The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1878-04-19
A FAMILY Of PARRIGIpEs.
The. Last Man Who was Doomed to be
Broken On the Wheel ia F-aace-Aud
His Grandson Just GriIlotinsdfOr
the Brutal Butehery of the
Mother that 2ere Hin.
NV York WnrId-

New York World.
| PARIS, March 1S.-At EvercuX the
! day before yesterday, precisely yeaI
and n day from the commission of his
crime, Emmanuel Modesto LOuchard
was put To death. The crime for
| which he suffered was horrible one,
and there is such a singular history
attached to the criminal that | cannot
fOrbear asking the patience of your
readers while | go back to the last
days of the monarchy of Louis XVI,
and recall one of the most remarka-
bic books, the Annals of the SansOns,
who filled the hereditary office of
headsman i'll France from the close Of
the seventeenth century.
Just ninety years ago there lived on
| the Rue de SatOry, at Versailles, an
old and well-tO-do blacksmith, Ma
thurin Louschart by name, devoted to
his craft and proud of il; a loyalist of
| the lOyalists, and IA profound hater of
the new ideas that were beginning to
agitate France. "ShOrten a mules
ears" lie would say, 'and you don't
make ii horse" He had one child,
Jean DOuschart, his peculiar pride and
ioy, a handsome and s.alWart young
man, to whom had been given the
education of a gentleman, though his
father insisted on his succeeding to
the business and being, as the LOus-
charts had for generations been, a
blacksmith. To this proposition the
son consented, but he was already an
OmnivOrous reader, particularly OF
works of the school OF Jean Jacques
Rousseau, NOltaire, Moutesquieu and
UderOt, authors whom he reVered,
while his sire regarded them as crea-
lures of the devil; and one day at din
ner the discovery was accidentally
made by the old man that his son
was q frccthinker Of the most ad-
vanced sort and an advanced Repub-
lican. 4 hot dispdtc followed, end
ing with the old mans peremptory
Injunction to the boy to hold his
tongue. The hOyTetOrted s;trclstically
that his father had curious way of
convincing an opponent, and his faith
er turned him out of doors incOnti-
nently and refused al! his overtures
for reconciliation.
4 cousin of Master Mathurln LOlis-
chart had little while before come to
live with him, the Widow NeTdier,
who brought with him her daughter
Helen, pretty and lovable girl, be-
ing in both respects unlike her moth
er. The girl had fallen in love with
Jean, and Jean with the girl, but the
mother hated the young man, and
when he was turned out Of doors la
bored assiduously to keep his father
incensed against him. she was sue
cessful, for first the old man diSinhcr-
ited the son; then-it should have
been said that he was WidOWer-he
pressed his attentions on Helen, at
tentions which Nine. Nerdier encour-
aged.
Jean meanwhile had found work
with one LeGOintre, afterwaTd TO be-
come a noted member Of the Conven-
ton, and his master advised hills to
clone with his sweetheart On an ap-
Dointed night he went to his fathers
house; he waited long, but the girl
did not appear; then he heard pierre
ing shrieks from the interior of the
dwelling, and, breaking III the door,
found that Mime. NerdieT had diScOy-
cred the plans of her daughter, and
bouncing on her as the girl was steal
ING TO the door, was beating her un-
mercifullv. while his father looked
grimly on.
The young man spranS to rescue
and protect his sweetheart; the father
Rtepped forward to upbraid him, and
at last in fury spat i'll the boys face,
and when the latter reViled him ViO-
Iently sprang OD him with Il crow
| bar. aiming at hina blow that would
certainly have killed him had the
weapon. in descending, not struck
the wall of the narrow passage. Jean
strove to hy, but Nine, Ncrdier was
! irving to block the doorway, 80, dOdS-
| ing "A second blow, he rushed past his
| father toward the workshop, intend
| ing To escape through the window into
| the street. The door was locked, and
as Jean dashed against IT his father
hurled the heavy siedSe-hammer at
/ him. smashing ii panel, then grappled
| with his son. The young man sic
ceeded in wrcnching the hammer
from his furious father, and throwing
him to the ground, dashed the door
from its hinGes, flung down the ham
mcr behind him aud escaped. As lie
| fjmp il from him the oil man was
! struggling 10 his feet; the heavy mass
of iron struck Kim on the temple apd
! left him dead.
Jean Louschart WAC promptly pur-
sued and arrested, the Widow Yer
dier insisting that lie had wilifIilly
murdered his father, and her daugh-
! fer bainr too beWildered 10y the cOnfII-
| siou and horror of thcstruggle to give a
rjeay st9gy of it. The young man was
: certified 10 isaFa what he had done,
IA -aaking from hi~ guards, threw
,iiu' '.aif n unoi his fathor'scorj'se, kissed
the dead face pa. .>Nionaiely, and a.; De
clared that he should no, "eieGu nun
self but rs he had unwitungIy '"ue
! the deed, so should he unresistingly
suffer its penalty.
In due course he was arraigned at
/ the Chatelet. Meanwhile public feel
ing had greatly changed. At first the
pOpulace had greeted the parricide
with boots and Kisses: the King had
ordered the prosecution To he pressed
with especial Vigor. Then came the
| revulsion. The young man had many
| friends, and they, though not belieV-
ing that his fathers death had ensued
through accident, spread the stoTN,
that the son had only acted i'll self
defense, after being the patient vic
tim of acrimony and violence. Then
ne was Republican, and his father
had been an ultra-Loyalist; the King
had ordered NJ. de I.MnOignou to pro.
coed against the slayer without delay
Here was to the crowd proof OF pOliti-
cal interference. Again, there wa:
the romance of the young lovers; Sc
that it was not Surprising that wheI
lean I.ouschaEt was brought to tria
his partisans were many and deter
mined.
Jean would not defend himself
Miss Nerdier's evidence was precise
and the court ordered the parricide Il
| 1,np,, tho xKronaI