Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1819-11-27
PROM THE LONDON MONTHLY MAei zrsE.

PROM THE LONDON MONTHLY MAGAZINE.
Paine's ESCAPES from The GuiMtine.*-
| was one of the nine members that com
posed the first Committee of Qonstitu-
ton. Six of them have been de&royed;
Sieyes and myself have survived He,
by bending with the times, and Ilby not
bending. The other survivor Eoined
Robespierre, and signed with hih the
warrant for my arrestation. Alter the
fall of Robespierre, he was SEIZED and
imprisoned in his turn, and scnteaccd to
transportation. lie htss-siuce a,pologized
to me for having signed the vibrant, by
saying he felt himself in danger, md was
obliged to do it. Herault Secheles, an
acquaintance of Mr.. Jefferson's, and a
good patriot, was my Sufhlsan as a
member of the Committee OF CAstitu-
ton; that is, he was to supply m, place,
| i'll had not accepted or had reigned,
being next in number of votes to me.
He was imprisoned in the Luxembourg
with me, was taken to the tribunal, and
to the guillotine and l, his principal,
was left.
There were but two foreigners in the
convention, Anacharsis ClootS and my
self. We were both put out Of The CON
ventlon by the same vote, arrested by
the same order, and carried to prison
| together the same night. He was taken
to the gulllotine, and was again left.
Joel Barlow was with us when he went
Ito prison.
Joseph Lebon, one of the vilest char
acters that ever existed, and who made
the streets of Arras run with blood, was
my sufficient member Of the conven-
ton FIR the department of the Paws de
Calais. When | was put out Of the
convention, he came and took my place.
When was liberated from prison, and
voted again into the convention, he was
sent to the same prison, and took my
place there; and he weni to the guillo-
tine instead of ne. He supplied my
place all the way Enough.
One hundred and sixty eight persons
were taken out OF the AI.esscr,,bourg IN
one night, and hundred and sixty of
them guillotined the next day, OF which
know | was to have been one and the
manner I escaped that fate is curious,
and has all the appearance of accident.
The room in which / was lodged was
on the ground floor, and one of long
range ofrooms under gallery, md the
door of it opened outward and fiat against
the wall SO that, when it was open, the
inside Of the door appeared outward and
the contrary, when it was shut. | had
three comrades, fellow-prisoners with
me: Joseph VanhuiIe of Bruges, since
president of the municipality OF thattown,
Michael Robins, and Bastini, OF Loavain.
When persons by scores and BY hum
dreds were to be taken out of prison for
the guillotine, it was always done in the
night, and those who performed that
office had a private mark or signal, by
which they knew what rooms to go to,
and what number to take.
We, as | said, were four, and the door
Of our room was marked, unobserved by
us, with that number in chalk f.; but il
happened, if hathening is proper word,
that the mark was put on the door when
it was open and fiat against the wall, and
thereby came Oh the inside when we
shut it at night, and the destroying angel
passed it by. A few days after this Robes
pierre fell; and the American ambas-
sador arrived and reclaimed me, and in
vited me to his house.
During the whole of my Imprisonment
prior to the fall of Robespierre, there
was no time when could think my life
worth twenty -four hours and my mind
was made up to meet its fate.
Written by himself From Life of Tho
mas Paine, BY Thomas Clio Rickma,l, just pub
Hshea. g
In the Rhode-island American, &C Let
tiers from Europe" are publishing. An
extract from one, dated Palermo, Sicily,
will enable us to form an idea of the
government of that country. At mas
querade, in that city, a young nobleman
behaved rudely to the wife Of wine
merchant in his presence--the husband
threatened to call the guard if any fur
Their insolence was offered, but the young
buck was not to be thus intimidated-the
guard was called, and he was taken, but
by the aid of a bride was presently re-
leased--he returned, and with his stiletto
stabbed the merchant till he killed him.
The next day the murderer appeared in
public, without fear of being molested.
The writer says that many of the priests
will descend to become pandcrs for las
civious purposes.