The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1876-01-26
} A DARK BIT OF HISTORY

-- .sgiaEKsa slKagg1e
When that tempest of madness | was
speaking ofjusr now first swept thro ugh
the streets OF Paris lin The reign Of Louis
XvI.l, itldrove the crazed people In herds
to glut their vengeance upon those who
erekeeping captives ID chains within
the great pris"ii ~ the Bastille. II was
Indeed grim and dis,nal-looking bull
ding npon the borders of Paris, with slug
gish water around 1t. andits door was
opened by a drawbridge. Toward the
ffowning walls OF this prison there Il
penly tall bronze column uponfhe spot
now che ropulsce OF the city rushed
headIong. with whatever weapons they
could lay hansis upon. Butchers took their
cleyers, stabIenen their forks, cutters their
heavy oaken stakes, carpenters their axes;
and there were thousands with guns and
cutlasses, aud there We're brawny woinen
with heavy pistols. The soldiers who.
guarded the prison wereso frighted by .he
Sights and sounds of the tempest Of the
peoples fury, that they could hardly make
any opposing light Al all. The governor
Of the prison, seeing what mad range he
must encounter. would have blown up the
huge building altogether, and had actually
laid the match 10 do 50, but the soldiers
reteIled and forced him to surrender.
Then the raging mob flowed in, and those
who wore the uniform ofthe king were
smitten 10 death, and dungeon gates were
unlocked. and dprisonersslaggered out who
had not seen the day for dozens and
A besutiful sglTl was caught sight Of
flying down one of the great stairways,
and she was straightway seized upon by
those who believe her to be daughter Of
the governer, aud would have been bur-
ned In the courtyard had not few
generous soldiers stolen her away and se-
ereted her until the sack was over. As
for the governor. who was marquis and
the kings freud. hey cut of his head
and bore 1t bleeding from the top offs
pike stafr sll town the street; aud all
down the street poured the mad, rejoicing
rabble, staying many another as they
went, and carrying the trophies with
tliem-geTy heads on pikes, or CORY heads
on chafing dishes carried BY women.
As II was on that day so II was on many
q day thereafter, and for many Week
aud month; aud for years whoever was a
noble, or friend Of the hated notles-or
rich, or friend Of the hailed rich-lived, IL
he lived at all III that city Of revolution,
ID great dread and danger. -
There was NOT much feeling at the fret
against Louis XVI: for be was FAR better
king ,han those whn had gone before
him. He was kindly at heart. aud what
we might call nowa,lays gentlcmanly,
amiaLle man, with not much force 10
character. aud dispo~ed 10 yield to the
opinions Of those who had been his old
advisers These, by their obstinacy,
bruught him very soon 20 grief. The
people forced him TO trial, and there was
q aforced condemnation. His head, too,
fell before the fury IL Tie efragrd people,
aud was held up by the executioner upon |
tile seafloId foi the thronging mob 10 look |
upon. #@
ThIs poor king had left behind him In |
the prison SON, whom he mad taught, !
as he best could 10 those hreary prison |
hours, arithmetic aud georgrapy. DO
YOU think the 10y ever forgot those les
sons, Or ever forget the sorrow and the
loud wailing Of hIs mother, the queen,
when the King went out 70 his bloody |
death ? .--.r.-....-@...
A little after this, those crazy ones. who |
we're governing Frances % madly In this
time, gave over this hoy TO the care Of a
shoemakcr aud his wife, 10 whom they |
furnished a lo,lgment il the prison for
this purpose; and they did this IN order,
as they said, that the bringing up of the
boy might be as low rs that Of the lowest
% the people. Poor boy poor prince,
A little later, Marie Antoiaette. the
queen. was taken out ~ her dungeon TO
NO Go trial. They called ita trial. for the
snke of decsncy: butI think they knew
bow Il would end before they called on
her 20 appear. 10 the judges before whom
she stuud had said she was innocent ana
must 10 flee, lam snrethat the wives of
the wlneseIlers, and the tish women. and
the hsgs Of Paris would have snatched her
away and carried her Otto execution, 10
they had not slain her with their own
bread knives Ia tie street
Il wm better, perhaps, that the Judges
should say the queen must he beheaded
Gas they dbl, than that these Wild women
shouId cnt her IN pieces She certainly
died an easior death by theguillotine.
You don't know what the gulllotfneis?
ftis slmply a great kuife sliding in
grvoves lstween two upright posts, which
Ly lts fall sewers tie head from The
body In an instant; aud i y the most
humane way Uf executing capital punisb-
tnsnt-if there be any humanity about y.
The machine was called guilIotlne, af- |
tef a Dr. Gulilctine. who, ia the French |
A ....l.f..s.. s~nl sseos.s..sal a luffnr "a uks