Evening journal., 1888-12-29
PRAD0 DECAPITATED.
Sudden Death of a Versatile
French Criminal.
HIS HEAD DDROPPED IN A BASKET.

He Boldly Faced Death In Awful Form
on the Guillotine-A Mob Witnessed the
Execution OF Ills sentence-story OF Ills
Crime and How ue was Found out.
PARIS, Dec 20.-Prado, the mysterious vii
lain who called himself Count Louis Freder-
ick Luiska de Castillon, was guillotined at
7:S5 O'Clock yesterday morning for the muir
der of Marie Aguetant, the eocotte. BY the
French law condemned murderers are not
notified OF the time OF execution until half
hour before the march to the guillotine is
begun. Prado was awakened shortly before
Z O'Clock, and gruiily informed that his hour
had come The assassin lost none Of his
bravado or coolness He signided that he
was quite ready, and submitted to 10 dressed
with the utmost sang froid
This most brilliant brazen and brutal as
sassin Of modern history died with bias
phemy upon his lips.
Take u away he muttered to the father
confessor, who tried to press a crucinx to the
murderers lips before his soul had passed
away into the great beyond; take that thing
away from me-
Daylight broke over a curious crowd in the
deadly Place de la Rocquette Ii was holi
day crowd and a ribald one, recruited for the
most part from that peculiar class Of women
whose fortunes Prado had been in the habit
Of devouring Stimulated by nbsinthe aud
revenge, they laughed and they joked and
they sang and made boisterously merry at
the approaching death of thor common
enemy.
"These Jezebels make fun Of me,n Kissed
Prado, as the executioner was pinioning him
in his cell, Il have heard them laugh before
me, but have also seen their tears Any
how, ladies, we are quitsln
The prison doors swing apart and pro
cession moves out toward the grim, black
guillotine. Hemmed in by troop Of gen
darmes and soldiers and guadily cnparsoned
government officials is "A shapely young man
lie is without coat or vest, and his white
wooden shirt has been cut low at the neck, as
a society queens bah dress, for the fatal
knife. His dark skin blanches, his upper lip
curls and his squirrel like eyes glare defiance
Shrieks Of triumph 20 up from tho mob.
"Pradom "Assassintn ITO - with his
soulr'
But Prndo Is deaf to the uproar. His head
is erect, his neck IS bent forward, his ewes
are fixed on the block, he 'quickens bis pace.
as II some special finger is beckoning him on
TO die
''Down with himn fiercely howls the mob,
as almost simultaneously with his rejection
Of the crucitix four athletic jail officials
seize the prisoner roughly, throw him 10 the
| ground and force his head through the
wooden moose, above which the huge knife
hangs threateningly.
"Bravoi Bravol' yells feminine chorus
The knife descends and Prado's head rolls
into the basket below
Thus did this precocious scoundrel expiate
the murder Of Marie Aguetant, beautiful
woman who had long been known among the
frequerters Of the promenade at the Eden
theatre as La dame aux diamantsn It IS
not certain whether he was a Spaniard a
Mexican, a Frenchman or a Pole He was
born in 1854, and limited that he was a son Of
Napoleon Ill After travelling round the
world, he became an officer Ia the Cnrlist
army, and began his career Of robbery by
stealing 5000 francs worth Of jewelry from
the house Of friand. In fact, all his crimes
were perpetrated against people who had
served him.
Versatile and ntterly reckless, without one
scrap of conscience or one grain Of fear, he
lived by his wits for twenty years. He was
an adept in the practice OF making towns
and countries too hot to hold him. but he
always anticipated the police. II was only
to Paris and TO a Partisan woman that he
appeared TO have more than passing attach
ment. This woman's name is Eugene For
estier. When the French police had given
up all hope Of tracking the murderer Of
Marie Aguetant Prado's friend, Eugenie
came forward and denounced him
ON Jan. IA 1856, Marie Aguetant was
found murdered ia her room ia the Rue
Caumartin, and her diamonds, with certain
valuable share certificates and other securi-
ties, were gone Marie was one OF tho dozen
or more victims whom Prado had sent, first
to miserable poverty, and then to death
Two days after this murder he was In
Madrid, making furious love 70 the daughter
Of the jsweler to whom he had pledged
Mariels jewels. He even took the dangerous
step of giving her his photograph, and this
| proved TO be one Of the strongest evidences
against him at his trial Perhaps the secret
woslld have remained unrevealed II this in
veterate and Mephistophelean Don Juan had
not slighted his old fame Eugenie She was
jealous woman, and her jealousy caused, at
any rate one righteous sacrifice.