Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-09-28
HOW TORTURE WAS ABOLISH.
ED In FRANCE.

luB dDOul tuirt) years uBO, III INC naioha
of Madame Hacquesille, at Paris, and
Monster de Page, an aged Judge, was
called upon TO relate some events in his
own judicial life, and he narrated the
following thrilling incident, to illustrate
the foolish cruelty and absurdity OF
applying the torture to obtain the truth ::
well go back" he said, to the
DAYS of Louis the Sixteenth. | was then
one of the Kings judges--but, before
that, was scholar of the University.
Ny road was not smooth. | had many
many trials, but | had consoler.
Francoise, my foster sister, came not
once, but often, from far away in the
provinces to comfort and console me
| loved her as if she had been a sister Of
my own blood During her last visit IA
terrible circumstance occurred. | lost
a valuable diamond snuff box; | spoke
loudly of my loss and every place was
searched. The diamond snuff box was
found One of the people of the court
discovered it hidden in the paillassee or
the bed in which my foster sister slept
A general movement ofinterest showed
itself in the salon of Madame Hacque-
vile. The President de Page paused.
The recital evidently panied him, but he
continued:
"Francoise, the fresh checked peasant
of Mantreau, she who had trudged
YEARLY through frost and snow to come
and throw herself upon my neck and
upon the steps of the Sorponne-Fran-
coise, whose skin was soft as velvet and
her eyes so tender and loving
The Marquis took a pinch Of snuff,
but / saw the snuff fall upon the floor.
They dragged her before the judges.
/ wished to excuse myself, but they
forced me to preside. They pretended
ironically to repose the highest degree
of confidence in my natural impsrtiality
My enemies rejoiced, and the populace
threatened to stone me when 1t was
known that l had ordered"
Here NJ de Page was silent You
could hear nothing but the cracking of
fire, and the oscillations of the pend
ulum. The pictures on the wall were
noisier than the company at that mo-
ment,
M. de Page continued
That had ordered the rack For
FRANCHISE firmly denied everything, the
theft, all, constantly reminding me of
Montreau, of her mother, of the days of
our childhood, and of our relationship.
/ had ordered the question The robe
of Francoise was taken off Oh the
cry of young girl brought naked before
her judges. God spare you from ever
hearing that cry. The torture was ap-
piled Her eyes grew weaker. But
Francoise turned her eyes npon me.
Gentlemen, have had sword thrust
through my body to the hilt That look
stabbed more keenly. They put her
knee in the leaden boot. Her cries grew
weaker.
At this part of the recital of the Pres
ident thrill of horror ran through the
guests.
"They put the fire to the pit Of her
stomach. FRANCHISE was silent she had
ceased to shrek Gentlemen, Francoise
was innocent / know it. 1t was | who
had hidden the diamond box in her bed,
in order that she might be tried, con-
demned and executed"
The ladies' covered their faces. If |
had had knife in my hand, / would
have stuck it in the old President heart.
But the President closed his eyes, col
lected himself for moment, and then
said:
"They crushed her right hand, every
finger, every joint, like tha-"
He made gesture. My nerves jerked
spasmodically in imitation Of it. A cloud
of blood passed before my eyes, and the
terrible scene vanished.
"Francoise had tainted in confessing
the theft. Yes, she had confessed it, but
proclaimed that / was her foster brother,
that she had come to Paris to see me
that to see me she had braved ice and
snow-braved everything-to hang once
more uppn her foster brother neck. "
The President had hardly finished the
agonizing sentence, when | saw rise be-
hind Madame de Hacqueville, like a
phantom, a woman, who, with difficulty
and pain, drawing off her glove, permit
ted to be seen hand broken and crushed,
which she placed upon the head of NJ.
de Page.
Like one crushed, the old man raised
his eyes in terror beneath that hand
which weighed him down. The old peo-
pie we're pale; / looked at myself in the
glass; / was more than pale-I was
green. Tears and sobs from the eyes
and mouths Of these two, ruined by each
other, mingled together; and n. de
Page took that hand and carrying it to
his lips, kissed it as the dying man
kisses the Host, and he was pardoned
as the dying man is pardoned. For
Madame Casa Blanca passed the arm