The tri-weekly news. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1865-1876, 1866-04-10
w1NNsBoRo, S. q, TUESDAY MORNING, April 10, 1866.
From the Courier des Eats Unts.
The Man who GailIotined Himself.

The Man who GuilIotined Himself.
The validity of the will ofa person
who has committed suicide is at this mo.
rnent under discussion in the courts of
the kingdom of Naples.
Mr.. Couvreux Selected for himself a
singular manner oftdying-he guillotin.
ed himself. We horow the following
details from the correspondence of the
Temps. The writer obtained them
from M. Jalnmi, consular agent OF France
at Castellamare.
Mr. Couvreux, d man of about fifty.
four years Of age, had chosen for himself
some years back, q residence in an hotel
of Castellamare npen the delightful hill
Qul-si.sana. (Here one recovers his
HEALTHY To the public he appeared but a
simple, inoffensive lunatic; his madness
was ever veled by q taste for literature
and art; he touched the piano and com.
posed romances. Within himself he
was prey to two fixed ideas-to lead
life of chastity and to die without suf-
fering pain. The Influence of the for.
mer had induced him to initiate the
famous sacrifice of Origen-the second
led him to guillotine himself He read
everything that had any bearing upon
the sacrifice of the ,gnillotine.
Well.thumbed pages were found in
his rooms, in which it was discussed
whether the head Of the person guillo.
tined sees and feels after execution
There Is reason to suppose that he arrv-
ed at the conviction that the mode of
death is easy. In this belief he erected
handsome guillotine in the door. way
which opened from his parlor to his
bedroom. The important feature in
his invention was a sliding axe, which
he loaded with one hundred and thirty
two pounds Of lead. He tried the instru.
ment on several animals. 1t was after.
wards remembered that he had often
carried into his rooms cats and chickens
which had been no more seen. When
he had satisfied himself as to the excel.
lence of his machines ahe proceeded to
ornament it. He set, it in a frame of
two red curtains gracefully drawn apart :;
between the curtains and under the fall
he planted firmly a table with steps lead.
ing to it, and covered all over with a
black cloth. He placed white and
soft pillow near the corner of the table,
upon which was to rest the severed
head.
Everything being in readiness to-
wards half.past nine o'clock in the even
ing, he played upon the piano hymn to
the Virgin, of his composition. He
dresses himselfin white flannel, he as.
cended the steps of his scadold, and ex
tended himself upon his back, looking
upward SO that he might see the instru.
ment of death fall upon his neck. 1t
seems that to be able to see better, he
even placed a light upon piece of fur.
nitue near by. He touched the cord
which retained the suspended axe---the
axe fell, and at blow struck off his
head, which separated itself but little
from the trunk and rested in an easy
position upon the white pillow prepared
toreceive ii. When the room was en-
tered the next morning, and all the hor.
rble details of the catastrophe were in.
vestigated, upon the table was found
will by which several thousands of francs
were left to the servants of the hotel.
1t is this will which is now being con.
tested before the civil court of Caslella.
mare. The relatives of Mr.. Couvreaux
are attempting to upset the will as the
act Of a lunatic. The employees of the
hotel assert its validity.
AT the Durham assiEes deaf old