Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1863-01-14
R0BESPIERRE.
BY JOHN S. C. ABBOTT.

Amohg the most remarkable men, de,
, velopod by the French Revolution, there
are few who stand more prominent than
Robespierre. Ills first appea! ance was ia
r the Assembly Of the State General. The
, mobiles and bishops refused to meet with
| the commons They resolved to meet in
, separate vote, the lords and bishops hav,
ing Two votes, and the commoner but one,
the commons might be thus outyoted
though in an immense majority. Were
they to meet in one assembly, the COM
mons could, of course carry ther meas
ures. The poor were in state nf terrible
distress. Inc mobiles sent the Archbish
op OF AK with a very pathetic appeal lr
glng the commons in behalf Of the mser-
les OF the people, 10 proceed to business
by consenting 10 the separation Of the
three chambers.
Ropesplerre, one OF the deputies Of the
commons, then an unknown young man,
pale and slender, rose and said: "Go tell
your colleagues that we are waiting for
them here 10 aid US in assuaging the sor-
rows OF the people. Foil them no longer
TO reta.d our work. Tell them that our
resolution is not to be shaken 10y such a
stategem as this. II they have sympathy
Tor the poor, let them in imitation Of
their masters, renounce that luxury which
consumes the funds of indulgence, dismiss
those lnaolent lackeys who attend them,
sell their gorgeous equipages, and with
these supertiultles relieve the perishing.
We wait for them here !"
We next hear of hun advocating the
abolition OF the death penalty. Dr. Gull
lotin had introduced new machine, call
ed from the inventor the gulIotin, for the
infection Of capital punishment, without
intilctlng pam. A general burst of laugh.
ter was excited in the assembly as tie
doctor said: with my machine ! can
cut off your head in the twinkle of an
eye, without your feeling it," 1t may be
remarked, in passing, that many who
then smiled were soon beneaded by the
keen axe.
A party arose in france called the Gi.
r)ndlsto so called because their leaders
we're from the department of the Gmonde.
They al first were in favor of consttu.
tional monarchy, like that .! England
But finding from the periidy Of the king
and the court, This to be imposs bic, they
then advocated II republic, There was
another party advocating the extreme
democratic license called the JacGbins.-
Rcbespierre was one of the Leaders of the
latter party. lie brought an exceedingly
envenomed bill of accusation against the
GiroHdisi, overwhelmed them in their
trial. and they were all sent 10 The gull
lutine.
Robespierre. Danton, and Marat, The
heads of the Jacobu party, we're now the
idols of France. Charlotte Corday soon
plunged her dagger into the bosom OF Ma
rat Herbert, at the head OF he atheists
of Paris, organized formidable party
RopespierIe, at the peril of h.s lie, threw
himself in the breach to opp se them
There are men," said he, who, under
the pretext of destroying superstition,
would make religion OF atheism. The
legislator who would adopt the system of
atheism, is insane. The national conven>
ton abhors such system. Atheism is
aristocratic. The idea OF a great being
who watches over oppressed innocence,
and who punshes triumphant guilt, is
quite popular. The people, the unfortu-
nate applaud mo. If God did not exist,
it would behoove men to invent him."
The conflict was short and desperatc.-
Each party knew that the gu,llotin was
the doom of the vauquished. Herbert
end his coadj dtors, nineteen in mum.
ber, we're on the 18th OF March, 1894, in
five carts, conducted to the scatiold.
DanlOn and Robespierre now qnarrel
ed. R"b spierlee again conquered in !he
death struggle, aud Danton was doomed
to die. Before the dawuing of the mornA
ing. gems d'armes entered his chamber and
tore him from the arms of his wife.
As he entered his prison. in the vaults
OF the Luxemburg, he said sadly:
AT length perceive that in revolu>
tions the supreme power ultimately rests
with the most abandoned. We are sacri-
feed to the ambition of few d4stardly
brigands. But they wlli not long enjoy
the fruits of their villainy. drag Ro>
bespierre after me. Robespierre follows
me 70 The grave
As Danton, with Camille Desmouiins
and others who were to be executed whh
him. alighted rom the cart at the scah-
old, Herault de Sechelles, who was to suf
fer first, endeavored TO take leave Of d, n
ton in a parting embrace. The brutal ex'
ecutioner interposed.
W retch, said Danton, you will not at
least prevent our heads from kissing pres,
emily in the basket As he was bound 10
the fatal plank, he said, %, my wife, my
deai wife, shall / never see yCu again ?"
rhen as if ashamed of this emotion. he !
added, Bot Danton, no weakness. : !
Then az the plank fell to its place beneath
tho slide he nroudly remarked TO the ey. |
ecutioner, You will show my head to the
people. 1t WI be well worth the display
Robespierre was now the undispuied
victor. Day after day he punished his !
foes, and the guillotne ran red with |
blood. lie was not maliciously cruel. but
a thorougn fanatic believing that all po> |
ii,ic- lcPponen,s should be executed. The |
mother OF Lucille, The young wife OF Des.
noulins, wrote in the following terms to !
F.obesperrie, who had doomed her daugh. |
ter TO death. She bad Lucille, spd Dsss