The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-10-13
Cttmino Gele9@ph
:, rarRsnAY ucToBBR ls. lssL
yUg PRISON OF La RoQUErTE.

,lr Bonrc Of COmmous, have Induced me 10
y.,p.snt 10 paper some alciunt o. q visit I rt,a
,yyo or three ycare ago 10 the y Wgats Ot Taris.
,rher tIgiged IN some inyestig8sun into ths
wotflng ofthe conhaentl systcm 'cf pUr sh.ug
when you stSUd Ia tho Bassia slul-e, re4y
tbe column "a Juiy, YOU y IN see q nrr)w sbrcet
% moor SppearG3co branching oil O. the uortlr fc.
ron the hr9ld, macuddmEea road thas ran,
through the Neuh0urG Sg. AntOin1 g. tue Bay.
.,ere In Trsae It is fbe Epe d3 Ia R1Tuettc.
The whole character OF this suoet litf.rs greedy
from that dt the c'her streets which ir.e-s5c.
this tanpourg, whicR has been SO celebrate in
svefy Partisan revelation, Il IS m1-1 s0'in.v
ald quist tbe sneps, cafec, and ateerc disl3pea
before you roach Lie point where the sHee
crosses the new ponle,crl Prince Euqeoe. and
then itssppearaHce grows more po.er.y-s:ri .lsE
anddifty with every seop. The asYll llt trottoirs
leave ~, the fNyensat becomes Irregular, and
fhe tsll Parisia q horses arc dWarfol down to
small Onc-st0ried buildings.
Alttle way fhthcT on, aud the great, br.lla H.
noisy Paris f,as disappeared. Y1u hnd yolrseIt
All at once ~ the frrthost eNc.cmity of th, fau-
burg j hya charge is the more sudden be.lrse
nc Rue RcQuettc IL hardly more thIu a pnile ia
ltngth. 0u the ether side OF the Boulevard Prince
Eugtne ule character Of the street becomes per
fe.tly nae hnchcly. Gravestones, CROSSES pic
tures res presenting death aud the grave cypress
shrubs, ~ satis OF Ivy aud immortellos, I0fm the
sole Display on the ground-h1or OF the poor
houses tise foreigner who walks aloug the stree.
for DE 1rst time can no longer be in doubt-the
Ru6hs llOque-te must lead 10 u cemetery. And
sucl Is the case it Iuns in n straight line 70 Pere
Ia CAaise, the celebrated Parisian cemetery.
Bat It also runs past another place OF burial,
uJah pretably very few Of the many thousands
vAo walk along the streets to pere la Chaise
fuow'or Votice. Shortly before the street crosses
xhe external boulevard, two colossal buildOr uf
srlosuy. uncomfortable aspect rise on either side
,eg Il. They look half prisons, half fJctre ,ses,
and lofty walls run all around them. At the
corners and over the entrance gaies the lofty
walls are crowned with turrets, and above The
ipteridr we see the gable-euds OF colossal build
HRg which on the LEFT side OF the stree, arc in the
shape of q star. What is the purpose OF these
two dark buildings The one on the lett IS the
prison for youthful criminals ffom the aye OF six
10 twenty years. II is the only ] lArslln prison
which has a thoroughly inhuman chara ter; for
in its courts end cells the silent system Is carried
~tut with the most extreme severity.
The buding on the right j. ouly terrible
through the persons who are conGagd in il aud
the fate thGs awaits them; inside iJ prevails the
humane mode Of treatment which found in all
French prisons, and which never exceeds the pur.
pose Of tho Imprisonment. 1t is the prison Of the
convicts and those condemned to death, the place
of deposit for the scum OF the population OF Paris
who wilFoe removed to the Bague or Cayenne
or until they mount the guillOtne. From this
prison there arc only two modes Of rcloise the
most terrible IN human life-the gaeys, and
death by the executoner's hand. 1he prison is
called afler the street that runs past lis grated
iron-gate II is known as the Prison lie 4 Ro-
Quette and Is Of but recent origin, as 1t bIis
in 1901.
twenty yards from the entrance cue, still on
the lefI-hand side OF the street, the pede riln
notices five larger stones Of bright color Ia the
pavement. They form large srIuurc, with the
tiTlh stone in the cenno, at the point where the
diagonals OF the square intersect each other.
