Daily American telegraph., 1852-06-12
AMERICAN TELEGRAPH.
Execution OF the Duke d,Enxh,en.


whose duty it was to execute the sentence Of the
council of war; the report of deed which not
only startled every court of Europe-accustomed
as were those courts to deeds Of high handed
power and dark paths of state policy-but which,
reverberating over the broad pillows of the At
lantic, sent thrill of horror and deep grief
through the hearts of people who knew no SYM
pathy with legitimate sovereignty and the "di-
vine right" of kings. But the Duke d'Enghien,
although of the weak and selfish race of Bourbon,
was all that the blunt soldier here describes him.
He was beloved by the people of France as well
for the kindness of his heart as the fascination
of his personal appearance, talents, and manners;
and the betrothed of beautiful and loving girl,
from whose life he was thus abruptly, thus hor-
ribly torn. The enemies of Napoleon declamed
loudly against this :" MURDER" his friends were
bewildered, except those Immediately about his
person, who stigmatized Caulaincourt as its vir-
tual author. The truth is visible to the eye only
of HIM "who judges the quick and the dead
EXECUTION OF THE DUKE D'ENGHIEN
| Translated from Les Salons Celebres"l
BY MISS HARRIETTE FANNING READ
Captain H***** was an intrepid soldier of our
republican army true type of the military of
that epoch: brave, even to herosm loving liberty,
and imagining that he fought for it; disdaining
every science foreign to war; adoring Bonaparte,
but discontented with the Emperor; grumblng
at his decrees yet obeyng him like n slave, and
permitting no one but himself to find fault with
him. Inhexible in the discharge of his duty,
otherwise humane, and ever generous. He had
been put to the most cruel test which fate could
have inflicted upon an officer of those days-he
was chosen to command the file of select gen
darmerie to execute the Duke d'Enghien.
Aroused at dead of night by the order to repair
to the fosse of Vincennes, to do justice, he was
told, upon an officer convicted of treason by the
council of war, he supposed himself called on for
one of the melancholy duties imposed by disci-
plne. The account he gave me of his sutferings
on that horrible occasion is still fresh in my
memory, in his own expressions, half grotesque,
half pathetic.
"Such misfortune! - he said "and for me,
who have always held those formalities in utter
execration. But what could do! 1t is all in
the way of business; we must put up with it
we should be looked on as mere puppets if we
made faces about shooting deserter or any poor
devil who had been guilty of little temper to
his captain. So when the general sent to awaken
me to execute the sentence of the council, | said
nothing, although l was astonished at the hour
with killing man in broad-day but at dead of
night, by the light of lantern fixed upon his
heart-thunder! It's enough to shake the
boldest -
As he spoke, the ruddy face of Capt. H****%
turned pale at the recollection.
'Even without the consideration" he added,
s'that such underhanded measures always seem
suspicious me- Pshaw! said to myself, the poor
lad has made blunder-he must pay for it, Sc
/ lrpsSpi IN m md otpd my or1a Ii,
them to be ready at the word for some of those
chaps, who can shoot Austrans ike sparrows,
don't know how to take aim at a comrade.
"All of a sudden, a little door opened out
marched the fusiliers, and the patient, according
to rule, in the midst of them.
All, all, thought l, examining him, this is no
case from the ranks. What noble air, what
fine expression young, too-God forgive me |!
hardly past thirty And of good birth, for the off,
GERS salute him. With such face, such courage
would one think he deserved so vile death
These thoughts staggered me. | began to think
the poor young man must be brave officer, who
was the victim of calumny. / was seized with
such suffocaton it seemed as if my voice
were lost-as if i could never utter the word
'Firer However, there was no way of backing
out it would not do to be shot in his place
Luckily, | saw him make a sign to one Of our
corps, as if he wished to speak to him He gave
him paper thought he was trying to gain
time. Good, said |, he is trihing. 'Tis bitter
moment, and he wants to put it off. This re-
stored my self-possession | could do my duty :"
! Here the captain paused, pale and overcome,
rs if the fatal report rang again upon his ear.
Terror and indignation must have been strongly
marked upon my countenance for as he raised
his eyes to mine, he turned abruptly away, ex.
claiming, You execrate me, don't youS But
how could'l know who he was? How could |
know that the council of war were in haste to
despatch him, for fear the Emperor should par
don him ? Could / even know that the paper
which he gave to my comrade contained lock OF
his hair-a last adieu to the woman that he
loved? believe, if had but suspected all this,
| should never have found strength to have or
dered him fired upon; and yet Heaven knows
how | have hated all the Bourbons since the in
fernal machine. But he looked like so brave IN
officer. and his expression, that of n soldier who
has nothing to reproach himself with, and who
can smile at death The glance Of sympathy
which he cast upon us seemed to say, Poor
men, | pity you more than myself for you are
about to kill a good Frenchman and when you
shall have learned his innocence, the deed will
press upon your hearts like crime " And yet
yet Madame" continued the captain, striking his
breast, "my conscience clear but when, on
retiring from this melancholy duty, | saw my
comrade, M*F*, faint away, like a woman-when
this poor youth, who had been brought up with
the ci-deUant Prince of Conde sobbed, as he told
us that we had slain an innocent person-that the
young man, so brave, so beautiful, who lay
pierced by our bullets, was the Duke d'Enghen-
it was like blow upon my heart and God
knows how cursed them who had given us such
n commission For do not be deceived, Madame !;
it never came from the Emperor, No, no; It's
not thus he deals with his enemies. He kills
them in broad day--at the risk of being himself
cut down by bullet. But it was the deed OF
some of those old parasites Of the court who
were afraid Of coming under the lash, should
those whom they had supplanted ever return
i thnIn elNes to have