The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1851-01-15

II to the younger, Us MS compan-
ion and coadjutor.
The criminals were in due course
of time tried fully convicted as was
to be expected, sentenced to death
by the guillotinc: but owing to somc
technical informa!ity in the proceed
ings, the doom of the law would not
DO carried into execution until the
sentence of the court had been con.
frmcd upon appeal. This delay af-
forded time and opportunity for some
mcddling or interested individual
either moved by the desire Of making
q cruel experiment, or else by the
hope Of obtaining a reversal of the
capital sentence against the prison
crs-to work upon the fcclingsof the
unfortunate money changer. a few
days after the sentence of death had
been pronounced, the unhappy VIC
tim had received n letter from an un-
known hand, mysteriously wordcd,
and setting forth, in expressions that
seemed to him fcarfully prophetic,
that the thread of his own destiny
was indissolubly united with that Of
his condemned assassins. 1t was cy-
identity 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, 50
argued this intermcddler, that the
same moment which saw the termina.
ton Of their lives would inevitably be
the last ofhis own. 10 fortify his ar
guments, the lettcr-writer referred to
certain mystic symbols in the heav-
ems. Now though the poor man
could understand nothing Of the trum-
perry diagrams which were set forth
as illustrating the truth of the fatal
warnings thus conveyed to him, and
though his friends universally laugh.
cd at the wick as n hareFacea as!
tempt Of sone anonymous imposter,
to ROB ~iustics of her due, it neycrtLe-
less made a deep impression upon his
mind. Ignorant Of every thing but
what related Immediately to his own
moncy-gctting profession, he had a
blind and underlined awe of what he
termed the supernatural sciences, and
inwardly thanked the kind monitor
who had given at least a chance Of
%rcdccminy his days.
lie Immediately set about making
application to the judges in order to
get the decree of death changed into
a sentence Of the galleys for life. He
was equally surprised and distressed
to find that they treated his petition
With contempt and ridiculcd his fears.
So far from granting his request, af:
ter repeated solicitations, they com
handed him in q pcremptory manner
to appear no more before them. Driy-
cn almost to despair, he resolved up.
on pctitioning the King and af:
ter much expense and toll, lie at
length succeeded in obtaining an au-
dicnce OF Chas. X. All was in vain.
y crime SO enormous, committed with
such cool dcliberation, left no open
ing for the plea Of mercy: every eff.
fort he made only served to strength.
en- the resolution of the authorities to
execute judgment. Finding all his
efforts in vain he appeared to resign
himself dcspairingly to his fate. De-
prived of all relish even for gain he
took to his bed, and languished in
hopeless misery, and as the time for
the execution Of the criminals ap-
preached, lapscd moro and more into
terror and dismay.
1t was on a sultry afternoon in the
beginning Of June 1926 that the
writer Of this brief narrative-th then
a not too thoughtful lad, in search of
employment in Paris-hurricd to.
scthcr with a party of sightseeing
English workmcn, to the Place dc
Grcvc to witness the execution of
the two assassins Of the moncy.chan.
ger. Under the rays Of an almost
insupportable sun, an immense crowd
had congrcgatcd around the guillo.
tine; and it was not without consider.
able cxcrtion, and a bribe of some
small amount that standing-placcs
we're at length obtained within a few
PAGES Of the dreadful instrument,
upon the flat top of the low wall which
divides the simple area Of tho Place
dc Grove from the river Seine.
Precisely at four o'clock the som.
brc cavalcadc approached. Seated
upon a bench i'll a long cart, between
two priests sat the w:ctchcd victims
Of %rctributiyc justice. The crucifx
was necessarily exhibited to their
view, and presented to thoir lips, to
DC kissed, by their ghostly attend
ants. After a few minutes of silent
and horrible preparations, the elder
advanced upon tho platform of the