These tve insignificant stones mark tho most
swfu spot in Paris-they are the embodiment
of fearful "reminiscences dating back % the last
senfury. These reminiscences drip with blood
pain, and tears. In wor5, VIC are sanding here
on the spot where the gnillo;inc is erected az
every execution In Paris.
After this terrible instrument had visited in the
last century the Place dc la Greve, the Place dc
St. Antoine, the Place do la Revolution, nov
called La Ccncorde, and wandered during tn,
frst half Of our century round the barriers Of
Paris, it finally found permanent station here
ten years ago. But il rises from the earth only
during the darkness OF night, and disappear,
again after earliest dawn. The guillotiue per
forms its terrible task ere the sun rises above the
clumps Of trees in the Bois de BOuogne. The
awful instrument seems ashamed Of its existence
that Of civilization, Of humanity. Or are thos
ashamed who pronounce sentence OF dGa,h o.
their brothers in this age of enlig ght3nment
This is the present place of execution for Pari
and the Department OF the Seine. The coademne
man either spends his last night on earth in th
condemned cells in the rear OF the prison, {
which shall presently conduct the reader, or
brought rom the prison in which he has bee
confined few minutes before his execution int
the front yard of La ROquette, and delivered t,
the executioneT.
rang the bell at the grated iron gate, whieI
"Opens into the Rue dc Ia Roquette. The gat,
and the small yard into which l could lo3h
seemed go stern, while, outside, the earth va
glad with flowers and sunshine. The gloom
gate opened. Turcos in Arab dress aud bright
hued turbans received ne, and led me to II
gTeiher. I showed him my order, addressed l
the police project 10 al the prison directors in q
department of the Seine, % show me eyeryshn
and give me every detail about their functio
that their duty permitted
The projects order 4 SO opened TO mo the J.
fs,tu fsh 10 90 i~flt
gain admission. The gretter rang bell, aud
prison official appeared. ] requested for \
s guide one of the brigadiers who had watch
Feice Or ini, the fanatica enemy Of Napolec
on the last night before he laid his head ON t
block: The grefiier granted my wish and t
brigadier came.
''Did you watch orsini on the nigh. before b
death I" asked him.
"Yes, sir" the brigadier replied. az was
guard several nights over OrsiEi and Perri, III
Rudio as we'll. AS You will be aware, sir, .th'
passed one and d-twenty days az La RJquette.
We went on. The first small yard was inclos
by a large, many stored building, containiI
apartments for the officials, the guaId-room, al
the rom Of the execntioner, who here reeeiy
the victim of The guIlotine, Which on this day q
AfIicfu SO dieTs, in their picturesque uniiel
occupied. A second grated gate led into g
main building Of the prison, in which are {
sleeping wards nd workshops of the gallo
slaves and conyicts cast for transportation. T
fOur siGes of the thrcc-sOtied building run roul
large inner yard, fouutain.of constantly flo
ing water occupying iL4 ccure. / ais large sgul
is used IS an exercising yard BY the cOnyicts, al
che most dangerous criminals are allowed "
hours for recreation in this prison.
De Ia E0quette contains, ON the average, fro
eight te nine hundred prisoners, who are ava
ing ther1 emoyAl TO the galieys or abrold, a.
they follow each other in divisions When TAXI
exerciAe. At the time when ] visited The ya
many OF the prisoners we're In iU walking al
talking together just rs they pleased Tne ]
Roquette R.ison was blesscdly Ignorant Of {
goose. step which renders the sole hour
recreation of the day wearsome and fatigun
and which is Sound Ia most English prisons.
GLOW do you punish prisoners who nre j
suhordinatef / asked lny companion rs
walked among the groups of gossip.ng colycti
'By stopping their hours Of libmty, TGr,n fOl
and If necessary, removal Of their bed and l0c
Ing up in a dark cell" he replied.
4N0 lashes % Il added.
The man stopped, and looked at me "a aula1
UIent
''Iashesi" he said--"lashes / suppose s.,
mean with whip
eyes, OF COURSE"
Tie krigGdier Yves silent for a mOmeHs b
then continued -
"sir,P he exclaimed, sin France no msr
GogFed, 10. even galey-slave. Are men dOgsi
jr Your cOuntry You must come from RUS.
where Che knout IS used Z"
''N0. en- not a RussiSr but Gu Lnglishmaa
The brigldier looked ~ me in greater lrpgis