The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-03-09 00:00:00

THE AUDRESSELLES MURDETIER.

Joseoh Lemettre expiated his crimes on Tuesday rooming
on the Place of Marquise, a small town situated half way be-
tween Boulogne and Calais.
A detailed account has already been given of the crimes of
this Miamii tiger, who, during a period of eight years, coin-
milted a series of horrible crimes without being, detected.
until the 25th of last June, when he was taken in the very
act of robbery. Tried last December at the assizes of the
Pas-de-Calais, he was, on the gird of that month, condemned
to death on the several charges of robbery, arson, and
murder. This arch criminal, though old in crime, was
young in years, having been bony on the 15th of February,
1816 ; consequently he had ply just completed his 26th
year.
Lemettre always hoped that his sentence of death would
be commuted to hard labour for life ; two days after his con-
demnation he signed an appeal to the Cour de Cessation,
which was rejected on the nth of February he then peti-
tioned a "recour Co grace," the privilege of granting
snitch is now vested in the President of the Republic the
Commission of Pardons dealing only with political and
military crimes), by which means his miserable existence
was extended some slays, as owing to the great bulk of the
"dossier" it took a long time to examine, and thus he has
passed 71 days between his condemnation and execution, in-
stead of 40, which is the average interval iii France. This
long delay strengthened Lernettre's hopes that lie would
escape the extreme sentence: but last Saturday Hein-
derech, now the sole ''executrur des haute, oeuvres" for
the whole of France, with a salary id £240 :6,0020 a year,
received orders to proceed from Paris to Marquise, with his
four assistants and his guillotine, to carry out the sentence
of the law.
On Monday at 10 p.m. the Abbe Fennel, AlllllOl3lCr of tl.e
Prison of St. Oilier, proceeded to Lemettre 's cell and in-
formed him that his several petitions had been rejected and
that he was to die the next morning. Up to this period
Lemettre had always exhibited, at his arrest, in prison,
daring and since Isis trial, a self-possession and calmness
almost amounting to hardihood, but on learning that all
hopes of escape were past all his bravado forbade him, Ids
teeth chattered against earls other, and he sank on
to his pallet, where he had to be supported for a
considerable time, lie eventually recovered himself,
and his great self-possession never after forsook him. He
next confessed and partook of the last Sacrament, shortly
after which the greffier of the Cour d'Assizes read the sen-
tence of death as Confirmed by the Cour de Cessation, as
also the dismissal of Ins petition for pardon. This over, be
was conducted by gond:tunes to a carriage in waiting, in
which he was accompanied by the Acmonier and two gets-
darmes, and a mounted escort sleight gendarmes, which was
increased at each small town through which they wined
on their road to Marquise by the gendarmerie of the neigh-
bourhood until the escort amounted to 40; close behind
them was a second carriage containing five brethren of the
Order of St. Leonard, whose establishment is at St. Omer,
and who attend all executions in the North of France, one
of their vows being to attend executions. claim the body,
to which they give the last offices, and allonl it Christian
burial.
The dismal procession reached Marquise at half-past five,
and Lemettre, who had passed the whole time in saying
and prayers counting his "chaplet," was temporarily lodged
in a private house, with the Amnonier and Brethren of St.
Leonard, who prayed with him and exhorted him to die
calmly. He appeared pet featly resigned and asowered all
questions put to him. The Abbe iennel, addressing those
present, said that Lemettre died as a Christian, that he hail
confessed his crimes and sought pardon of God and man, and
more especially did he hope that Isis father would forgive hula.
The persons then present were turned oat, when the execu-
tioner and his aides appeared-tin the scene to proceed with what
the French term is toilette, which consists ill cutting the hair
short at the back of the head, and cutting off the upper
part of the shirt, so that the chest and shoulders are exposed;
the arms are next strapped alongside the hotly, the legs also
being strapped. Lemettre underwent this trying operation
without moving a muscle ; and he was then immediately
put Into the executioner's van, in which he Was accompanied
by the Atimonier and Brethren of St. Leonard, to be con-
veyed to the place of execution close at hand.
On arriving at the guillotine Lemettre was helped out of
the van, and an overcoat was removed exhibiting shoulders
immensely broad in proportion to his stature, which bore
witness to the great strength he had so grossly abused.
The Aumonier, holding up a crucifix, embraced Lemettre,
who was turning to deliver himself to the executioner, when
an old priest came forward to whom Lemettre again ex-
pressed his repentance, and begged of him to obtain his
father's forgiveness for all the grief he had caused him ; the
old priest bid hins farewell, two of the assistants fastened
bins to the table, another adjusted his head, and likes flash of
lightning the knife fell, and with a dull thud the criminal's
head fell into a basket, the time from his parting with the
old priest to the falling of the head being hardly three seconds,
to such perfection has the guillotine being brought. The
trunk was immediately put into an oblong basket, lined with
zinc, and the head removed from the basket into which it
had fallen, the oblong basket was put into the van which
had brought the criminal to execution, his coffin, previously
near the guillotine, was put In with it, the five Brethren of
St. Leonard mounted aftenvarda, awl the uloatal van atart4al
for the cemetery. Luring the transit the brethren placed
the body in the coffin, and on arrival at the cemetery all was
ready for immediate burial.
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Formerly there was an erectile en des harden ceuvres, with
a salary of 1,2.01. a year, attached to each Cone d'Appel its
France, which were gemn number, but as many of the men of
the 4th of September were advocates for the abolition of .
capital punishment, they availed themselves of their being
In power to get rid of the guillotines either by destroying the
iron work and selling the timber for firewood, Cr by burning
them, as was the caw is Paris. The various executioners
having been dismissed, only one, M. lielnilerech, some-
times called by the old name Monsieur Fails, has been re-
appointed, and he will in future have to execute all
sentences of death throughout France. A new guillotine has
been made under his personal directions. The old style of
' guillotine was a very cumbrous affair, mounted on a scaffold
to which thirteen steps, a fatal number, gave access. The
new one stands on the ground, and is much smaller than the
old ; when taken to pieces it packs in the van already re-
ferred to, together with the baskets and other apparxtus
there is a seat in front for three persons, and with two horses
the executioner can go to any part of the country : though
when the railway is available the van travels ou a truck.

