Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1850-10-17

out their object But as ong IF them, heavily
with the golden fpoiIs, was passing
through the Barriele d'Enfer,"ne of the soldier
police who was on duty as stnpel, snspectiug
rom his appearance and hes ting gait, that he
carried srnugg'ed liquors in 5s hat, suddenly
stepped behind him and struck il from his head
with his ha.berd. What was Il astonishment
to behold. instead Of lg eygN'sd bladder Of
wine or spirits. several small bags Of gold and
rolls Of English bank. notes The confusion u
prevorcatlon OF the wretch, who made vain aud
frantic attempts to recover the property, betray-
ed hts guilt, and he was immediately taknn into
custody, together with bis compahion, who, fol-
lowing al very short distance, was unhesita-
tingly pointed out by his cowardy and bewilder-
ed confederate as the owner of ihe mon v. NJ
time was lost in conveying intelligence of Their
capture to their unfortunate victim, whu immedi.
ately identified the notes as his own property,
and at the first view OF the assassins swore dis.
inctIy to the persons of both-,o the elder, as
having repeatedly stabbed him; and 10 the
younger, as his companion and coadjutor.
The criminals were in due course oftne tried,
fully convicted and. as was to be expected, sen.
fenced TO death by the guillotine; but, owing to
some technical informally in the proceedings,
the doom Of the law could not be carried into
execution until the sentence Of the court had
been confirmed upon appeal. This delay afford
ed time and opportunity for some medjling or
interested individual either moved BY the de-
sire Of making cruel experiment. or else by the
hope Of obtaining reversal of the capital sem
tence against the prisoneis--to work npon the
feelings OF the unfortunate money changer. A
few days after the sentence of death had been
pronounced, the unhappy victim received letter
from an unknown hand, nysteriously worded,
and setting forth, in expressions that seemed to
him fearfully prophetic, that the thread Of his
own destiny was indssolnbly united with that of
his condemned assasslns. 1t was evidently out
OF their power to take away his life; and it was
equally out of his power to survive them, die by
the sentence OF the law, or how or when they
might it became clear-so argued this inter-
mcddeF--that the same moment which saw the
termination of their lives, would inevitably be
the last of his own. To fotify his arguments,
the letter writer referred TO certa5n mystic sym.
bols in the beavens. Now tho - the poor man
could unde stand nothing Of tie trumpery dia-
grams which were set forth as Illustrating the
truth of the fatal warning thus conveyed to him,
and though his friends universally laughed at
the trick as a bare aced attempt of some anony-
nous impostor to rob justice of her dnr,lt never
theless made deep impression upon his mind,
Ignorant OF everything but what related imme-
diately to hIs own money getting profession, he
had blind and underlined awe of what he term
I'd the supernatural sciences, and he lnwardly
thanked the kind monitor who had gwen HIM al
least chance of rednel'iDg his days.
lie Immediately set about making application
10 the judges, IN order TO get decree Of death
changed into a sentence t. the galleys for life
lie was equally surprised and distressed to tin(
that they treated his petition with contempt, ant
ridlcuIed his fears. So far from granting his re
quest. after repeated solicitations, they com
manded him in peremptory manner 10 appeal
10 more before them. Driven almost to dlspalr
he resolved upon petitioning the king and ate
much expense and toll, he at length succeeded il
obtaining an audience of Charles X. All was il
vain A crime so enormous, committed witt
such cool deliberation, left no opening for thu
plea of money every effort he made only servet
to strengthen the resolution of the authorities tt
execute Judgment. Finding all his Efforts in vain
he appeared to resign himself disparingly to BIZ
fate. Deprived of all relish even for gain, HI
took to his bed, ard langulshed in hopeless mis-
cry and as the time for the execution of th
criminals approached, lapsed more and more int
I terror and dismay.
1t was on sulfry afternoon in the beginnin!
of June, 1926, that the writer Of this brief mar
raiive then not too thoughtful lad, in scare
of employment in Paris-hurred, together wit
party of sight seeing English workmen, to tn
Place de Greve to witness the execution of tn
two assassins of the money. y.changer. Under tn
rays of an almost insupportabe sun, an immens
l. crowd had congregatrd around the guillotlne
d and it was not without considerable exertiol
Il and brbe of some small amount that standing
e places we're at length obtained within a fe
: PAGES of the dreadful instrument upon the fl;
e top of the low wall which divides the ample are
: of the Place de Greve from the river Seine.
n Precisely at four o'clock the sombre cavalcaC
approached. Seated upon bench in long cal
n between two priests, sat the wretched victlu
e of retributive Justice. The cruelty was ince
d sanity exhibited to their view, and presented
Il their lips to be kissed, by their ghoslly aten
+, ants After a few minutes of silent and horT
n Bile preparation, the elder adValced upon Il
n platform of the guilotine. With livid aspe
y and quivering lips, he gazed around in unutte
gs able agony upon the sea Of human faces tn,
to lifting his baggard eyes to heaven, he demands
pardon of God and the people for the violation
re the great prero. alive of the former and the $
l. cal rights OF the latter, and besought me
at earnestly the mercy Of the Judge into who
IN presence he was about to enter. In less tn
OF two minutes both he and his Companion we
'e headless cOrpses, and in Il quarter ofan hour
at veslage, save few remains of saw. dust, was l.
ut oil the terrible drama that had been enacted.
ty s 'on, however. confused murnur pervaded I
e. crowd-a report that the victim Of cruelty
n, aVarce had realised the dread presentinent
If his own mind, and justified tho prediction &C
~ fnlned In the ANONYMOUS letter he hnd .0..;