The avant courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1871-1872, 1872-02-29


Il a single hair awry. Bright blue coat, but
II toned tightly at the hips but open at tbs
!, chest to display the spotless waistcoat; yet
\ low brceches> white stockings, shoes and
4 buckles Thls costume is never varied, ex.
Il cept that the shoes are sometimes exchanged
!, for boots. The face is sharp and peaky
| the forehead projects over the temples, ard is
!. beast eyes blue. deeply sunken, with heavy
J. lids, and a latent savas sparkle; nose small,
straight, expanded at the nostrils; mouth
large lips thin aud pallid. and compressed
at the corners; chin snaililAnd pointed; ccn-
piexian yellow, livid cadavcrous. Habitual
expression grave. with half-sinister smile.
Every muscle Of the face working with .
ceaseless twitch. Over the whole terrible
expression of concentrated purpose. When
he speaks his gestures are awkward, his
fingers work nervouSly; his voice is shriA
and discordant; when agitaaed by rage or ex-
ultation it sounds like the scream of hyena.
After leaving college, Robespierre became
| astudent of jurisprudence. His studies COM
| pleted, he returned to Arras. His old friend,
| the Criminal Court He now distinguished
himself as strenuous advocate for the aboli-.
tion of capital punishment; and not long af-
ter he had accepted the membership. being
compelled, in virtue OF his Office, to condemn
q criminal to death, he was so painfully af-
/ fected that. rather than again undergo the
i same inflction. he chooee to resign his office.
III, CAR Te
was no hypocrisy tor what could he gain by
| it? Only the displeasure OF his patrons. No;
the nature of the man was utterly devoid Of
physical courage !; and all such natures ins
| stinctiyelyi shrink from blood, which is, in
their minds, inextricably associated with vio-
lence-with that physical contention for
| which their nerves unfit them. | have said
they instinctiyely shrink from blood; yes.
until they taste it; then their appetite grows
Unsuitable for it.. 8fs,t8 s@4gsssa8 4s MS
Evenas late as 1891, we find him hotiy;
maintaining his old war against capital pun
ishment. On the occasion of a motion Of
Lepelletiep Pargeau for it's abolition. he utter
ed these remarkable words: lin the eyes OF
justice and mercy these death-scenes. which
are got up with SO much solemnity, are
|nothing less than base assassination, solemn
chimes. committed, not by individuals, but
by nations, and of which every individual
must bear the resp visibility. *as@ 10 tske
away from man the possibility Of expiating
his misdeels by repentance or by acts Of Hir-
tue, is, in my eyes, the most horrible refine
ment of lcruelty!ps 8tsfs6 s8aaifN As4asf E.sse4i
Listen to these passages from the very,
speech in which he was urging upon tho. As,
sembly the death of the King: 'sFor.myselN
abhor the penaltypof death i *1s*s butia de- u
throned King in the heart of a republic not
yet cemented = Y neither prison norsexile
can give him harmless existence It's with
regret Ipronounce the fataltruth, Louis must
perish because our country must live, r. - !
vote ipr deathsSges7 YgEE93f q falil 6sgt,h "a
The mind of this man had passed through
many phases since he resigned his Office at
Arras on similar question. His was slug,
gish mind-its qualities developed slowly,
and each quality7 required saaseparate stimu- 4
liant to become active. He felt but little OF
ambition then, for he beheld no great object
within his reach and remember. he poss- Si
essed no daring, no talent for the impractica-
Bile; but little Of envy. for. his associations
we're mediocre Egotism must have always
been prominent, but it was the egotism of T
ideas, the worship of an ideal standard Of
lofty principles which be bad created within,
the worship of self in the abstract. But now, !,
in the year 1871, the supreme greatness was
within his grasp; he might become the found %
.r Of the republic of his dreams, establish d
he idclized principles Of Rousseau, be the
.-eator Of q new, order Of things, the great,
of all ages. He had been
brought into collision with every phase Of
sreatness-greatness Of soul, of intellect, and g
# stations conscious inferi rity humiliated
lin, and in such mind envy grew in propor-
Ion to humiliation. The growth of egotsin
vas natural sequence to that Of the other
PASSIONS Although still a believer in the
principle OF tile abolition of capital punish
nent-rfOr this strange being never forsook q
principle once formed-that principle was
Iwarfed into insignfcance beside the might
y ones that now burned within his mind.
Hing him with wild fanaticisn, fixing his
" dlatl VII VI IttE lALuiCs dHu DfiHtiItlR HIN
0 the present, hurrying him on with the
esistless fury of demoniac. Sweep aw
liags. sweep away Queens. mobiles, every
nen,y, every rival of MaximiIlian Robes
ierre Let every stone of Paris stream with
lood pile up corpses until they crimson the =
zee of heaven dccilnate the world, 60 that t
le great Ego may triumph. Then for the
lilleninm, the reign Of peace. equality. lib
'ty, fraternity, eternal loYe and good-fellow-
lip-ilo more hunger, no more crime, no @
ore bloolapillingl ~
But lhis gigantic programme grew in his
ind only BY degrees. The eowardic Of l,ise
atnre would have shrunk appalled,, even on
e VERY eye ot its realization. at the vision
the Reign Of Terror. With the short sight
lness of all great criminals he thought he
'uld stay his band at any moment. The
ing removed, the nobies swept away, and
e bloody work was done How small
eriaee for SO great an end. But it was tho
dfable Of the Hydra. III this case multiplied ~
hundred fold; for, for every bead cut oil. s
10 sprang up ii Its place, Whicll doubled ~
d quadrnplea Until the victims had 10 Be s.
tdemlied ia hatches ri il itty and sixty at 1 III j
ne, until canals ct hioQ1 rAai through tho ,s,s
reefs, until he was heard to CRY In his soli-
.le, ''NathsnE but blool--haY much more Y