The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-01-15

last infrmity Of noble minds" butit Is py NO
means peculiar to minds OF that Description,
nor do all tina. are afii ic,ed with IT MAKE very
nice distinction between fame ana hoto'iety'
One man, for instance, burnt ooWh Tue 'em'
ple of DIANA, that his name might i've ior-
evar "A the an thor Of that atrocious barbarism
Another leaped into the crater Of Vesuvius
from the same-laudabie motive. and there have
hsep hundreds Of others equally ready to sac
,4iice life for the sake Of an immortality, how
ever painful. 1t sometimes happens, however,
that q man has Immortality thrust upon him.
not only without desiring II, but much con-
trary 10 his inclination. In this class is TO be
ranked the individual who gave name to the
Guillotine. who, it is very certain, did not in
vent it, and whose whole life, afterwards, was
rendered miserable by the terrible notoriety
his name had acquired, from its ASSOCIATION
with the fatal machine.
1t is a singular fact, but ii is, nevertheless
fact that the first occasion. on which the use
of an instrument, destined, in lew moh'hs,
70 play a part SO notorious in the history Vi
the French Revolution, was employed Is no
! ticed by the most prominent histofiahs VI
| that period LACRETELLE, MlsNET, THEIRS |
| and oven ALISON in the most cursory man
ner. and with scarcely reflection or "ora
NJ comment. And yet no event, in the whole
1 y,
Itself. or attended with more immediate
| or important consequences. 1t completely
changed the character OF whole people, and
| that people was, at the time, the most power
| ful and the mos, enlightened in the world
| when it was first proposed in the National
| Assembly to substitute decapitation for
hanging, for capital offences, the Able MAU-
| RY .biec ted because he feared it might famil-
| iarize the people with the sight of blood ar
| guing the most deplorabie consequences from
| such d consummation. He little dreamed of
tue full force CT this objec ton, nor could he
have foreseen that in three years from the time
he was speaking, the most humane nation in
the world should, from the frequency OF hu-
man sacrifices, come to regard mans lie as
the cheapest of his possessions.
Just before the meeting Of the States Gene
raj in 1889, one DIR. GUILLorIN, described as
| ply scian, published a couple of pamphlets,
= Of character SO inflanmatory that be was
| | prosecuted for them by the Parliament Of
Paris. The pamphlets and the persecution
= made him SO popular that, although previous
. " a person of no consideration, when Inc
: election came on, he was chosen one of the
). representatives of thecity in the National As
!, sembly. Among the many privileges OF Inc
n ancient nobility, was that OF dying by the axe
i ms tead of the cord, for capital offences
l. Strange as it may appear, TINS was point up
It on which the people insisted more vehement
r. ~ than on almost any other, that there should
= he perfect equality. DIR. GUILLoTIn impeiied
no doubt by public opinion, not less man py
his own philan thropic zeal, determined &c
"a bring this matter before Inc ASSEM- ly
y | on the first convenient opportunity
= One did not immediately occur, however, the
| populace and the Assembly being taken up
1t during the first two or three months, with
matters of more immediate importance. a
last. on the Sd of October, 1889, he brought for
ward a series of propositions, to the effect tina
r crimes of the same kind shall be punished IN
X the same way-that in an cases OF capitai pun
- | ishment the criminal shall be beheaded " by
| machipe"-that the punishment snail not al
e. feet the family of the crimInal-tnat no one
i, shall be allowed to reproach the family or re
i | Iations of a criminal with his punishment
| that the criminals property shall not be con
a. iscated-and that the bodies shall be delivered
Re | TO the family, no mention being mace IN IN
he | registry of the mode of death. THESE propo
= sit;ons were laid over until the first OF DaceIn
a. bar when they were brought up, and the hrs
