Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1856-07-02

/ language of the court in which their tri-
al was conducted-they could only speak
rude patois; they were entirely igno-
rant of ali they ought to do, and they
were refused the assistance of a counsel.
What chance had these poor frightened
peasants of asserting their innocence?-
True, there was no evidence against
them; no trace of the stolen property in
their possession; but when the two Jews
who had laid the accusation were the
witnesses also, and they swore positively
to four Of the prisoners, and expressed
very little doubt about the others. The
prisoners through their interpreter denied
their guilt; but they were not believed
by the court. The trial was soon over.
They were found guilty, here and is the
sentence:
All things weighed and concluded, we
declare, - GuiIlaume Braun, Maths Ell
rette, Michael Fix, and Jean-Gaspard
Beckvert, accused and convicted of hav.
ing entered with force and violence on
the night of the cath of September, be-
tween ten and eleven o'clock at night,
INTO the house of Moses Cert and Solo
mon Cerf-Jews, dwelling in Mitelbron
and of having violently ill-used both
of them and their wives, and their SER
want, Esther Levi, and of having broken
open with hatchets and blows, Golfers and
boxes, and of haYing stolen the contents
thereof: it is ordained, by way of repair
alton, that the above named prisoners
are condemned to be hanged and strang-
led, until they are dead upon a
gibbet, to be erected for that purpose,
in the place d armies in this town { Phals-
bourg;) further we declare all their goods
to be con6scated, fifty livres of restitu-
ton to so 10 the king i'll case the whole
con6scation does not so to his Majesty.
The afore-named prisoners to be applied
to the torture ordinary and extra-ordi-
nary for the discovery of their accom-
plices. 1t is also ordered that Joseph
Siegler. Louis Siegler, and Ulrich Beck
vert shall also be subjected 10 the tor
ture ordinary and extraordinary. 10
force them 10 confess all the facts of the
robbery.
"Given in our presence, at which
judgement Messire Francois Helolix,
Conseiller du Roi and special lieutenant
of this place; and NJ. Nicholas Demange,
Avocat, practising at the same place.
Done and judged in the ordinary
chamber OF the place, the 10Th OF De
cember, 1869.
(Signed) Schneider, Helorix ct De-
mango
That same day the sentence was read
TO the seven accused, who were advised
TO appeal to the parliament at Metz,
which they did; but the parliament at
Metz followed in the steps of the judge
of Phalsbourg; and, on the seventeenth
of February, 1863, the sentence was
confirmed.
This intelligence caused great SEN
sation at Phalsbourg, where all the pop
ulation were in faver of the accused
They assembled in crowds round the
Palais de Justice to catch sight of the
prisoners and and to express their SYM
pathy. Nevertheless, justice took her
blind course. The prisoners, one after
an other, were brought from their cells
inlo the justice-room. They fully ex-l
pected it was preliminary to setting them
at liberty. Instead of that, however,
the interpreter pronounced against four
of them the sentence Of preliminary tor
ture; but reserved the after sentences.-
They looked at each other with astonish-
ment; for they never believed that their
sentence could ever come really true.
All was ready in the torture-chamber.-
The Judge was there TO see, the clerk
to write down what passed, and the in
terperter stood ready to translate what
ever their cries and shrieks might artic-
ulate in their agony. There was sur
geon also, to watch how far the torture
might go without destroying the life,
which was 10 be claimed by the execu'
TONER All this terrible scene actually
took place in the year of grace seventeen
hundred and sixty nine, in the month of
February, at two o'clock in the morning;
which was the usual time for administer
ing the torture. Guillaume Braun, be-
ing the youngest, was first delivered over
to the question. He uttered a wild,
frighlful cry of pain, which no one heed
ed. 1t was confession that was listened
for but none came. The torture was
applied with cruel ingenuity, but Braun
persisted in asserting his innocence, and
the question continued until the surgeon
nterfered: the victim had TO die else
where. Errette was the next; but under
he most horrible torments, he persisted
n asserting his innocence. Michael Fix
to him; a vehement denial of
all knowledge of the crime was all that
he question could obtain. At last the
four poor, mutilated men were thrown,
scarcely breathing, into the cart, and
carried off to the gibbit where death was