Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1872-07-09

1t ls generally taken for granted that the
beheAdIng instrument used IN France and
some other countries Of Europe was invented,
or at least Perfected, BY, the amlable and
philAnthroplc physician Whose name U besrs,
but In reality this doubtful houor belongs %
some earlier inventor, whose name has not
been preserved. An instrument of this kind
was used In Germany early In the lhirteenth
century, and was known Us the "Panks' pf
"Diels." In 1898 II was mentioned In the
criminal statutes Of the Netherlands, and
It's name appears In many accounts OF eIecu-
tons In Germany and other countries about
the same period.
In Italy similar instrument, called the
"mRnnalR,' was used Tor the execution OF
death by this instrument In 1905. IN BnSs
land q similar machine as used, and full
description Of II may be found In the British
State calendar for l70S. The ''maidot' Of
Scotland, which was used for the behegilng
Of Morton In 1881, was an instrument sihilar
to those already mentioned, and iS supposed
to have been HIrPhght nses IRON asTmaiy BY
muEeum OF the Antiquarian Society at Edln-
burgh. Even France possessed u as eahy as
tue ffteetith century under the pA1e OF
"Dololretni aud tW6 Centuries later the lnfOr-
tunate Duke dc MohLm6rencS was e&futed
with this instrument at the lnstigatBn Of
Richolieu. IL seegis, then, 10 have lassed
out Of use, and TO have y Gu forgotten
When, therefore, DR.. Joseph IgndcS Gull
lOlln, on tho tst Of December, 1874 pro-
posed in the French Constituent Assembly 10
alleviate the horrors of capital punihment
by adopting q machine which would dbpense
with the axe or sword, he was merelyrevly-
| ing an old continuance which had bceIhupeT-
seeded In Germany, France and ItalIby the
very instruments of decGpltatlon which he
was trying 10 abolish.
Or, GuiilOtin's motiot was not mally
acted on until the Goth OF March, 1874 wien
a resolution was passed ordering aiecapi-
tating machine Of the kind described by the
| Doctor 10 be adopted, Tie plan vas sub
milted TO the carpenter employed by the
Government, Who demanded ., 900 frhes for
making the machine, but finally, aitt much
chatteTlng, q better bargain was m9e with
u yoIiOg German mechanic named ahmldt
who agreed To furnish elghty.thred Of the
| new lnstTuments-One for each departnent-
for the sum Of 500 francs each. II tas hrst
tried on the 18Th of April, 1854, upo1a num-
| Der of eOrp6es at the BicetTe hOsphl, and
was found 10 work with rapldlty and fclsion.
| A week later II was employed Tor thdiecapl-
tatioD Of convicted highway robbie named
4 PelletIer. The dreadful use TO whit 1t was
aiteEWard put inthe wholesale mafaere oil
innocent men, womefi, and even bildreni
1
not little 10 Its not being adoptedin Eng
Land and the United States, insteaI OF the
gallows, az means OF lnhlcting caital pun
lshment. ID consists Of q block Tdting be-
tween two upright grooyed posts between
which slides q heaVy-Weighted knlAwlt an
obllque edge. The sufferer ls strapbd firmly
10 plank, and thrust face dOWnllrd be-
tween the posts, so that his neck II directly
under the knife. A spring Is todhed, The
heavy, keen-edged blade deseendshnd the
headSls severed from the body rs eflly as 2
sherp razor sewers hair.
Gnillolin himself narrowly escapd being I
| victim OF the Instrument which IeaTs HI
name. He was thrown into prism duTlnl
the reign Of terror, but was releafd on IN
death OF RobespieTre, resumed thd praeuc
Of his profession In Paris, and died huletly u
his bed gu the Goth Of March, lBl4. In
story that he died brOken-hearted because Q
the infamy attached to his invention 10, 9
course, untrue. al,
The question whether death by The gun!
tine Is Comparatively painless was raised !
France soon after the reintroductipn Of y
instrument. In 1875, DR., Sommerlng, In u
MOniieiir, denounced II as TOO rapid In oper
tlon, and maintained that sensation did M
cease Immediately after decapitatiOn. MAI
experiments were tried to test the truth OF
theory. Eminent physicians asslduOusly Z
tended executions, and, by striking "