The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-07-15

| with their heads and faces Snrouueu III
! re bOSGS to the eyes; and dark skinned,
! half.naked, chattering children, made
up the crowd. SOftened and purified
| for the time by sorrow and pity, the
| faces of these people were not entirely
repuisive. The cheeks of many OF them
were wet with tears. The women sob
| bed and walled, and besought their
saints with low and tender cries. The
men lowered their gaze and muttered
| in whispers. The soldiers of the guard,
generally, assumed careless, semi
! DravadO air.
Mirumon was the only one of the
prisoners whose thoughts were not, ap-
| pnrently, far away. His glance roved
| from side TO side, seeking among the
hand in salute to some acquaintance
near. His face, though distigured by
the wound which he had received be-
meath the eve in the previous battle was
almost good looking. His complexion
was clear. He wore moustache and
beard. His dress was neatly arranged.
MejiR sat, DULY ponderlng. be
scarcely noticed the crowd. His swar-
thy face dropped upon his chest. He
showed no sign of fear or trembling.
He had long been suffering from dis
ease that had made the thought of death
| familiar to him.
Muximilian, the loneliest, the most
!
sion in his eyes that will never be for
| gotten by those who saw it in this
world. Their gaze was lifted from the
time the carriage emerged from the
plaza, just above the head of the multi
Jude around, toward the east. What
they saw was surely not the massive,
ruinous walls and roofs, nor the barren
mountain sides in the distance, nor the
clumps of uncouth trees upon the hills,
nor the waving fields beyond the sub
urbs. They had recalled other land
scapes for this, their last look. They
had recalled other faces upon which 10
dwell On the mouth below poignant
smile seemed TO be frozen. With one
pale hand the Archduke stroked his
long, fair beard; the other rested quiet
ly upon the seal at his side.
When the carriages arrived Mt the
place of execution, tremor RS OF rea!
anguish and regard shook the crowd
that pressed in on every hand. Troops
were mt once disposed on three sides OF
a square, leaving that side open to-
ward which the fatal volley was to be
fired. Escobedo and his officers aP-
preached the carriages. The prisoners
were told to descend. Miramon was
ready, and the first to leave his seat.
| Meiia quilted his seat slowly, and with
apparent difficulty. MaXimilian, re-
| covered from his abstraction, took IN
the whole scene with an awakening
glance, and descended, bearing him
| self calmly MS usual, without word.
The places where they were to stand
were now pointed out to the three.
They took their positions. The reA-
sons for their sentence and their death
warrant were declared to them. They
were then permitted TO ospeak.
At this supreme moment, could even
the closing words of Victor HuSo's
passionate appeal for mercy to Maxi
milan have broken from his own lips,
from the foremost rank of the awaiting
assemblnge, they might indeed have
thrilled the mass to IL temporary put
nnvailing fervOur. But every sylln-
Jle would have broken against the
! henrts of Escobedo and his chiefs like
tempest against walls of rock. At this
moment, also, the adultatiOn of Mexi-
can liberty and herOism, with which
Hugo has preceded his appeal, would
have sounded worse than plntitude to
all acquainted with the history OF the
country and the race. There is para
phase. more Just and truthful than the
great Frenchnun's ignorant hnd eXalt-
ed recitation. And this 1t is:
Europe, in 1863, fell upon Mexico.
Two mOnurchies attacked iIs anarchy.
one with prince, The other with an
army, the army bringing in the prince.
The world then beheld this spectacle:
On the one hand, this army supporting
this prince in an endeavor to erect gov
ernment out ofand above chnos; on the
other hand, political hatred, disorder,
jealousy, faction, cemented for time
in grand opposition TO such an effort.
On thr one side, the power of an em-
pire backing well-meaning ruler; on
the other side host of half barbnrians,
accustomed to and delighting in warfare
and license, n part pretending to sup
port the new empire, but weakening 1t
by natural eXceSSeS, part gOAdlnS II
to its downfall by warning upon 1t in
bands, by establishing reign ofterror.
The Prince justly believed that such n
people were incapable of selt-control.
But the Prince, unfortunately did not
know that they were incapable of being
controlled at all. The race proved that
both these assertions were true. 1t eS-
hibita at this hour the supremacy of
passion over reason, OF political ven
reance over sober craftsmanship and
forethought, for the thousandth but
not the ultimate time. To slay is the
motto blackeuing its flag; to slay is the
mania in its heart, the intent ElltlerlnS
in its jaundiced eye. 1t is Il bad, devil
ish, quite irretrievable spawn of Span
iards, Indians, and negroes.
Behold, here is q man! We do not
love him, because of the crime he has
conmitted-whether from his own will
! or design or nOt-against the sacred re-
publicHnism that we, Americans, have
| declared shall prevail on the American
continent. But, look at him, then look
round at these. Is this sacrifice thnti is
about to be made a sacrifice upon the
altar of human liberty? Are these the
| beings who understand, or care, what
human liberty really is2 In not Il sim
gle native face shall you look and find
| the intelligence you seek. In not a
single face shall you look and behold
| the calm, and intelligent, and superior
!
stands, the loftiest and the brayest OF a
fated, about to expiate before this host
OF tHwny interiors his great Mistake.
AZ disclaIm," said Maximilian, AS the
| crowd became hushed TO hear, "any in
tention or wish TO agRrandiZe myself at
| the expense of Mexico. When l was
first waited upon at Miramar by the
deputution prepared TO otter me the
crown refused. The proposition was
pressed upon me. 1 replied, that II u
majority of the Mexican people decided
| that it was for the interest OF the coun-
trv, | should not feel at liberty to re-
fuse. A testimonial to the last effect
was brought me by another deputatton.
| The European goverpments advised
that should accept. Believing that L
was then really furnished with the wish
of the Mexican people, l came, pur-
sued the course that l believed to be the
best, Whatever decreos i have issued
were issued as warning, and under a
mistaken impression of the real senti-
ment of a majority of the people, rather r
from despotic or selfish motive. |
! have been tried by an incompetent and
| illegal court. My protest has been OF
no avail. 1 have right to demand,
and still demand more deliberate
bearing"
Nothing was said in reply. Maxi
milan evidently expected nothing.
He stood in n firm, yet graceful attl,