he being readily assented to, long debate en-
IT, sued on the second-to substitute Gecapltatlo
for baneiug-When the Able MAURY mad
| the objection to which we have alluded. U
the second day of the debate, GUILLoTiN, afte
a "a | having represen ted hanging as a painful an
az Tedious operation, exclaimed with the utmos
IL | enthusia m, "Now, with my machine, Silk
N off YOUR head in the twinkling OF an eye, an
ne you never feel It." me whole assembly, WEI
ID. ID minated. At that time was published
he Paris, by PELTIER, subsequently so we
ase known as the libsller OF NAPOLEON, a IL
10 rious Royalist journal styled "1hs Acts
w. The ApostleS." (''LeS Actss dsS Ap0treS.") II
Anosties were, of course. the Revolution
as ary leaders, (Aposties of Liberty,) and the
i've acts were the subject of PBLTIER's unceaslr
/ il | ridieule The day after this unlucAy speed
:, 4 Of Dr. GUILLoTIN, and in aliusion to his m
chine uppeared in this publication a sol
SO 1unon the tnimi,a6le machine OF DIR. GULL
r. for
is | after him .Guilsottne." Thus was the impi
;, meat baptized three years before 1t was Il
:, 1 vented by the name of a man VINO mad
lily share whatever in inventing it, and who
lis only connecs ton with 1t was the hlnt conta
OF in the second proposition, and the SHY spec
inc in favor of it, alluded to above. Inc reVoi
ihs t;on had not then attained its full height al
nee (;u,IIorIN had not the most distant conce
ems ton of the uses TO which such an lnstrume
les, would be put, or the immense waste OF bio
| il would occasion, by increasing the 1aclllty
| shedding it, His object was evidently Il
aln name one and he HAD not the most dis tant co
less ceplion of what would result Nor, lndee
, of | did any one else, except the Able MAURY, al
,,.r he in a very imperfect degree. The propo
| lions of GUILLOTIN, indeed, seem 10 nave IL
iers 18th little favor, although several times
to forwards debated, and, indeed, Wnen tne 20
To stitu ton of 1871 was under debate, 1t was pr
to-. | nosed TO abolish capital punishment al
gather RoBEsPIERRE himself being wal
nis- advocate OF the proposition.
ur. When at last, it was determined 10 retain
~ o,G ta substitute decollation, in all ca:
CO. hanging. the hereditary executioner
paris one SAMSON, whose descendants ;.
nv aniov the office. suggested oimcoIres, "ni
eia{ Intimately led to the adoption OF the gun
,uld tine He seems to nave taken Az ~ cons n
tinn the Increased and increasing number
" ,,ictims for, in his memorial on the suoJe
lth- nc objects TO the use OF the sWorc, because
. no s;nyie execution would so gap IL, ana pinnt
cies | sags that it would be necessary 10 grind II
fore it could be used again: Uois IL Woaid
pose Wne aaarv to nave a large number of swor
the ard each sword cost something IKE
,uld lvres-that 49, Si2o .Io nt Of +Ss "nasti
'ei But there were other serious ooJecaions ~
,which he urged with becoming zeal. W
ora. tnara are a number of criminals, the blood v
nth | tr;gh,ap those whose turn Is 10 come
hese patient VIII 81 bvstandsrs will
hese oecu 10 inSienaticn, and vent their W.T.
the on the executioner-'ae mai canno. VI
ieies not keep himself il convenient posture,
TINS instead Of shortening his agonies, Il
no a I'll he prolonged by false blows, &c. sc
pos" means therefore, must b. devised Ior .H1
they The sufferer. At this time, March, l1p,) u
rob. seems TO have Deen no 'oes =, W"."'
outstanding the hiht OF GuiLLo ,lnS.a
=. Minister of Justice, however, reIerFed
80 W matter to the Assembly, who appointed c'
hern ,ai,,sa to naaire TO the subject. That cs
Vir. mittee consulted M. LOUIS, president OF
liza | College of Surgeons, who made report
which he describes, for the frat time, a mae
e are table guillotine which has been used 9
en-. siuce ia France tor the punishment OF cri
a. nals convicted of capital offences. The rel
| was irnmediately adopted by the Assem-
hepe In his report, NJ. Louis says that the IN
which he proposes is prevalent In Engiai
=, os mai the body OF the criminal is laid on
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