Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-06-27


Among the Communists tried ct Yer
saillss was Jean Baptiste Pigerre,
charged with commanding the firing
party who shot the hostages ct La Ro-
quette. He protested he knew nothing
of the dreadful business, and was not
aware that the hostages had been shot
until after his arrest. His denial went
for naught. He had been denounced
BY members Of his own party; three Of
them on trial with him declared he was
at La Roquette. NJ. Chevrieu, prisoner
there at the time, said he saw Pigerre
from his cell dressed as Q National
Guard, trailing scabbard after him;
his face was fixed in his memory, and
Scissor. police officer, asserted en-
phatically That's the man."
Only one voice was raised in Pigerre's
behalf, that of the Communist judge.
Genton.
" You can shoot me. if you like" ex-
claimed he, "but Pigerre is innocent.
He had nothing to do with it,"
The prosecutor summed up, insisting
upon Pigerre's conviction with the rest;
the advocates for the accused said their
Intellectual say, and then came An inter
ruption. A man named Jarraud, whom
everybody agreed was implicated in
the murder Of the hostages and who
was supposed to have been killed by
the soldiers, was brought into Court.
Pigerre was ordered to stand forward.
That's not the man who command
ed" said Jarraud. ooh, no the
leader of the band was Sicard."
The proceedings were suspended, and
that same evening Sicard was found in
one of the prisons. It was evident he
had not long to live, but they carried
him to Versailles to testify to Pigerre's
innocence and convince all the wit
nesses, save the three Communists, that
they had been misled by the extraor-
binary resemblance between the two
men. The prosecutor at once de-
manded that the accusation he had for
mulated against Pigerre should be with
drawn; and so terminated what might
have proved fatal case OF mistaken
identity.
Yet more singular was the escape of
q young Shropshire lady from an igno-
minious death. Staying in Paris dur.
ing the Reign of Terror, sine was
dragged with other aristocrats'' be-
fore one of the tribunals. She pleaded
that she was An Englishwoman; but was
on the point of being hurried out to the
waiting tumbril. when one Of the judges
asked hcr what province in England
she was o native Of. In her fright she
exclaimed Salop,"a reply greeted by
a general shout and clapping of hands,
followed by an order to let her 60; and
amid cries of "Salope Salope p the
dazed girl was hustled into the street to
run home, wondering that her head
was still on her shoulders, little think
ing that by uttering the word Sslope"
she had effectually rebutted the notion
of her being one Of the hated aristocrats
thanks to "Salope" being word then
used to designate one of the most de.
PRAYED of her sex.
Another remarkable escape of that
terrible time was that of M. de Chat
eaubrun, for he was not only con-
demned, but actually waited his turn
at the guillotine, standing sixteenth in o
line of twenty. The fifteenth head had
fallen, when the machine got out of Or
der, and the five had to wait until IL
was repaired. The crowd pressed for
ward to see what was going ON, and a.
it began to grow dark, M. de Chateau
brun found himself gradually thrust
into the rear of the spectators; $50 he
wisely slipped away, and meeting .
man simple enough or charitable enough
to take his word that wsg had tied
his hands and run off with his hat, had
his hands set free, and managed to
reach safe hiding-place. A few days
later he put himself beyond the reach
of the Observation-Disclosures Journal.