Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1882-03-23
JOKING WITH DEATH.

| The Condemned Men who Played at Being
! Executed General Biron's LAST breakfast
-Heroines of the Scaffold-The Actress
who Made Up her Debut ON the Guiliotine
The eooluess with which the doomed ones
during the French Revolution awaited and
met their fate is historic. 1t was matter
of pride with most of them to go to their
doom as to pleasure party. MontJour-
| dain commander of the st. Lazarre Battal-
| ion, when informed that his time was come,
composed song and went to the scaffold
laughing and joking with fellow=Vict1m.
| One day Samson was at the concierge, wait
ing in the prison parlor, when two prison.
ars whs were about TO be interro-
gated, passed through the room.
One of these, Boisguyon, An old
soldier, approached him, and with great
| demonstrations Of pohtsness, said:
is it to the citi23u eSecutioner have
| ths honor of speaking? Is not your seatfold
like ballroom, citizen. and does not the
knife, like The siolins, begin operations In
such way AS not TO leave time for two
wordsf'
Tbs bsadsnaan gave an affirmative answer,
and, turning toward his companion, Bois-
guyou said to him:
"You see, Dupre, that was right; and
that you acted yonr part very badly. We
must ask Fouquier- Tlnyille TO allow the
! citizen execuhoper to come and snpsIln-
! tend our lehearsals."
The gepdarmes ledthem away, laughing.
| The speaker alluded to u parody OF capital
| punishment which had become the chief
amusement of the prisoners.
Three days later Boisgnyon came up for
execution. When he Was brought out, he
said to Sauson
"You are III earnest day. You will be
astonished to See how we'll l can play my
part"
| 4 forgsr of assiguats, Colombier, was to
lie. The forger was in CONSERVATION; he
! tried to prove to citizen Roisguyon that he
was not guilty. The latter attempted TO
| console him, and said:
If my dying twice, instead of once,
| could save you, | would willingly submit to
| the experiment. for death is of very little
| consequence to me; but, since this is i'm
oossible, keep your reasons for the Lord,
! IN whose presence We shall be. two hours
| aencs,
Boisguyon died as might have been ex-
| oected. without tremor.
! General. the Dnke de Biron Was another
.ool one When Samson went to lead him
% execution be was in the head turkeys
| room, and was eating oysters with much
appetite.
On seeing the headsman he said:
! Allow me TO eat this last dozen o. Oy-
| stersl"
Samson answered that he was ut his Or
iers. which made him laugh; and he said
No, m0rbieul it is Just the otaer way;
AN at yours"
He finished his repast with wonderful
! inl1 Nuif a.
saying that he should arrive in the other
world in time to wish u happy New Year to
| hia friends. He was cool to the end. On
| the way a soldier called ont to him:
! Farewell, general!'
Biron answered:
| -Good-by my conrad"
Bron had been general of the French
| guards, but had been removed by the king,
| who put in his place one of the great lords
| the Due du Chatulet. This man did more
! harm to the monarchy than its most invet-
crate enemies. Du Chatelet treated the
| guards o severely that he facilitated the
| work Of those who We're trying to disatfect
the .Gotdiers, and so brought abont the
| mutluy which rGhkG-s him af tha nrnmand
he was not fit to fight.
The night before his execution he at
tempted to destroy himself. Having nei-
ther knife nor dagger. he tried to kill him
self with a sharp piece of glass. but the
glass broke, and only made slight wound;
then thinking that he could die by losing
| all his blood, He cut his breast several
times with the piece which still remained
in his possession, but he only succeeded
in weakening himself so that his legs
could not carry him. Nevertheless, bis
| heart was firm. The attendsnts proposed
| in the death cart to bind his wounds, and
| thereby prevent the blood from
flowing, bat he answered:
Never mind; It's only saving you
| work"
He recovered some strength in the Place
lie la Revolution, and cried "Vive lie r dip
These words of loyalty we're his last.
The execution of Anacharsis Clootz wa:
characteristic of the man. Clootz was 6
sincere crank" who deserved shower
bath rather than one in his own blood; bu
Fouquier Tinville regarded him as danger
GUS, and had hi | condemned as au enemy
of the nation. This. too, in spite of the
fact that ClootZ had written pamphlet
entitled, "The Universal Republic" il
which he said that he vas the personal en-
envy of God, and that the world would j III
France. and adopt republican institutions
As he said in defending himself:
zan of kings; it would indeed he extraor-
dinary if man who would be burned il
Rome, hanged in England. and quarterst
in Vienna we're guillotined in Paris.
The extraordinary thing came to pass
however. He was one of batch of eieh.
teen who were turned Off that day. Cloot.
was quite cool and in no way disturbed; b.
preached to his companions, asking then
not to belle their principles, assuring then
that the guillotine was the ultimate end o.
their tribulstion; that
THE GUILLoTINE WAS THE END
OF everything, begging them to give to tn
world the sight of republican death
Fouquier, out of compassion for Clootz ,ha,
ordered that he should be executed first
Clootz, however, refused. He wished, h
said, to fortify himself in his disbelief i
second life, and to urge to the last upon hi
companions to do the same; and he adde
: that the privilege given him was one whic
one always bad the right to decline.
Herbert was the seventeenth man o
; the list by this arrangement instead of th
eighteenth. When only Clootz and Her
bert remained, the latter exclaimed in
weak voice:
Not yeti"
Clootz heard him. and rushed forward
crying:
"Hurrah for the fraternity of nations
Long live the Republic of the world!" An
his head dropped almost before his Lip
! ceased moving with this glorious atmof
phere upon them.
Lemoignon de Malesherbes was arreste
J at his country house, with all his family
: His daughter and granddaughter were exc
! cuted with him. After his arrest he wa
. incarcsrated in the Porte-Libre On al
I irving there he met one of hiSformer clerks
e who exclaimed:
"Whatl You here, sirp"
Yes, my friend, answered Malesherbe