The Washington critic., 1890-03-27
MID-LENT IN PARIS.
Tho GuiIIotine at Work-CathoIio Cir
cular on Cremation.

Tho GuiIlotIne at Work-CathoIio Cir
cular on Cremation.
In these times Of Lent, says a Paris
correspondent of the New York Tribune,
the usual chronicle of events can hardly
possess very gay character unless it
refers to the ordinary festivities of mid
Lent, mainly enjoyed by the two ex-
tremes in society, the laundry people
and the theatrical performers. The
yeatly ball of the Paris actresses at the
Opera Comique on that Thursday is as
famous as the display of the washer
women in allegoric carts along the
boulevards. Both these classes seem
bound to enjoy themselves on that par
ticular Thursday, and momentarily to
forget the dirty linen-material and
moral--which il is their profession to
handle the year round, over the theat-
rical stage boards or in the laundry
washtub.
The morbid curiosity of Paris and the
brutal appetite of the criminal classes
have been treated to an extraordinary
and horrible feast. For the first time
in many years the guillotine has sew
cred the head of q murderer less than
Is years Of age and that Of his accom-
plice, who was hardly 20. The double
execution took place last Friday, and
was witnessed by larger morbid crowd
Of sightseers and roughs than usual.
JeantrouX and llibot were the principal
actors in the murder last summer Of an
old janitress of Bonaparte street by
band of young scoundrels.
Both displayed some firmness on the
day Of expiation. Jeantroux was soundly
asleep when, at $50 in the morning, he
was awakened by the entering into his
cell of the director Of the jail, who ex-
horted him TO have courage. "All
right, sir; shall have plenty" an
swered the doomed boy. lie then
asked TO be allowed to smoke o pipe,
which request was declined. He re-
mained for a few minutes with the
almoner of the jail. While the eXecu-
toner proceeded with the "toilette''-
that is, pinioned his arms and legs and
cut his shirt collar as well as the hair
on the back of his head-Jeantroux re-
mained perfectly quiet, Indifferent, ap-
parently. AS the priest was giving him
few drops of rum to drink, the boy,
whose chained hands could not hold
the tumbler, said TRANQUILITY to Abbot
Faure: "Raise up the glass a little"
He reminded the priest not to forget
the messages he had given him for his
mother. He repeated three times that
he would have been glad before dying
to see Ribot, his accomplice, and added,
with insistence: you'll tell him good
by for me-" Finally, the toilet be-
ing completed, he was led to the foot Of
the guillotine, a few yards outside the
gates of the Roquette Jail. JeanhouX
walked resolutely, without turning his
head or looking to the ground. He
twice kissed the cross, and while being
thrown upon the fatal board he said to
the almoner: Good by to my mother
While this execution was taking
place Ribot was awakened by the jail
authorities and prepared for the guillo-
tine lie also asked the favor of seeing
his accomplice, Jeantroux. He said:
This is my last will, and do not un-
derstand why you reject it," AS they
offered him drink, according to usage,
he asked: "Whati is that" 1T is rum,
answered the director. Drink little,
it will give you couragep' "Couragep'
said Ribot, Il shall have it, and do not
need any drink for that purpose.
! Still he consented to swallow u few
drops of the rum.
While walking to the scalfold he
slightly turned his head toward the
! public, he kissed the priest, and he had
! just opened his mouth to say some
thing, after having been tied upon the
reclining board, when the knife Of the
! guillotine came down and cut Off his
| head Just twelve minutes after Jean
| trouX's execution. The remains of
the two criminals were placed in the
| casket and driven to the Ivfy Cemetery
/ for the formal interment. They were
| eXhumed Immediately afterward and
transported to the amphitheatre of the
Faculty Of Medicine for scientific eX.
| periments.
| Monsignor Richard Cardinal Arch
bishop of Paris, has published the let
ter addressed by him TO the curates Of
the diocese to apprise them of the de-
cision arrived at by the Pope in regard
to the 'incineration of bodies" The
Supreme Congregation of the Holy
Office, under the approval Of the Pom.
tiff, has decreed that the Catholic
funeral service cannot be granted to
any member of the Church whose body
is TO be cremated The Cardinals cir
cular has been rendered still more
necessary because Catholic services
were duly held recently at the churches
of the Madeleine and at st. Peter of
Chaillot over the remains Of two Church
members whose bodies were cremated
after the performance of the religious
ceremonies.
| No Food Can be Considered Suitable
| TO the requirements of an infant unless it
contains material to supply the waste OF