Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-07-16
MEMPHIS, TENN FRIDAY EVENING. JULY is, 1875.


criminals sentenced to death, are three
lofty, well'lighted rooms, cool and airy
in summer, and warmed by an ample
stove in the winter time. They are fur.
nlshed with iron bedsteads, on which are
placed two soft wooden matt esses, one
I above the other, aud a bolster, with
sufficient coverings. There are
chairs and tables, With other eonye-
niences, and the apartments have a sin
gularly cheerful aspect. Racquet. who
murdered M. Rocher, a commission mer-
chant, was the latest occupant Of one Of
these cells. He was the men who had
terminated his previous sentence only
twenty-four hours before his re'arrest,
and be was such sn admirable prisoner
that the director of La Roquette was
called as a witness in his favor at his
trial. Prisoners under sentence of death
are not subjected to any particular re-
straints; they are merely watched by two
warders, ard each Of the condemned
cells is furnished with an alarm bell.
There is good library in the prison.
Most Of the French criminals who are
executed die brayely; some die joking
TrOppmarn, the Wholesale murderer,
was an exception to this rule. He was
awfully frightened at the near prospect
of his doonis The dressing-Foom, or
chambre de toilette, where the director
Of La RoqHette delivers over his pris-
oner to the executioner is a narrow
apartment ike a bit cut off a pass
age. 1t is whitewasAed as to the
upper part of its walls, and painted
brown near the floor; three doors. all
marrow, and capable of being solidly
boiled, lead out Of it. It's furniture is an
almanac, six registers, used to keep ac-
counts OF the relics and persc nal effects
of the prisoner about to suffer. two wood
en- benches, one chair. The floor is un-
carpeted and uncovered; it seemed to
me as though blurred and stained with
tears OF blood. French executions are
still conducted in public, but hedge Of
mounted policemen prevents the crowd
from witnessing the last agonies Of the
dying. Moreover, the gullotine is not
now raised upon q scatfold as It was
formerly. A man going to have his head
cut off may dress as he pleases; and
some indulgences are shown to himif he
has any appetite for them, as he com
monty has on the day preceding his eK-
execution, for attempts seem to be made
with questionable mercy to keep his spir-
its up TO the last. When the order for
his execution arrives, be ia disposed of
with marvellous celerity. At $3.50 m.
the governor enters his cell to warn him
he is aboutlto die; at $50 be has ceased
to exist. The whole business Of prepsr-
ing him for eternity is concluded in Just
twenty minutes.
The terrible ceremony Of the toilet
used to consist in cutting of the con-
demned mans hair; now the hair of cul-
prits sentenced to deathis always kept
closely cut beforehand, and his brief
agonyis not prolonged by any prelimi-
nary formalities. The executioner mere
ly tears off his shirt-collar by an adroit
movement Of the hand, and then the
criminals neck is ready for the knife.
M. Roch, the executioner, is un homme
tres froid deeply pitted with the small
pox, and he does his duty in cool, col
lected, very impressive manner II is
necessary to send him away privately in
closed carriage Immediately after each
execution or the mob might modest him.
Victor Hugo and other great French
writers have pleaded against capital
punishment with such passionate elo-
quence that power in France is evidently
beginning to get ashamed Of shedding
blood; and the human instrument em-
ployed and paid to shed it is very losth
some to the populace. -la' 9tl ,aif'as