, 1876-06-18
AK, WHEEL, GUHL0T1NE.
The Samson Family---Seven Gen.
erations of Executioners.
Remarkable Criminals--.Episodes Of the
French Revolution.

Monsieur De Paris-.-The Last OF th
Sansons.
Net1 FORK 7smes.
: In the primitive times OF French society th
: man on whom devolred the sad mission of PM
ting criminals to death or exacting confessfo
by torture took the name Of Executioner c
; High Justice, because high Judges and ais
Royal Judges alone had the right to pass ser
tence Of death. Custom had established sor
OF hierarchy in the profession. For period Q
over 200 years the Office OF executioner at Pari
} remained in possession Of single family, laps
ing from father to son through seven genera
tions.
CHARLES SAMSON DE LoSavAI,
the first OF the race appointed to this lugubriou
position, was born at Abbcyil1e in 1863 Hav
ing a fancy for military life, On com
ing Of age he bought commission il
the regiment Of the Marquis de Laboisr
siere- During the Summer OF 1862 he wa:
stationed at Dieppe Riding through the coun
trT on one occasion, he was injured by fa1
from his horse, and was nurscd through te.
dious illness BY young woman to whom he be-
came tenderly attached. Not long after his re
covery he was horrifed to learn that the object
OF his affection WAS the daughter Of one Master
Pierre Jouanne, executioner Of the towns OF
Rouen and Dieppe- The intimacy continued,
however, until Samson was threatened with dis
mtssal from the regiment on account of his dis
| graceful associations. He Immediately resigned
| from the army, and was preparing to leave
| the town, when, on a farewell visit to the
house Of Jouanne, he found the latter engaged
l l.
e1tort a confession Of the name Of
her seducer. He announced himself as
| the man, and offered to marry the
girl and remove with her to some distant coun-
| try. But the brutal and intolerant father re-
fused to permit his daughters marriage with a
man whose family would regard them both with
contempt He could only be induced to yield
upon the condition that Saneon would adopt the
profession of e1ecutioner. The girl seemed de-
tcrmined to abide BY her fathers decision, and
rifce was made, and Samson
BECAME A uEADSMAN.
The record says "that, having to break On the
wheel certain Martin Eslaa, Master Pierre
PEELED his son-in-law, who was but lately
married, to aim blow at the culprit, the said
son-n-law fell Ia q fit and vas hooted By the
mob The hppress SD aea,y bought vas Of
died after giving birth to son.
These events appear to have disturbed his
reason for time At Roucn he was avoided
with something like terror. When the proposal
was made to him to exchange his provincial
jurisdiction for that OF the Capital of the King
dom 1t was gratefully received, fof 1t afforded
him an opportunity to renounce an unpleasant
celebrity, and to leave spot replete with sad
recollections. Toward the latter part of the
year 1855 Samson vent to Paris.
Samson fulfilled the duties Of his terrible
Office at Paris for some years unmarked by the |
occurrence Of any incident of peculiar interest |
until the trial and execution of
NINE. FtQUET |
IN 16f7 Tor an attempt to murder her husband. |
Before the day Of Nine Fiquet's execution the |
prisoner was subjected to torture to induce her /
to reveal the names OF her accomplices She |
confessed everything; but when asked if her
claimed, tGood heaven, no! If had told him
Of 1t I should have lost his respect, which was
dcarer to me than life.n Onthe morning Of the
fatal day Madame Fiquct was clad in spotless
white, and her dress enhanced the splendid
beauty she still retained in spite of her 42 years
aud her terrible sufferiEgs. In the cart beside
her rode Jacques Moura, her accoInplice, who
"as also to suffer for her crime. Moura was CT
ecuted first. When her turn Wis come, Madame
Fiquet advanced, and, b,wing gracefully to San
son, offered her hand that he might assist her to
ascend the steps. Then she inquired what posi-
tlon she was to take. The man who was to do
the bloody deed became SO impressed that he |
had barely strength to tell her She had only to
execution. Three times the sword fell, amid
Lhe hooting and derision OF the mob, before the
bead was severed from the trunk. When at last
It fell, the assistants raised it and placed 1t up-
IN the block.
Another execution performed by the first
SAMSON WaS
A AAEMoRABLE ONE.
IN 1884 copies OF a libel entitled the HGhost !
II n. Scarrow," directed towards Louis XIV. !
md Nine De Maintenon, were circulated in | :
,aris and Versailles. It vas among the Princes
Il the blood and at the court that the "old /
voman," as Nine De hfaintcnon was con t
emptuously styled, had the most enemies. q
his outrage SO exasperated Louis that be de- q
Jared that the authors of it should suffer the 3
xtreme penalty Of the law. An anonymous =
1tter informed the police that the pamphlets b
a1ned Jean La1cher. His premises were
earched, and, to the greater surprise of the A
nfortunate owner than any other, several
optes Of the libel were found. Larcher en-
was subsequently discovered that the pres p
nee OF the pamphlets in Larcher's house was t.
he result OF plot contr1Tcd between his iu- E
vie and her rrramour, whom she $.
At the age Of 81 the first Samson was COM
elled to resign his horrible Office, as his nerves
I'd utterly failed him. He could no longer en- L
nre to remain in Paris, and retired with his in
cond wife, whom be had married in Paris, to | pl
nall farm at Condo, in the District OF Brie- {,
HIS SON, in
SO named Charles, began to exercise the func- tc
ons Of his office in 17o3: &c is said to have fo
,en Of a mild aud gentle disposition. Hc mar pt
ID young, and was enabled to surround his tp
lie md iamily with all the comforts and ele- th
ncies Of life. From 1703 to 1716 the list Of G.
ecutions performed Is almost exclusively COM at
sed OF obscure names, connected with vulgar ad
ines: In IT'S, when Louis XIV. died, the re- ".
ncy fell to the Duke of Orleans. Two of the ":
9;t @ 1ustrlous perhaps, executed during that Sc