Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-08-24
CLEARFIELD, Pa, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST a. 1881

of the twain. With the murderoui
instincts inherent in his nature, he
determined upon Danton's death.
He ably raised himself to the pima
Gle of usurpation and became essen.
TALLY supreme ruler OF France. Dan.
tons friends, expecting the coming
storm, endeavored TO rouse the sleep.
ing hon, but in vain; it was too late
he had tired of blood. II would rather
be guillotined than guillotinc," he
made answer. With the angry fang
ferocity Of the tiger, Robespierre
sprang at the throat OF his prey, and
thus the more merciiu of the anarchs
persisted, On the 30thof March, 1894,
Danton was arrested and brought be.
fore the revolutionary tribunal (his
own petcreation,) } )snmmarily convicted
in company With his old commander,
Camille Desmoulins, and carried to
execution, April 9th. While on the
seaflold he predicted the early fall of
lsobespierre, "the Infamous poltroon, {"
adding, al was the only one who could
have saved him from the guilotine."
On the bank Of death he was interro-
gated as TO the nature Of his religious
belief. Said he: "My dwelling place
will soon be annihilation and my name
will live in the Pantheon of history"
At the foot OF the scafbld Danton was
heard to cry in anguish, 80, my wife,
my well.loved, | shall never see the
moro !" butinstantly exclaimed, "Come,
Danton, no weakness 7 And so he
ended.
"The death of Robespierro was the
most horrible and narrowing OF all.
"The Terror was the essential work
of this man.monster, for which the
murder of Marat was made the ready
pretext. The first victim Of his vile
system was the queenly Marie Anton.
ette the second, the infamous Egdlite, |
Philippe, Due d'Orleans. Petion, TIN
vile, Danton, Desmoulins and the
Girondins came next and for months
Paris was the slaughter.pen OF thou.
sands of Frenchmen. "There above
four thousand" states the Able Mont.
gaillard, "of whom nine hundred were
women" With these excuses the
names ofnew triumvrate, Robesperre,
and Saint Just, are insepara.
bly, connected. But the people were
growing weary Of incessant butchery,
and the ceasoless rumble of the tum.
brels toward the Place de la RevClu.
ton, always on the same shocking
orrand moreover, the friends OF Dan.
ton wero eager to avenge bis murder.
Paris waxed tired of the sight of daily
homicide-such things had become mo.
notonous and dreary, A conspiracy
was accordingly ooncooted against "the
iyrant," as Robespierro was now uni
pers,,lly designated He was arrested
N the convention. The catastrophe
pad come. The last anarch, terrified
1t the fate in store for him, hastily
irew pistol from his pocket and fired
1t his own head, the ball taking effect
n his under jaw, breaking the bone,
put not killing the wretch, for even
ieath would not own him if she could
ielp it. 1t was the 29th of July, the
tenth Thermidor," 1894, but three
months and half after the miserable
acrifce of Danton, that the last of
hose monsters was exterminated on
he scaflold.
The possibilities OF history are seen
n the lives of these beings whose
ierce feroclty for blood exceeded that
If the wild beasts. Is there any con-
rition in the breast eff Guiteau for the
he has caused bis innocent
'ictim and the sorrow to his wife and
hildren and country2 He expresses
lone, but regrets that the President
lid not die in his sight The insanity
which instigated this crime is of the
anne sort as that which conducod to
he horrors of the year 1893 and crea-
ed such conscienceless characters as
he eabove described bloodthrsty brutes.
The guillotine is the proper punish
nent for scoundrels, America may
t least learn that lesson from France.
David Graham Adee, in the Washing
on Republic.