The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-07-07
Rur BIgToRY OF THE GUTLLoF1NE
Dr. GuiIIotIn Neither the Inventor ner
the FIRST Victim.

ggmIHIntim NptNNpr NMe AnNthNoN hNN
the First Victim.
Amended 10 an account Of the execution OF
the French prisoner, La Pommeras, the Pads
correspondent Of the London Tines gives the fol-
lowing history Of the guillotine, claiming 10 cor
rect former versions -
"Of the origin and history OF this famous in
girumcnt Of punishment an erroneous idea gene
rally prevails. The popular version Is, that u
was invented IN 1855 by Joseph lgnatius Cult
lOtiu, on eminent ply siCan, and deputy Tor Paris
in the Constituent Assembly. This Is not correct.
An instrument differing from the gui'lOtiuc only
IN its heavy and Cumbruus construction, already
existed in Italy. II was known In Genoa by the
name of pahUdjd, and it was by the mdtptdj1
that Beatrice Cepci WIS hohCaded at Rome m
1903. The maiden, an instrument not unlike
the puillotine, was long known In Scotland, and
IL was employed on the Regent Morton who is
said TO have Introduced it. II was used, also, IN
Halifax, Yorkshire, In the reign of Elizabeth.
| The Duke OF MOnimtrcncy was beheaded az
| Toulouse in 1852, with the n,anugja.
"All ihnt Dr.. Gullotn, who was man well
known for hs humanity, had ~ do with The mat
| ter was preparing the draupht OF law IN nc
/ Constituent Assembly, In 1889, 10 the eject thaG
/ the mode Of iniiCiiuR dCHth ON criminals should
be the same for all alike, without any distinction
of mobiles or plubcians In fact, that II should DE
uniform. Before the revolution OF l1s9 the IN.
/ equality that existed during life was maintained
/ In death the noble was bChcaded, the riHd'H
| hung from the gal 0ws. But the inequality was a
| ulhiug grievance I'm comparison with the cruelty
| which accompanied the execution. There was
the stake and iaggot for those convicted OF sacr-
lCpc or heresy the tealing OF limb from limb by
| hOuCs for rePiCide; the bI eahnE on the wheel
| with the additional rctinCmCnts Of barbar lOr
| CT Uue' Of other descriptions.
"The bill proposed 1y GuillOtin was voted, and
the Assembly enacted on ihc 2l' January, 1879,
| that in all cases where the law pronounced the
| ptnalty OF death the punishment should be the
snme, whatever might be the nature Of the crime :
M d. moreover, that the criminal should be be-
| nv NJ n
same Assembly also introduced in the Penal
Code October, 1871 this clause The penalty OF
death hall consist in the simple taking away OF
life, without the accompaniment OF any sort
whatever Of torture; and the convict 50 con-
dCunCd shall be behCadCd' The clause stands
the same at the present day.
"DCCapiaOn hcing thus declared the only
| legal MODE Of intiCtiug death, the next step was
! 10 inv eut The simplest mechanism and the least
| painful iOr the purpose. The Committee OF
| Legislation directed DR.. Louis, who was then
! PERPETUAL Secretary Of he Academy OF Surgery
| TO draw mp RGCpOtt on the best mode OF decapl-
tatioH 70 be applied 10 criminals. The report
was presented 10 the committee on the 7th OF
March, 1892, and on the 10th Of the same month
the Assembly passed Il law, which was sane
toned on the 25th by the King, declaring that
the penalty of death should be carried out in the
manner recommended in the Report of the Per
petua Secretary 'f the Academy Of Surgery.
" In this paper DR.. Louis did no more than suS-
gCst the plan on which the instrument should be
constructed but he was enjoned 10 get one con.
, structtd according to his plan. German
named Scbmltt Il maker of harpsichords, was
employed for the purpose and on the 10TH OF
April, 1852, De Louis informed Roland, then
Minister of the Interior, that experiments had
boen made with SChmitts in trument at the
BiCetre on three dead bOdies, and that the heads
were cut Uh with such precision, that he was as
torishCd at the strength and celoTiy ofits action.
"lt was at once introduced, and the expert
meuts' made with IT soon after the date of The
latter and for long time afterwards, we're ne
| of the harmless nature Of those at the Bicetre
- | In the mt mors of Samson The famous headsman
recently published, full account is given of thu
e / instrument. The first execution for which !
= | was used was that Of a highway rObher, which
/ | took place Oh the 27th OF May, and The first poll
' tical execgtion was that Of CollenOt dAnglemont
. on the 2lst Of August following
"1be machine was at first popularity known b.
s | the name of Louison, or Louisete, from the In
c ycntOr's lame. BY some unaccountuble chang
Of public opinion, or caprice, IL soon got the nam
OF guilOtiIe, which it keeps 20 this day, and viii
. probably do so long as IL is in use, though DR.
g GuIllCtin had nothing whatever to do with It's in
d | yentiOn or construction, and had merely pre-
pose the measure of uniformity in the mode {
Q / execution. There is another error also yer
+ generally spread, that Guillotin himself died o
h ibe seshOld durii g the revolution by the instru
! ment of which the invention was falsely attr
a buted 10 him. DR.. Guilotin long survived th
n revolution, and died quietly in his bed in 1914