At eleven o'clock the prefect's call to arms had reassembled all the popular battalions. Groups formed before the Hotel-de-Ville, crying "Vive la Commune!" De l'Espee sent for his troops, consisting of 250 foot-soldiers and two squadrons of hussars, who came up sluggishly. The multitude surrounded them; the Council protested; and the prefect had to discharge his warriors, there remaining to face the crowd only a line of firemen, and in the Hotel-de-Ville two companies, of which but one was favourable to the party of order. Towards mid-day a delegation summoned the Council to keep their promise. The councillors present--only few in number--were not adverse to accepting as coadjutors two delegates from each company, but De l'Espee formally declared against any concession. At four o'clock a very numerous delegation from the Committee presented itself. The prefect spoke of retrenching himself and of strengthening the gates for defence; but the firemen raised the butt end of their muskets, opened the passage, and De l'Espee had to receive some of the delegates. The crowd outside waxed unruly, impatient at these useless parleys. At half-past four the workmen from the manufactory of arms arrived, when a shot was fired from one of the houses of the place, killing Lyonnet, a workingman. A hundred shots answered; the drums beat, the trumpets sounded the charge, and the battalions rushed into the Hotel-de-Ville, while others searched the house whence the attack was supposed to have come. At the noise of the firing the prefect broke off the conference and tried to escape as on the night before, mistook his way, was recognised and seized, together with the deputy of the _procureur de la Republique_, brought back with the latter into the large hall, and shown from the balcony. The crowd hooted him, convinced that he had given the order to fire upon the people. One of the reactionist guards, M. De Ventavon, on his flight from the mairie, was taken for the murderer of Lyonnet, and carried about on the litter on which the corpse had just been transported to the hospital.