MEMOIRS OP THE SANSONS.
4T
of the Convention, guilty of having fabricated
spurious passports; and Catherine Bethringer,
convicted of treason.
Nivse 20.Marie Aime Leroy, wife of Jo-
seph Faucher, and Joseph Girouard, printer.
Nivse 23.Adrien Lamourette, constitu-
tional bishop of Lyons, was put to death to day.
He showed that he did not fear death. He was
much insulted on the way ; he blessed the peo-
ple without showing any bitterness or resent-
ment. People cried to him, in alluding to his
speech of July 1792:
"Embrace Chariot,1 Lamourette; come, em-
brace Chariot!"
Lamourette turned to me, and said :
"Yes, I embrace in thee humanity; however
mad and furious it may be, it is always human-
ity."
And, in effect, he did embrace me, just as he
was about to be strapped to the weigh-plank.
After him Jean Joseph Durand, ex-president of
the revolutionary committee of Montpellier, was
put to death.
Nivse 27.Jean PierreThiellard, tradesman;
Charles Hollier, vicar of the constitutional
church of Bordeaux; and Pierre Ducourmau,
lawyer, were executed this morning. In the
cart the three convicts sang a song they had
composed in prison. Their singing excited
the anger of the people, who threw mud in their
faces. Firmuess does not mollify all citizens, but
rather irritates them, as red irritates bulls. Some
convicts return the taunts, and theu it is worse.
I have already witnessed really disgraceful
scenes. Tirasse spoke of the matter to Renaudin
asking that Fouquier should give orders to the
gerdarmes, and that Jacot, my assistant, should
be dismissed. Fouquier answered that he had
no time to waste over such futilities. Renaudin,
has promised to speak of the matter to Robes-
pierre.
Nivse 29.This day has seen the condemna-
tion and execution of the nephew of a man who
had much reason to complain of the old rgime
Jean Visse, Baron de Latude.
Pluvise 2.A year since to-day we executed
the King. This morning ray wife was so pale
and tired when she awoke that I guessed that
her sleep had been troubled. She knelt dowu
to pray, and I did the same. ... I had to lead
four to the scaffold to-dayJean Thibault,
laborer; Marc Etienne Quatremre, merchant;
Jean Marie de l'Ecluse, lieutenant in the navy;
and Bernard Sables, merchant. The town was
merry, on account of the aniversary of the
death of the King. The streets were full of
citizens, who sang patrotic choruses. We
reached the Place, and as L'Ecluse was going
up the steps loud shouts were heard. The
members of the Convention were coming
through the garden. The public, unasked,
opened its ranks before the deputies; but the
latter neither advanced nor returned on their
steps. A committee of Jacobins had asked the
Convention that a deputation of its members
should join the Commune in a pilgrimage to
the tree of liberty in commemoration of the day.
The motion had excited great enthusiasm, and
the Assembly rose in a body to join the cortege.
No doubt they had no idea of the surprise
Citizen Fouquier had reserved for them. Many
deputies, when they saw the cart, tried to go
away; but the people pressed around them,
thereby obliging them to witness the execution.
The tumult was so great that the convict
L'Ecluse stopped on the steps and turned
round. The assistants stood motionless, and I
myself did not care to outrage the majesty of
the deputies of the nation by such a sight.
Cries of "Proceed with the execution!" were
raised, and we did our duty. The head of the
naval officer fell, and his three companions
suffered after him. The thump of the knife
was greeted with tremendous applause.
Pluvise 3,4, 5.Thirteen executions of minor
individuals.
Plumose 13.Yesterday I returned from Brie,
where our country house is. The three days I
passed there leave me no desire to return to
the place. The word " fraternity " is inscribed
on the mairie, but it is not inscribed on the
hearts of the inhabitants. While the poorest
in Paris sacrifice whatever they possess, while
the most relentless sometimes behave with real
generosity, the inhabitants of the country only
think of enriching themselves. The sale of the
national domains, far from satisfying them, has
only excited their cupidity.    The law awards
1 "Chariot, "for Charles. This contraction of Charles
Henri Sanson's Christian name is still generally applied
to the executioner in France.N. Ed.
