Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-12-03
Aailg1ISa|l ln|tsIlI q gellee
TWO REMARKAaLN wOMEN.

n
How Charlotte corday and Marie An.
toinette Suffered Death ON the Scat.
fold. &3 gEa%TI
From al long aud interesting stticIein1
mColborn's New Monthly Magazine, en-.
titled the "Saturnalia of a Republic.' We
make the following extracts, which relate
to gullotine scenes inithe years 1898.
CHARLOTTE ooRDAY.
Charlotte de Corday d. Armant, the young
enthusiast of Normandy, was of q noble
family; educated at the convent OF Lab.
bays aux Danes, 81 Caen, she bad imbibed
the idea that she was destined to deliver
her country from the scourge OF murder.
Gus Tyranny, and she selected Marat, whose
name was at that epoch more before the
public as the iDstigHtor of sacrifices than
Robespiefre aud Dsnton,as her victim.
The details given by Samoan of this re.
tnsrkable Incident Ia the reign of Terror
are, as might be expected, more minute
than any that haye5yet been given 10. the.
public but they show the circumstances
of the case. as depicted by Sir. Wards
pencil Il ON previously existing data 10 be
perfectly correct, Gbarieps bad not re-
turned ten minutes trom her trial, at (which
she had conducted herself with unexam-
pied tirmness aud ability, that ~. Hauer,
bU6 R4AAnS WE9e InAU0ASS0t sShE. 2OnNEkeG0
with the artist, while engaged in his task,
with perfect calmness for an hour and a
ha.f when she suddenly remembered she
had forgotten to write letter. She had
only penned few lines when Samson made,
his appearance. She weRt on with her
work, notwithstanding, and when she had
finished she placed her chair in the middle
of the room, and let down her beautiful.
hair to be cut off. aSiuce 81 della Barre
courage in deathl We were there, six Or
seven citizens, whose business is not Of i
nature to soften the feelings, yet she ap.
peared less affected than any oftus, aud
even her lips had not lost their fcolorI-
When her halr was cut off she gave
half to the artist and the, remainder,
to Richard, the gaoler, for his wife, who
had manifested q great Interest for the
unfortunate young lady" She went to.
the scaffotd with the same Remarkable IN
trepidity; there was not an atom of braYado
"a simple, mild, pious resignation, or{.Ia
penetrating and irresistible sweetness" as
the master Of high2'works describes It.
RobesPierre, Desmoplins, and Danton were,
at window in the Rue Saint Honore, on,
the way, thinking, no doubt, when their
turn would come. Arrived at the scAffold,
che threw herself upon the fatal PLANK,
and Fermin, one of the aides, having let.
loose the strings, all was oYeriu.a moment
Samson declares that he was at the foot of
the scafold, when carpenter, named
Legros, having taken the head, was not
satisfied with holding It up to the crowd,
but actually slapped the face-a face, adj
mittedly Of extraordinary beauty. This
was too much even fora revelation ary tri,
banal, and Legros was justly punished for
this act of sacrilege. Charlotte's letter 70
BarbarouX ia noble legacy 10 noRtaFitv !,
the sentiments breathed in 1t are more
worthy of a heroine than of an, assassin
but Charlotte was no assassin in the ordi-
nary acceptation of the word. The times
considered, and the magnitude of the
crimes daily enacted by her victim, more
than indicated her otherwise reprehensible
conduct, and We are inclined to adopt to
their full extent the words of the descend
ant of her executioner. 1sThe soul of
Charlotte de Corday wentu up to Heaven free
from all terrestrial lmperfectionj her
heart had never beat save for her country.
She was not only the martyro of liberty .she
was the Jeanne dare of democracy"