, 1863-10-31

alighted from the cart at the scaffold, Her
ault de Schelles, who was to suffer first, en-
deavored to take leave of Danton in a part
ing embrace. The brutal executioner inter-
posed. 2lL 'Hsh noihJ ho'4 ..-io 9nl
"Wretch p said Danton, f'you viii not at
least prevent our heads from kissing pres
emily in the basket" TYP
AS he was bound to the fatal plank, he
said, 80, my wife-my dear wife-shall 1
never see you again 2" Then, as if ashamed
of this emotion, he added, "But, Danton,
no weakness" Then, as the plank fell to
its place beneath the slide, he proudly re-
marked to the executioner, "You viii show
my head to the people. Tt will be worth the
display
Robespierre was now the undisputed VIC
tor Day after day he punished his foes,
and the guillotine ran red with blood. He
was not maliciously cruel but thoroughly
fanatic, believing that all political opponents
should be executed The mother Of Lucille,
the young wife of Desmoulins, wrote in the
following terms to RObespierre, who had
doomed her daughter to death She and
Lucille and Desmouins had formerly been
b "
'Robespierre," she wrote, "is it not
enough to have assassinated your best
friend? DO you desire the blood of his
wife, my daughter Two hours more, and
she will not be in existence. Robespierre,
if you are not tiger in human shape-if
the blood of Camille has not inebriated you
to the losing of your reason entirely-if you
still recall our evenings Of intimacy-if you
recall the caresses lavished on our little HOr-
ace, and how delighted to hold him upon
your knees-spare an innocent victim But
if the fury is that Of the1lion, come and take
me also, and my daughter Adele, and little
Horace. Come, with hands reeking in the
blood of Camille, and let one single tomb
reunite us"
But Robespierre was inexorable, and
young and beautiful Lucille perished be-
meath the fatal axe.
Robespierre was one of the most inexpli-
cable of men. His moral character was ir-
reproachable No bribes could corrupt him
He sincerely endeavored to establish a re-
public upon the basis Of popularity and vir-
tue. Selfaggrandizement was not part Of his
plan But he was as merciless as the slide
Of the guillotine At times, indeed, he
seemed weary of blood.
On one occasion he remarked "Death
always death; and the scoundrels throw
all the responsibility on me. What mem
ory 1 shall leave behind me, if this lasts =
Life is burden to me. j"
A young girl-Cecil Regnault-but sew
enteen years of age was accused Of plotting
IL l. & 4,
all her friends perished on the scafold, and
eight carts were filled with victims to ayenge
the crime. But the tickle populace at last
began to suspect their idol Of being un-
friendly to the Revolution and of wishing
to arrest its torrent of blood In six months
two thousand three hundred and seventy
five had pershed upon the scafold in Paris
alone Robespieme, weary of blood, at
tempted to check their senseless atrocities
A conspiracy of very energetic men was
formed against him AS he entered the
convention on the 26th of July, 1894, cries
Of "Down with the tyrants p filed the
house Overwhelmed by the clamor, Robe
sperre in vain endeayored to speak in self
defence
president of the assassins," he shouted,
"will you hear me"
He was arrested and led to the hotel de
Brinne, in the Place du Carrousel His
friends rescued him, and carried him to the
Mayors room at the Hotel de Vile.
1t was now night, and all Paris was in a
blaze of ommotion--mobs surging through
the streets A detachment of soldiers were
sent by the convention to arrest Robespierre
again He was sitting calmly at the table,
awaiting his fate. One Of the soldiers dis
charged pistol at him.
The ball entered his cheek, breaking his
jaw, and producing a terrible wound. His
head dropped upon the table, deluging it
with blood. Thus mangled, he was borne
on a litter, Just as the day was beginning to
close. The blood flowed freely from his
wound, coagulating in his mouth, and chok-
ing him as it trickled down his throat Af
ter passing an hour of almost unendurable
agony, he, with his brother and several 9TH
ers of his friends, were brought before the
Revolutionary Tribunal The trial occupied
but few moments, and they were all doomed
to die.
At five o'clock of the same evening, the
cart conveyed them through the Rue st. HO-
more to the Place de la Revolution Robes
pierre ascended the scaffold with firm step.
As the executioner brutally tore the bandage
from his infamed wound, he uttered shrek
Of torture which pierced every ear. In an
other moment the axe of the guillotine gil
ded swiftly down its groove, and the head of
Robespierre fell into the basket There was
moments silence, and then there came,
from the lips Of those who, but a short time
before, were shouting hosannas to his name,
burst of the widest applause.
Thus died Robespierre, in the thirty-ffth
year Of his age.
A PATRIoT's ZEAL-'Yes, sir" says
A. Ward, "we'ye got war; and the troO
Patrit has to make sacrifices, you bet. [