! death to monopolizers. Were the law carried
j out, a guillotine should be erected in every vil-
lage : for almost every peasant conceals his corn,
for fear of being compelled to take it to market,
and receive assignats in payment. There are, it
is true, revolutionary committees in almost
every village; but the peasants understand their
own interests, and they never denounce each
other. They form a secret association, which
defies the decrees of the Convention, and which
is the real cause of famine. The patriotic
vigilance of the said committees is only exer-
cised at the expense of those who are rich
enough to be envied. Thus several rich in-
habitants of Coulommiers, two of whom I
know, were brought to Paris, judged and exe-
cuted to-day, under pretext of a conspiracy
wliich never existed.
Pluvise 16.The jurors of the Revolutionary
Tribunal are not very scrupulous as to whom
they condemn, and on their side the prisoners
care little for life.    Never were people more re-
gardless of existence.    Formerly, when I used
to enter a prison, my appearance frightened the
boldest; now among the prisoners I meet in the
passages and parlor of   the prison,   not one
seems to think that to-morrow, perhaps, I may
call for him.    There are some who smile when
I appear.    These smiles produce a singular effect
upon me.    Experience has made me callous,
and I can bear the horror with which we execu-
tioners are regarded ; but to get accustomed to
people who almost say "Thauk you" when
they are led to the guillotine, is more difficult.
My hand could not have remained firm if it had
still to carry out such sentences as the former
rgime were wont to inflict.    Judges, jurors,
prisoners seem as if they were taken with a kind
of delirium of death.    When shall all this end?
A prisoner asked rae the other day:   " W hat-
could I do in order to be guillotined immediate-
ly?"   Those   who   manifest  such   impatience
perhaps are not the pluckiest.    There are oth-
ers who remain calm and cool, as if they had
yet a hundred years to live.    Such was Mont-
jourdain,  commander of the  St. Lazare bat-
talion.    During six weeks of incarceration in
the Conciergerie he did not betray the slightest
sign of fear or sadness.    When he was informed
that his time was come, he composed a song.
He was taken to the scaffold with one Courton-
net, and both kept on joking and laughing up
to the las' minute.
CHAPTER  XXXVI.
CHARLES HENRY SANSON'S DAIRY(CONTINUED. >
Pluvise 17.To-day we executed some ladies
of quality. They showed almost as much
tranquillity as Citizen Montjourdaiu. Their
names were: Marie Gabrielle Lechapt, widow
of the Marquis de Rastignac, convicted of hav-
ing sent money to her son, who had emigrated ;
the ci-devant Marchioness de Marbceuf, con-
victed of having accaparated provisions; and
with Jean Joseph Payen, farmer of Madame de
Marbceuf ; and two forgers of assignats, Nicolas
Armand and Jean Renaud. On theTway Madame
de Marbuf exhorted Payen to die courageous-
ly.    She said to him:
"After all, my poor fellow, it is just the
same whether we die to-day or twenty years
later."
" If it is just the same," answered Payen, who
was nott all resigned to his fate, "I would
rather die in twenty years."
Pluvise 19.This day, Elizabeth Pauline
Gand, wife of Count de Lauraguais; Louis
Pierre; Madame de Lauraguais's steward; Pierre
Joseph Petit, constitutional curate of Mnil,
guilty of corresponding with the enemy; and
Nicolas Pasquin, formerly Princess Elizabeth's
valet, were executed.
Pluvise 22.Couthon had, it appears, made
more noise than harm at Lyons, He threatened
very loudly, but his threats killed no one.
Things considerably altered after he was super-
seded by Collot and Fouch. Collet eschewed the
guillotine, which he thought was not sufficient-
ly expeditious, and executed with cannon, and
thus put to death over two hundred persons
everyday-. Robespierre and Couthon are indig-
nant at this butchery. The Convention gov-
erns the Republic. It is itself governed by a
dozen sanguinary leaders, who obey the orders
of the Club des Cordeliers; so that Hbert, who
is the big gun of the Cordeliers, can say with
reason that he is the real sovereign of the peo-
ple. All this is sad enough. Th Tribunal to-
day sentenced six nuns. We executed them
immediately after their trial.
