Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-07-17

ony,--agony, mark you, for egerybody-for the
people no less than the cOndemned-afer this
century of anguish, gentlemen Of the jury, he,
the miserable creature, is carried back to his
prison The people breathe agaip--the people
who have all the preiudlces q theirsold human
ty, and who are clement because they feel them
selves sovereign the people supposed that the
man was saved
Not at all. The guillotihe is vanquished, but
it remains. 1t remains all day in the midst Of
the dismayed and astounded popuation. In tho
evening, behold reinforcement Of .hoadsmen; /;
they bind the man SO he is only an inert thing (;
and as night falls they carry hin to the public
place, weeping, howlfhg, hsgg6rd, covered with
blood, asking life, imPlofing God, calling his
father and his fnotEief-4fof befole death he was
a child--but they hoisted hipsze sraifold, and
his shead fell! (Profound sensatliRn.) r
Then, groan proceeded from Rll hearts; nev-
er had legal murder appeared with more cyni-
cism OF abomination; all felt as one man in re-
gard TO this awful transaction; they felt, as if
the civilization of France had been insulted in
the open daylight, by resurgent barbarism.-
Then it was, too, that cry escaped the breast
of a young man-a cry which came from his
heart, his soul-a cry of pity, of anguish, a cry
Of horror, cry of humanity; and that cry, you,
gentlemen of the jury, are called upon to punish
And in presence Of the appalling facts which
have recounted, you are asked to say to the
guillotine, " Thou art right" and to mercy, holy
mercy, "Thou art wrong" deep and unlver-
sal emotlon.)
No: that is impossible
Mr.. Advocate General, I tell you without BIT
terness that you defend bad cause. You have
done well, but you engage in contest with the
spirit of civilization, with the refinement of man.
ners, with progress. You have against you the
innate convictions Of the human heart you have
against you those principles in the light of which
France has advanced and caused the world to
advance-the involability Of Life; the fraterni
ty of all classes; the doctrine of amelioration
which supplants the doctrine of revenge. YOU
have against you all that illuminates reason, al
that moves the souJ-Philosophy and Religion
on one side Voltaire, on the other Jesus. Yor
have done well the frightfuI service which the
scaffold pretends TO render society, society
loathes and repels! You have done we'll; par
tizans of death and penalty-you will not wasl
out those frightful texts, from which for so many
centuries the blood of the decaptated has rur
in streams. Prolonged movement) Gentle
men, have done.
"My son, you receive this day great hon
or. You are now worthy to combat, to suffer
perhaps, for the great cause of truth. From THU
day forward you enter the true manly life of ou
time. Be proud, you who aEs sAniy simple sol
dier, of the human and demScratic idea yol
sit on the same bench where Beranger and Lem
ennais safe. Be firm in your conviction, an
this is my last word--if you want an incen
tive to strengthen your faith in progress, you
belief in the future, your religion for humanity
your execration for the scaffod, your horror c
irrevokable and irreparable penalties, think tina
you sit where Lesarques sat-"
When Hugo closed this splendid piece of de
clamaton, he was instantly surrounded by a
the leading gentlemen of the bar, who congrat
ulated him in the warmest terms in it's deliver,
1t was many minutes before the court could re
sumo its proceedings; yet, in spite of its trut
and eloquence, the accused was found guilt
and sentenced to six months imprisonment
Great Republic is France