Word: mayors
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...Sains, as elsewhere in France, men wanted to work; in Sains they could not. In a tavern on the Grande Rue they discussed the extraordinary leader of the town's back-to-work movement: the Abbé Georges Lorent, priest of the local church, also the mayor of Sains-en-Gohelle...
...This priest-mayor," said one, "is a strange man. The women love him because he is so good-looking. The workers are spellbound by his eloquence. The old men are impressed by his record in the Resistance. They say he is always armed...
Last week, after many miners had told him they wanted to work, the priest-mayor decided to take action. He collected a group of miners, wrapped a tricolor sash around his waist, and advanced on the pit heads. They were met by hundreds of Communists and hangers-on (only a few of them local people) who had armed themselves with clubs. After a short scuffle the Abbé Lorent's forces withdrew. "I wanted to avoid bloodshed," he said...
Deputy Sheriffs. "These," said the Abbe later, "are arms which we have kept since the Resistance days. Yes, I know it is illegal. But there are no police in Sains, and the nearest police station is five miles away. As mayor, I am solely responsible for preserving order; you might call these men my deputy sheriffs...
...Sains we're still closed and the Abbé was still on guard. "This calm bodes evil," he said. "I don't trust it. I'm not afraid and the town knows that. Those who do not follow me as a priest respect me as the mayor...