National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1871-07-28
The Last Days OF RObesplerre.

After Robespierre was arrested in tn
Convention, and while the gens-d'arm
are bringing him forth, he is torn fron
them, against his wW, by his friends, an,
carried off to the Hotel de VILE Fea
has paralyzed him. He will not presen
himself to the people; he will not pro
claim himself dictator he will not sigl
n paper calling ON the people 10 revolt
he will not even countenance revolt H.
is in coma Of terror At the news o
the rescue tho troops of the Commune
muster quickly. Drunken Henriot, n
the head of his soldiers, dashes through
the streets of Pa. is, shouting TO the peo
pie to revolt but they are tired of th,
worship of their bloody Moloch, and hi
own men turn their cannon upon th'
Hotel de Vile, throw down their arms
and disperse.
1t is night Within dimly Lit apart
ent of the Hotel de Vile sit Robes
pierre and his brethren-St. just, Cou
thon, Lebas. The wolves are Gagged n
last. The death-knell Of Ia 7e,rem il
rinping St Just and Lebas look bold
and defiant Couthon, with his ange
face and silvery voice and withered
limbs, anxious but resigned the sickly
rays OF the candle fall full upon the hid
eously cadaverous features of Robes
pierre. He | as a loaded pistol and poi.
son before him but this worshiper ol
the bloody virtues of Rome can not imi-
tate the old heather heroism, and die
with his fortunes With shaking limbs
and twitching face he listens to the MUIR
murs, the momentarily increasing stir,
the surge of the multitude without. The
sharp report of pistol rings through
the room -Lebas has : OF himself
through the heart, and falls .ead. Hen
riot rushes in to cry thae all is lost ;
Coffinhal, with an epi.het of disgust
hurls him out of the window into the
court below, where he lies lifeless mass.
The soldiers are battering at the door !;
it gives way with crash, and in they
rush. A shot is fired and Robespierre's
head falls upon the table it has broken
its jaw. All the conspirators are cap
tured. The cold, ghostly light of the
dawn is just breaking as the senseless,
bloody form of the IncorruptIble is borne
out into the streets upon litter. 1t is
carried to the Tuileries and laid upon n
table, while the Convention in the next
room decide his tate. As the day ad-
vances crowds flock to the Tuileries as
to a aree-show, and fill the chambers
herein lies the once terrible King of la
Te1reur-terrible no longer, but an alb
ject, shrunken, revolving looking object.
He lies upon his side. From the broken
jaws oozes out the dark blood, and creeps
over the livid face, dropping into the
gaping mouth, and filing it with clotted
gore he has half bandaged the wound,
and the blood-stained handkerchief con-
trasts horribly with the corpse-like fea-
lures. And the foul mob-to gain whose
favor and applause he has shed torrents
of blood-does it commiserute with him,
weep over him, do all it can to soothe
his anguish ? 1t spat upon him, Knocked
his 6roans, pricked him with knives
there was not one who would raise the
cup of water that stood beside him to his
burning, cracking lips
A form of tri ii is gone through, and
then the wild Couthon and the rest are
tied down in cart and iolted off to Ia
msre GuiHo'ine. Paris is frantic with
JOY. Before the cart dance the women,
and singing with demoniac
glee. AS it passes through the streets
the friends and relations of his dead VIC
inns troop out to meet 1t with yells of
frantic JOY to curse its ghastly burden,
body and soul, and pray to God to cast
him into hell-tire. As he mounts the |
'catiold the executioner tears off the ban
lage from hi, face; the shattered jaw
,alls, and there leaps from his throat
such an earthly yell, as though the fiends
lad already their claws upon his soul.
he looks down, shuddering, upon the
'ea of heads it waves and surges as
hough it would sweep away the scaffold,
md up from its cruel depth rises howl
If execration. Ferocious Joy is upon
very face every mouth gaps for his
blood. No look of pity all merciloss-
IS himself. He has sown the dragons
eeth, and behold the harvest The knife
alls, and the head of Maximilian Robes
,ierre rolls into the basket