaoiz ! ” “ Remember Murat, who butchered ten thousandof your brethren of Madrid on one day, and on the nextmurdered in cold blood a multitude of others, many forhaving no other weapon on their innocent persons but apair of scissors.” Such, in fact, was the huge lie sounblushingly propagated even amongst the very people who