Omaha daily bee., 1874-01-05
BAZAINE'S SENTENCE.
How the Marshal Received His
Sentence of Death.

The sentence was read out at half
past 9 in the evening by the Duke OF
Aumale, President of the Court, the
prisoner being absent the while, &C.
cording to the French custom.
When the sentence had been deliv-
cred the judges retired and the court
was cleared. None were allowed to
remain but the soldiers on guard, a
company of gendarmes drawn up un-
der arms in the body ofthe court and
the Clerk of Arraig IS. Then Bazaine
was introduced, and according to a
report furnished me by the officer in
command of the gendarmes what
happened was this: Bazaine stepped
hastily up to the ledge of the
dock, and perceiving from
the solemn faces of the SOL
diers that the verdict had gone
against him, he turned deadly
pale and sank down in o chair. Col.
Villette, the custodian, took him by
the arm, and, whispering to him to
compose himself, assisted him to
rise. The clerk read the sentence
amid profound stiffness, but when he
came to the works "penalty of DEATH"
Bazaine brandished his hands, and
exclaimed, in extreme excitement,
cts an infamy! l am being sacri.
feed. There is not n of those gen.
erals who would not have done as l
did" Again Col. Villette entreated
the prisoner to be calm, but Bazaine
continued with a growing agitation
that bordered on frenzy: "Soldiers,
this comes of having done my duty
faithfully for two and forty years.
Some of you must have
served under me. Did l ever
act like a coward or a traitor ?"
1t was a ghastly scene. The soldiers
stood immovably presenting arms,
not at the prisoner, who was no
longer IN officer, but to the docu.
ment which the Clerk was holding,
and several Of them appeared horror
stricken. The Clerk proceeded,
however, and wound up by declaring
to the prisoner that he had five and
twenty years to lodge an appeal.
Then ono more Bazaine exclaimed
otis an infamy;" and he was going
to add some other words when his
custodian touched him and said,
q" Venez Monsieur I" This last word,
Monsieur, being the first formal result
of his being no longer a Marshal
Of France. Bazain9 turned and
walked out of court to his private
rooms, where lie was at once told that
he must submit TO having an officer
with him all night, it being contrary
to regulations that a person under
death sentence should 10 for a single
instant alone. Bazaine has been
wearing the broad red ribbon and
star of the Legion of Honor, and the
yellow ribbon and pendant of the
military medal. He took them of
unbidden and handed them to Col.
Villette, who replied, however, that
he had no orders to take possession Of
the insignia, and that ,"Monsieur"
might keep them until his
had been heard. "Oh,
what use is there in appealing3 |
was condemned before / was brought
up for trial." answered the prisoner
bitterly, and his next question was
about his wife and children, who
were certainly more to be pitied than
he. Nine. Bazaine has been allowed
to see her husband every day, and it
is not likely that this privilege will
be withheld from her now-thOugh,of
course, she will not te allowed to re-
main alone with her husband. She
is a Mexican lady, % years old, with
intelligent features, not I'M
like Nine. Adelina PATHS, and she
has ever been devotedly attached to
the Marshal. They have two chil>
dren, a little boy and girl, the eldest
of whom is five wears old.