Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-06-08
Iron ne Paris OJssrrer
LIZ DERNIER JOU X DUN CONDAMNE-
(riiE LAST DAY OF A PRISONER CON-
DEMNED TO DEATHl


Hugo partly from the celebrity OF the author, part
ly from tho claims of the piece itself the work has
run through three editions IN less than so many
months. IL ~ conceived in style new tn French
literature, but familiar to TINT OF England No
Frenchmtu has so near 10 nature IN It's ag
ony; indeed any epoch before the present. it would
have been deemed i bred 20 do so: and now there is
cutlery against the author for cruelty agitaing the
feelings Of his readers. hitherto such works have
been forbidden the realms of taste for the same reason
that the splitting Of blood was banished from the
French stage-that undoubtedly the person who
would take pleasure in frcquentmg executions must
be grlevousiy IN want OF excitement; while the
nerves are well strung, and the blood circulating in
wholesome currents man is disposed 10 disturb the
course Of hs well founded satisfaction by
shock tits only a morbid character who requcrs
galvanic application of this kind In this morbid
slate however, in certain countries and in certain
states N men found; and the analogous
epoch in literature happens when writers brood up
un the horrible events of life, imagine themselves
surrounded by them exaggerac their proportions and
deepen their colorng. and when readers are found
who are greedy of these pictures-whpn the world
loves to have Its feelings narrowed mp, and iIdncs
Its favorite authors by the measure of their power
Of agonz,ng. The French not vet arrived az
this point, hut they in full march towards IT,
The Immediate spring however of this last efo, of
M. Hugo IN writer whom, by the by, we have an eX-
treme edmration for in his quality of poet) has been
the pcrusal of the Memoirs ofVIdocq II is written
IN the VEN OF that remarkable prison scomes
Hugo, like Vidocq, has occasionally lighted up the
darkness of his picture by tho lurid flash Of DUNGEON
wit MS tone is frequently in that bitter ard saYcast
VEN OF popularity which speaks more plainly oflccp
suffering and utter despair, than the direct OK
preston ofanauish But will proceed to enable
our readers to Judge in par, for themselves. Ii opens
thus.
"Bicetre
"Condennac d to death
"For five weeks have dwelt alone with this idea;
ITS presence has chilled inc; 1t has bent down I'M
der its weight
He proceeds To compare his former state of mind
with his present condition. After which he poes on
but now am Il prisoner: my body is in chains
IN dungeon NV soul is IN the dungeon of an ILea
horrible, bloody, an mplacabe des have but one
death,
"Whatever do, it is always there, this internal
thought like leadCn spectre at my side, alone and
Jealous driving off all distraction and LAYING upun me
It's icy hand when would turn away my head or shut
my eyes 1t slides in oil forms into my mind il is the
burden ofall hear; and mixing itself up with every
speech addressed to 1t slips the grating of INV
dungeon, 1t bcsicges me when awake, and when ]
sleep 1t watches my conyulsve s!umbers and reap
pears in my Dreams"
OF was fine day in August.
MY trial had lasted three days-three DAYS lad nv |
name and crime attracted crowd Of spectators who
settled down the benches of the court ike crows
about corpse-thrce days did all this pllantasmaroria
ofJudgcs Witnesses lawyers, prosecutors, pass and
re-pass before my eyes, while grotcsque, at nno-
Their sanguinary, always dark and fatal The two
first nights could not close my eyes from anxiety
and alright; on the third, | was oycrpowcred With
WEAKNESS and fatigue At midnight had left tie III
~ deliberating They brought me back to the straw
N my dungeon, and fell immediately into profound
sleep sleep ofoblvion. This was the first repUsc
! had had for many DAYS.
81 was still in the depth Of this deem sleep when
they came to awake inc This time was not To be-
reused by the heavy step o. the gior, the ramping
~ lIc mil Aeh. r.. =
nor yet by the harsh Earring of The bolt; he was o.
bhgeh to put his mouth 10 nv car, and his rourb
hand on my sh0u!dcr-'Gct m 7 saw I oncnod
my eyes, and sat upright in alright. at this mo-
ment caught a s'ght OF patch of light the roof
OF the adjoining gallery, the narrow Slit in nv dun
seon walk thus was the only sky was permitted to
lave glimpse of, and well does the prisoner know
how to recognize the by the yellow reflection of
bis rays.-'Fine day, said to the turnkey. 1t was
some time before he answered me- as if I've were CON
etderinI whether 1t worth while: however with
an effort, he muttercd sury, very likely.
VI sat still, half asleep, my eyes fixed upon tho
gilded patch of the roof, my features relaxing
iuto smilC:-' Here 10 fine day reoeatcd. Yes
answered the man, they arc waiting for you
"These few words Ike the string which checks
the fight of the poor bird in the hands of rnjscbje
VOWS boy, brought me back to the re1v with yjo
lCnce All of a sudden | stw again, as in Z fa1b of
Lightning, The gnomy ussiEe court before me, the
horseshoe bench, Judges in their blood-coosed par
entH. tho three rows OF witnesses with their STUPID
faces, the two gendarnes al each end of my bench
fnncItd the black robes rusting about me- and the
busy eof heads below in the shade and the fixed
stare OF the Jurors upon my cOuptenacc, and who
had watched wtc had been sleeping.
81 got up: my teeth chattcrcd, my hnuds rcinbl.d
and could not lay hold of my clothes roy lcg5 wc,cI
weak; ut tho first slept staggered like porter under
his burden too heavy for him. However, fl.osclI
the iailcr.
"'Phe two gcndarmcs we're waiting i6r mo at the
door Of my cell They put on the haDdcuGs-they
we're fastened by an intricate lock, which they closed
with care. let them DO they pleased it was ma
chine upon machine.
ave crossed tic inner court. Tic fresh air OIL
morning revived iae. raised my head tic sky was
blue and the warm rays Of the sun, intercepled by
me ofty cninnes traced great angl Of light upon
the top Of the lhah prison yaljs. We ascrndrJ n !
winding staircase wc tuycrsnd gallery, then ano-
Tier, then "A third: at last low door wan opened.
1be warm ar nm"lcd with the hum, met nc as
entered was tho breath Of the crowd in The hall oil
nssize, entered.
"As appeared there wae bus''c. tie juggling Of