The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1877-07-28
A FRENCH EXECUTION.
| Guillotining Nineteen Year Old Boy
in the First Hour of Daybreak.


For some DAYS past Versailles has
been more excited over the approaching
execution of boy of nineteen than has
been over the Parliamentary battle rag
ing between the Republicans and the
MacMahonians. 1t is some months
since three young men, whose united
ages did not amount to sixty years,
murdered the widow Tartarin al Argen-
teuil, one Deon stabbing her at the
counsel of second, Lamoureaux, who
watched for favorable opportunity to
commit the crime and helped to throw
the body into a cellar, while the third
Roux, throttled the old woman, and
knelt on her chest till she died. All
three were found drinking and playing
cards by the side of the corpse. Lamor-
eaux, the youngest of the three, was the
only one in whose case the jury declined
to find circumstances ertenuantes, SO that
he came to the scafold, while the others
escaped with life Imprisonment at hard
labor.
1t is five years since Versailles has wit
messed an execution, Heindrich having
conducted the last one, with Roch, the
present headsman, as his first assistant.
Accordingly, sensation-loving folk have
for many nights past haunted the rail
road station, on the lookout for
| the special car which carries the inn
proved guillotine. On Wednesday
evening, despite the precautions of the
railroad officials, it was learned that
fourgon with an odd lading, and stimuli
taneously that four men, of whom the
principal and tallest was easily recogniza-
bic, had arrived at the Hotel de PEtoile
dor, and registered "Roch and three
friends-journeying ON business" The
news spread speedily, and by midnight
large crowd had set out for the Jouy
road, only to find the gates closed against
all people leaving the town. At mid
night squad of forty gendarmes half of
them mounted, set out for the place of
execution, the Pont-Colbert. This is
singularly charming spot, where wide
avenue turning through belt of woods
forms for little distance large square,
covered with moss and turf, and arched
over with lofty trees, tufted thickets at
little distance shutting out the view on
all sides. The whole scene, with the
grass sparkling with dew, the tree
tops swaying in the light breeze,
the clouds paling with the approach of
dawn, reminded one irresistibly of bit
out of some quiet picture, or a scene set
for the stage. Here the instrument of
death was set up, all being in readiness at
2:30, when, to assure himself that all was
in working order, Roch tried the fall of
the knife and the slide of the plank, and
spread deep layer of bran in the basket
| towards which this latter runs. At three
o'clock the guard of 200 soldiers arrived.
A little later the sky of q calm, breathless
summer morning began to tighten, and
the twitter of awakening birds was
heard. The AK was run up to the height
of the uprights and left suspended.
Just as the first CLINT of the light came
over the horizon and glittered on the
elevated blade, Roch placed a small stool
in his van, stepped in with an assistant,
and drove away to the Jail for his victim,
distant about mile and quarter.
Valentin Roux had been awakened
and had heard mass before the execu-
toner arrived, and the usual formalities
were gone through with. He was
lodged in the van which, with an escort
of gendarmes, set out at once for the
Point Colbert. A crowd of 1000 people
was in waiting at the gate, and the mo-
ment it was opened the amateurs of exc
cutions rushed through and scampered
along the road in advance of the lum-
boring vehicle. At 3:55 it entered the
square formed by the troops and the
gendarmes, who had their bayonets fixed
and sabers drawn. A step ladder was
placed against the door, from which
Roch and his head assistant (who is his
son-in-law) escorted Roux. The prison
er was beardless boy 10 years of age,
small, slight, naked to the waist, of a
| ullly SdllON AuC Will hC SiAc] pam
walked backwards closely before him to
shut out sight of the guillotine. At the
foot of the stairs the priest kissed him on
either cheek, pressed his crucifx to his
lips, laid hands on the boys head, and
muttered a word of absolution, then
slipped aside and fell on his knees.
Whether the youth struggled, or shrunk
away, or essayed to speak, no one could
say, for almost at one movement Roch's
heavy hand had pushed him upon the
bascule and slid him under the knife,
which crashed down and shore away the
head. A great jet of blood shot out
from the severed arteries-it is matter
of surprise to all who see corpse after
decapitation where the neck goes to
and splashing in the face of one of the
executioners in its passage fell upon and
soaked the uniform of a gendarmc, while
in the tree above the low and loving
twitter was heard of a mother bird to
her awakening fedglings.