The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1875-11-02
NUMBER 81

in this time, gave over this prince boy
t. the care OF q shoemaker and bis wife,
to whom they furnished a lodgment in
the prison for this purpose; and they
did this in order, as they said, that the
bringing upof the boy might be as low
as that Of the lowest OF the people,
Poor boy! poor prince! 20
A little later, Marie Antoinette. the
queen, was taken out OF her dungeon to
go to trial. They called it trial, for
the cake of decency; but think they
knew how it would end before they
called on her to appear. If the judges
before whom she stood had said she
was innocent and must go free, l am
sure that the wives of the Einesellers,
and the fishwomen and the hags Of Par.
is would have snatched her swag and
carried her Of to execution, e they had
not slain her wiz 0N[ ~ -
in the street
These mad people had such thirst
for blood! rs ssf, -xr
1t was better, perhaps, that the judges
should say the Queen must be beheaded
(as they did), than that these wild wo.
men should cut her in pieces.
She certainly died an easier death by
the guiilotine.
You don't know what the guillotine
is? 4s 4 W. sary-xa
1t is simply great knife sliding in
grooves between two upright posts.
which by its fall sewers the head from
the body in an instant; and, it.,is, the
most humane way of executing capital
punishment-if there be any humanity
about it. mfs 'iaTE sa59alf q ygd lfiw
The machine was called Guillctine,
after DR.. Guillotin, who in the French
Assembly iu 1871, proposed 'a''bester-
way Of cutting off peoples heads tbsn
the old way of doing it by an axes,
which he said was clumsy way, and.
clumsy headstnen sometimes made bad
work of it. But DR.. GuilIotin was not
the inventor, as some books will tell
you; nor did he loose his own head by
it, as other books will tell you. siiaFufi
In 1892, the question of finding some
new way of execution. was referred to-
DR.. Antoine Louis, the secretary Of the
College of Surgeons, and he advised
such method as had been limited at BY
DR.. Guillotin the year before. So, them
they had machine made for trial BY
one Schmidt, who was a knife maker
And they tried it on body or two, and
found it worked so well that they adopt.
ed it; and the people called it at first
'Louisette" But DIR. Louis said he
didn't invent it or make it. (Webster's
Unabridged Dictionary which is SO
rarely wrong, makes mistake in saying
he did invent it i i'. 2
So the people went back on the name
of DR.. Guillotin-all because a poet Of
that day had made some jingling rhymes
in which the honor had been referred tor
him. 5.s... =
The real truth is, that machine like
it had been used in Italy, at Genoa, two
hundred years before; and in England,
at Halifax, and in Scotland, at Edin-
burgh, more than hundred years be-
fore, The Scotch people had called il
"The Maiden" s6i
Its dreadful machine, and does
very quick work, as | know; for | have
myself seen mans head taken of BY
it; and / never wish to see such a sight
again.
And now, why do you suppose l have
run over this bloody bit Of history p
Only as sort of introduction to two
of your good friends-a man and wo-,
man, who lived in Paris through all this
time of blood, and who yet have written
the most charming and pleasant stories
for children that are anywhere. to be
found in the French language.
You know them both in aEnglish.--s
Who the writer's we're, and what the
stories were, / must tell you some other
month. Donald G.. Mitchell, st. Nick-
olas for Noo. - - -