MR. JOHN BRIGHT ON NATIONAL
EXPENDITURE.
The following letter Ims been received from Mr.
Bright, in reply to an invitation addressed to him by
the Birmingham Anti.lncome-Tax Association to ac-
company the deputation which waited on the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer on Tuesday to urge the total
abolition of the tax :
Rochdale, March 4,1872:
Dear Sir,—l redret to my that I shall not be able to
be in town on Wednesday and, therefore, cannot take
pert in the proposed deputation to the Chancellor of
Exchequer. There in little difference of opinion as to
the odious and unfair character of the Income-tax, but
it is not easy to see where the money is to be obtained
which now comes from that tax. I see no chance of its
abolition except in a hasened expenditure, and at pre-
sent there seems no probability of the creation of a
political party resolved to lessen the public expenditure,
and adopting that policy an the one great article of its
creed. Da not believe in Governments that cannot govern
without taking seventy millions every year from the indus-
try if the nation, and I hope the time will come when no
such Government will be permitted to exist. Icor mi self, I
should be ready to vote for such reduction of expenditure
as would enable the Chancellor ot the Exchequer to remove
the Income-tax, or to abolish the taxes which add so greatly
to the price of tr.a., Ulla, and Eagar.—l am, otc.,
Jolts Ducar.
Gcorge W. Plant, 166, BIOMSZTOVC-Stnet, Birming-
ham.

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VOLUNTEER WORK FOE Ana. —To review
Ole Muchbate-tiocit.