The Worthington advance., 1876-06-15
MONSIEUR DE PARIS.
Lpisoiles of The French Revolution.


1t was in 1888 that the last instance
of a sentence of breaking on the wheel
occurred. In an attempt to rescue
the girl with whom he was in love
from the violence of her mother, a
man named Jean Louschart became in
volved in violent struggle with his
own father, who inopportunely ap-
peared on the scene. The old man re-
ceived his death-blow, and the parri-
eide was condenlQed to die upon the
wheel. But the public sympathy was
with the youth. A crowd had gath
cred round the scaffold, when, at the
last moment, a piercing cry was heard
and a young girl was seen waving her
handkerchief. The victim tried to
smile, and rising to his feet exclaimed:
"Farewell, Helen, farewell - ''1t's an
''au revoir" you should say, Jean, re-
piled a voice from the crowd. In
moment the pailings about the scat
fold were broken down. A horrible
uproar ensued. Followed by the popu-
lace the burly smith who had spoken
rushed forward and seized LOuschart
in his muscular arms, cut his bonds,
and prepared to carry him of In trl-
uph. Samson was terribly alarmed {;
separated from his assistants, his sit
uation seemed perilous in the extreme.
But the rescuer touched his arm.
Fear nothing, Chariot" "a name
frequently given to Charles Henri San
son. he cried, tive don't want to
harm you, but your tools. Henceforth,
Chariot, you must kill your customers
without making them suffer- Turn
ing to the crowd he said, "Let him
pass, and see that he is not hurt" He
passed in safety; but the scaffold and
all its accessories were broken in piec'
es. Fire was set to the heap, and it
was reduced to ashes. Charles Henri
Samson was among the first to insist on
the necessity Of machine which
should keep the sufferers body in a
horizontal position, and insure
prompter and safer operation than
could be expected of handwork. This
was precisely what DR.. Guillotine was
seeking, and he visited the executioner
for the purpose Of consulting with him
in regard to the construction of such
machine. Upon it's completion San
son and two of his brothers went tc
the prison of Bicetre to make expert
mentwith the guillotine upon three
corpses. This took place on the It'll
of April, 1892, in the courtyard of the
prison, in the presence of Drs. Antoine
Louis, Philippe Pinel, and Cabanis.
The prisoners looked on eagerly from
the windows. A question had ariser
in regard to the shape of the knife
Two experiments were made--one will
an instrument of oblique form, thu
other with a knife shaped like a cres
cent. The latter failed, and the obliqut
knife was therefore adopted. A weel
after Samson had occasion to test thu
new system on a man named Pelletin
sentenced to death for theft and at
tempted murder. Some uneasines'
was felt in regard to the behavior O.
the mob at the sight of the new instru
ment of death. But no disorder oc
Cured; the execution took place AMI
and fully justified the anticipations O.
those who had invented the machine
Pelletin was carried to the scaffOld il
4 fainting fit, and it would have bee1
impossible to decapitate him with
sword. The execution was looked up
on rs complete success.
Prince and peasant, persons of al
ages and Of both sexes, fell indiscrim
inately under the fatal axe during tn
period of the revolution. The num
ber slain, according to the records, i
2,9l8. Charles Henri Samson, durin
this whole period, remained execution
or in chief. Before they met upon tn
scaffold, the headsman had been twic
in the presence of the King. Thes
two meetings occurred in the begi1
ming Of the year 1779. The Stat
owed the executioner a certain sum {
money for services performed. In
petition which Samson sent to tn
King, he explained his embarrasse
position, and was summoned to We
sailes. Louis XVI. received Sanso
standing near a window which ODone