The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-02-24
Our baggage was examined

towns. > Our baggage was examined,
landed, put on truck, and wi ealed
+ off to the hotel fixed upon, we fcl ,ow'
ed on foot at our leisure. 7'f tIyl' q
tos ''Let us turn into the Palace and
have a nearer look at the Cathedral p
proposed Seymour. every scrap, OF
tracely looks as sharp and clear, in
this early morning e air, as if it were
= under-a microscope Holioa whats
that t'Tos5-Eoy. f,'f-F I'll. O. z.ullesh 2
- Ds'That"ns was hum and a tramping,
distant at first, then louder and near
g er. When we entered the Place, we
found numerous groups scattered
about fresh comers were perpetuaffy
arriving fomIaH the streets which
concentrated upon that large open
space, and presently the head of the
large crowd, whose march we bad
heard in the distance, aeBoaelied upl
on the scene. llu9j uss R21i--si
In the centre Of the square, scat.
fold had been erected, around which
all these people were gathering. Sey-
mour, a good German scholar, made
inquiries. Yes, there was to be an
i execution. "A man supposed to be an
! Englishman, had committed a very
horrible murder, attended by circums-
tances of revolving treachery and in
gratitude, and his head was to be cut
off in half an hour at the fIrthest
Now, certainly should never have
! gone out of my way to see such a
slight but being there, sort OF
fascination bound me to the spot. AS
for Seymour, he was glad of the op-
portunity of seeing my foreign Gus
toms and since he had served in. the
! cavalry during bloody Indian cam
paign, 1t was beyond the power of a
headsman to spoil his breakfast, even
if the fellow bungle. Some of those
languid, fine gentlemen you meet in
j Pail Mall, and think .effeminate,. have
seen, and done, and suffered things
which could not be read of by many
of tn -ir critics without shoulder
There were immense numbers of
people present. but no crowd, in Ihe
English sense of the word for the
open space was very extensive and
the stage on which the tragedy was
to be performed visible from every
part of it, so that there was nc reason,
why the spectators should jam them
selves together: and as they were free
from that propensity to push to the
front which animates all ranks and
both sexes of the British, there was
plenty of showroom, and sensitive
lady might even have tainted without
being troddcn to death in conse-
quence. 80 49,. .-s
You will have an opportunity of
seeing with what force the blood is al
ways pumping through our arteries, y
said Seymour. ''Barbarous not a
bit. Far mo human than hanging,
1 take it. Curious, though, that they
have not introudccd the guillotine in
this country perphaps because it is
French. - ".- = -. -
81 see no block" T-fas1 1-T O.
'|They do not use. The culprit sits
in that chair, and the. executioner
snicks his head off with his sword as
you would thistle with your cane.
But here they come. r- sil.2
1t was with a sickening feeling that
I watched the executioner, the priest,
and the murderer step on the scaf-
fold. The last was q middle-aged
man of light, agile form, and delicate
features, by black hair and moustache.
He was in his shirt, which was open
at the neck and turned back, and his
arms were bound. To the hardihood
which supports many miscreant in
his last hour, and enables him to Idle
game" he could lay no claim, for hi
face was blanched with terror, he trem-
bled in every limb, and was evidently
nearly fainting.
The mental agony of the poor
wretch added so much to the horror
of the scene, that l could bear it no
longer, and was turning to go, when
an exclamation from my companion
stopped me. Seymour was habitually
so quiet, Indifferent, almost sleepy in
his tone, that anything like energetic
startling. had known him from a
boy, and never remembered his being
excited before. I had seen him resis-
ting the overcharge of an abusive cab
man, in the midst of q Derby row,
and other situations calculated to stir
the temper and set the tongue wag-
ging freely, but his voice had never
been raised or hurried. .-.-sr +.g
My goodman" he drawled on the
Derby occasion, "if you do not get
out Of my way, and keep quiet, !
must hit you;" and presently he did
so, efectually, but quite cody. 80
So that l had come to look upon him
as a well dressed red Indian or dandy
stole, and half doubted at the moment
whether the cry yof surprise could pos
fsibly have come out of his mouth.
One glance at his face assured me OF
that, however /; he was leaning forward
and gazing at the seatiold with parted
lips and straiming eyes. %~-5z i'- .s
90 Lend me your glass; he cried ;
and after locking through the binocu-
lar minute; Yes, it is the man
himself; no doubt that But there is
one thing want to make eut, ut,--nnd
can't. Here your eyes are better
than mine take the glass, and ex-
anime his face. it turned this way
now Well, do you see any mark
siNo. Yes, T do there is a broad
scar on his cheek ~ 1.t-H
81 (which cheek ~, cried Seymour,
grasing my arm SO hard that he hurt
me! .- -.--
I. % 'sThe left" replied.
q. + :. 4 ~