The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-09-03 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF A PRUSSIAN SPY IN
PARIS.

The rumour that the Prussian spy, Lieutenant Earth, was
reprieve', turns out to have been unL•unded. He was shot
on Saturday nr,rotne In the great square of the Ecole Mill-
tette. General Troche thought of publicly announcing the
hour fixed for the est cotton, but, on c insideration, It was
deemed better not to attract, • crowd to tile epectacte At
11,, o'clock, therefore, on Saturday morning Lieutenant
Earth was informed by M Ruth, a Protestant clergyman of
Lille, that ht. last hour had coma A few minutes after-
wards the prisoner W4O placed In a cellular carriage, and,
guarded by twelve gendarmes, was taken to the E3OlO
lair. A considerable body of troops of all arms—Grena-
diers, Lancers, Guides, and Cutest lers—was drawn up
on the paradest din& The Col. net Commandant
and a Maj•v and Captain of the innff were present.
When II arth got out of the cellular carriage he
noticed the troops, and bowed to them several times. A
delay I • quarter of an hour occurred, as he prisoner
arrived in toe ground at 5 45, and the execution was ordered
for Mx preci-ely. Ile wan place." with hit back to a wall in
• sort of recess In the barrack-yard used 1.. r shoeing horse..
The firing party corodsGri of two serpents, two corporals,
and no soldiers of the 42 id Regiment. Twit 11011.CIIMMIS-
stoned Marrs with loaded rifles ware stationed behind the
peloton as a reserve. In c se of nest Harth begged at Mat
that his hands might riot be tied, and that his eyes might
not be bandaged ; but he ultimately consented Ile also
alted that, •• • soldier, be might be allowed to
give the word of command to fire The registrar
of the court-martial read the sentence of death,
and, during • mom. ntary pause. the prison r in • firm voice
cried, Present ! Fire !" hut thla was not the signal which
the firing party had been told to wait for. Ihe last syllable
of the judgment had been scarcely read when the utlicer
commonOti g the peloton drew his sword Then the soldiers
put their 11.1ttli to their ehoulders forte is the French Word
for present), nit took deliteerate ado The otherr lowered
his sword, and In an instant Wirth fell, several bullets strik-
ing him almost lathe same place. and making an enormous
ho'e In the region of the heart. Nevertheless, although the
prisoner was quite dead, ore of the sergeants In waiting
Came up to the corpse and lodged • bullet in his bead. The
body, with the clothes on just as the man fell, was placed in
a contra and taken to the Mont Parnaine cemetery for inter-
ment. This is the first miiitary execution In Parts since the
state of sle3e: but 111. thought that It avail not be the tut.

The Correspondent of the Melly Telegraph gives the
following graphic account of the ecenc.:—.
- •

The firhti piety faced, of course, the dead wag against
which the crudest was to be placed ; and in the rear were
ranvel in hoc, mhee form, netachments of soldiers of the
military train, of the lancers, cuitassiers, guides, and grena-
dier., all under arms sod in lull unif oral. At about a
quieter to six the cellul tit Yen entree Vo great court, and
advanced to the midst of the yard where tue execution was
to take Owe. Barth alighted. He was deadly pile, but
mental full of nett its excltement, crying our,
t• Platoon, fire ! I ant not Arabi present ! ere !"
A brigad,er o getiderm, ne epprom had to tie his
handy. Ile showed at gest as inclinatton to resist; but on
the elergi in in exhorting him to resignation he au,mattled.
The he babbled something about o carry lug his bead high
before the French." lie wished to keep his hat on his
head, tut is was taken cff by WI at tide, mos. The drums
of the blgenatilers of the Guerd then beet to arms. The
military clerk of the court advanced and read the sentence
of death, llarth listening attentively, with his great blue
eyes expressing at once sweetness smi wdonishmenr." Sled
as • hatter, I should Sc). Ile wished to sat something, but the
41111 MS h-gan to roll scam—is Sentet-re bid them rod a hen
Louis XVI. was brought to the to if id—aid his vice aat
drowned Huseycs, as ruled. band,ge 'rind he was forced, nob
withstmidittit *stet, e !deg reslitmee. on helmets. t• I wish it.
look death in the face," lie eseltismd, sad to steed op before
the rn•hch.. AS mad as • m .rch hate! The Reverend
Pastor Reuville then withdrew, and the &Outset drew ins
sword. At this signal the muskets of the thine party
were brought to the "Ready " A awsep to the tligl.t with the
salted sad the twelve muskets were at the " Peestut !"
A sweep to the left, "Fire!" Castles Mirth, struck
!.'y twelve musket bullets, fell, face forward, on lei
left side the senior sergeant ma) tr then went up to the
b mly, put • pistol to the tight ear, and blew the brains out.
Thin Rae the ...nein-stroke "—the coup de pacA It was
metes., for the twelve butlers had done their work, hull
eiarlte Barth was very dead Indeed. The corpse wes Inoue.
distely huddled, all dressed salt was, hito the coffin, place
in the waggon, and with ten mounted gendarmes as at,
escort, c min-) ed for Interment to the Cemetery oi Mont.
perm...a. The dead rite fat; ander o'clock had just struck
from the clock of the Reds Militate° when the death parado
was dismissed, and the soldiery watt to their breakfasts.