Pluvise 23.Executed Anne Henriette Bou-
chevain, Baronne de Vaxence, and Franois
Atnable Chapuy, lieutenant-colonel of the fifth
battalion of Sane-et-Loire.
*         *         *        *         *         *
Ventse 1.Ronsin, general of the revolu-
tionary army, and Vincent have been set free.
What is strange is that it is Danton who
obtained the discharge of these two violent men.
Ronsin strides about the streets with his old
airs. His presence dispels all hopes of clem-
ency; aud it has given rise to the rumor that
another government is to be established. This
government is to have for principal object the
acceleration of revolutionary justice. Ronsin
is to be the head of the government; under him
is to be a military tribunal, composed of a high
judge, a prosecutor, and four judges. A coun-
cil, called the Conseil Antique, is to take the
place of the Convention. I need hardly say
that very few people believe in this absurdity.
To-day executed Franois Gerbaut, merchant,
and a deserter named Gossenot.
******
Ventse 6.Jean Jacques Dortoman, formerly
general in the Army of Italy; Thomas de Maus-
sion, a nobleman; Joseph Canel, a hairdresser;
and Barbe Smith, a woman, were executed Lto-
day.
Ventse 8.Wood, wliich was dear enough
last mouth, is unapproachable now. The cold
is intense. A month ago planks of the guillo-
tine were stolen; this morning, on our way to
the Conciergerie, we found a man stretched out
on the pavement; he wanted to fetch some
water from the river, had fallen on tho quay,
and had not the strength to get up. He told us
that he had not eaten" for two days. We had
three cart-loads of convicts to-day, fifteen in all
men, women, noblemen, priests, and mer-
chants.
Ventse 10.Robespierre is ill, and the Cor-
deliers have it all their own way. Yesterday
they declared that Citizens Camille Desmoulins
and Fabre d'Eglantine should be impeached:
they also make the best of the sufferings of the
people, which are great; they accuse the Con-
vention, and speak of doing again what was
done on June 2. What shall we become if they
have the best of it? Since the guillotine is at.
the order of the day, its inventors are always
thinking of modifying it. Over twenty sugges-
tions to lhat effect have been presented lo the
revolutionary committee, but they were so ab-
surd that only one of these has been reserved
for consideration. The plan consists in a trap
opening near the weigh-plank, into which the
body falls, a device which prevents accumula-
tion on the guillotine. Citizen Vouland, of the
Convention, was present when the experiment
was made. It did not succeed, the two bags of
sand which were used for the purpose having
failed to enter the trap. Citizen Vouland asked
for my opinion. I said that the proposed alter-
ation was full of danger; that if the trap did
not close better than it opened, the execution-
ers or the convicts might fall through it with
the corpses. He expressed his concurrence in
this view, and the proposed alteration was
shelved.
We guillotined five persons to-dayfour me
and one woman.
Ventse 13.The Revolutionary Tribunal set
ties old accounts with country citizens. Two
carts were sent to the guillotine to-day. AU
the convicts were peasants. A very unfortu
uate accident happened. Only one convict re-
mained, all his companions having been exe-
cuted before him; as he was being strapped
down, my son Henri, who was attending to the
baskets, called me and I went to him. Lari-
vire, one of the assistants, had forgotten to re-
raise the knife, so that when the weigh plank
was lowered with the convict Laroque strapped
upon it, his face struck the edge of the knife,
which was bloody. He uttered a terrible shriek.
I ran up, lifted the weigh-plank. and hastened ,
to raise the knife. The convict trembled like
a leaf. The mob hissed us, and threw stones
at us. In the evening Citizen Fouquier severely
reprimanded me. I deserved his blame, for I
should have been in my usual place. Citizen
Fouquier saw I was very sorry, and dismissed
me with more kindness than I expected. Thir-
teen executions.
Ventse 15.The Cordeliers proclaimed in-
surrection in their sitting of yesterday. I see
no symptoms of emotion in the streets; gather-
ings are neither more numerous nor more tur-
bulent than usual. If this goes on the Pre
Duchne (Hbert) may perhaps learn by ex-
perience what the. sensations of the guillotine