The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-02-04
HIS HEAD IN THE BASKET
Eyraud, the S~trangler, G%uillotined
at an EARLY Hour Tuesday
in Paris. II
A Typical Partisan Rabble Sur
rounds the Instrument OF
Death.
His Last Words in Dc~nunciatiOn of the
Minister of h Interlor-The
Crime.

PARIS, Feb. 3.-Miohael Eyraud. the muir.
derer of Notary b. Gouffe, was guiliotinet
at 7:oO o'clock this morning. As early al
two o'clock this morning the customary
barriers were erected upon Place la Rou-
quette. shortly afterwards two divisions
of police and a detachment of the Garde
Republicaine took possession OF the place
The night was most bitterly cold. 10 make
the scene more gloomy than usual, a heavy,
damp, cold fog hung over the city. Inc
cafes near Place la Rouquette were full OF
carousers, male and female, singing III
maudlin tones q disgusting song having
for its refrain. SIT is Eyraud whom we must
have; it is his head which we must have
The scenes in some of the cafes can be bet
ter imagined than described, but they gave
the stranger q good idea of the nature OF q
Paris mob when blood is i'll the air,
BY 5:45 all was ready. Deibler
the %executioner, tested the knife
and found it WAS moving easily
in the grooves. Outside the place, in the
direction of Boulevard Voltaire, there were
about 500 spectators who could hardly see
ANYTHING of the proceedings, but who were
attracted to the spot and remained there
out of sheer morbid curiosity. In the main
the crowd particularly referred to was COM
POSED of %scoundrels who prey upon fallen
women. conv.cts, gambling club croupiers
Of the lowest class, and girls who form the
dregs of society.
At 6;45 a. IN. a party of officials, in COM
pany with the governor of La Rouquette'
entered the cell occupied by Eyraud. They
found Eyraud sitting, crouching on his bed,
and when informed that the petition for
parlon had been rejected, Eyraud replied,
s.Very well.'' The condemned man a few
minutes afterward removed the prison uni
form which he had been wearing and
changed his trousers and socks, refusing all
assistance while preparing for death. be-
ing asked if he had any statement to make,
the murderer replied in the negative. Able
Fau9e then approached the guilty man and
offered to receive and convey to Eyrauds
wife and daughter any message which he
might wish taken to them. To this kind
offer Eyraud replied, Tell them that bid
them adieu and hope they may be happy.
Able Faure then again offered Eyraud a
glass of cognac, but he pushed 1t to one
side, saving. No, that will do me no good.'
Eyraud then walked with the chief warden
and jailer into the dressing roonl. He
looked attentiyely at the gentlemen there
present, and did not utter 4 word. He
then sat down while Deibler pinioned him,
and during this part of the preparation for
the guillotine, Eyraud turned to the gov
ernor and said, Might I request that my
body should not be given to the surgeons"
To this request Able Faure replied, "Your
body will be given to your family" Eyraud
thanked the able, whereupon the latter
offered to embrace the murderer's wife
and child for him. Eyraud, gazing at all
around him. angrily exclaimed, "Constans,
minister ofathe interior. was right. He has
won his case, now to his prize. He will be
tonight with Gabrielle. What a grand
parsonage is going to decorate Gabrielle
Suddenly. as Deibler was completing the
task of pinioning him, Eyraud continued:
you are hurting my finger" and. turning
to the assistant, who was tying the band
ages, he said impatiently: Don't pinch
me SO tightly" Previous to commencing
the march to the scaffold Eyraud again re-
fused to drink a glass of cognac which was
offered to him and was afterwards rigidly
silent until he arrived at the guillotine.
Passing from the cell to the scaffold Eyraud
scanned everything right and left, and then
liked his eyes upon the euillotine. Ar
rived at the foot of the guillotine and with
in a few feet of the block, Eyraud eluded
and angrily shouted to- the assembled
crowd, "Constans is u murderer: he is
more of a murderer than l am. Constanf
Before he could complete the sentence
the executioner seized the murderer and
threw him upon the inclined plank of the
guillotine. Deibler pressed the fatal knoll
and the flashing blade fell with a sharp
sliding sound, and the head of Gouffe't
assassin rolled into the basket below
Eyraud's body was then lifted into a Wagon
and driven off at full gallop to the Gene
terry, escorted by a detachment OF gen
darmes. Able Faure followed the body il
a cab, and after reading the burial service
over the remains at the cemetery, they were
turned over to the dead mans relatives
Immediately after the execution the moi
made a nae rush towards the guillotins
and were with difficulty repulsed by {
strong force of mounted gardes repubii-
Gaines, which had been left i'll charge O
chat instrument of execution.
Tho crime TOR which Michael Eyraud palt
he penalty on the guillotine was an afro
,iors one. His victim, M. Gouffe, was
process server and bill collector, and who
after having collected $4,000, suddenly dis
appeared i'll July, 1889, leaving no trac
behind him. Some six weeks later his bod
was found near Lyons: and not far ava
was a trunk, which the ingenious polio
learned belonged to Michael Eyraud an
his NIECE" Gabrielle Bompard. Epraut
fed to America and all efforts to captur
him proved futile. Some months later Ga
brielle returned to Paris and Informed tn
police that Gouffs was strangled in her rool
and that she had gone to America througI
fear. Eyraud was brought back to Par
and a sensational trial followed. 1t devel
oped that Gabrielle was Eyraud's mistres
n enticed Goutfe into her apart
ments, where Eyraud had mad
preparations for ~strangling his victim
A block and tackle were ti3e
in the ceiling and behind Il curtain tn
murderer stood ready to perform his pan
in the crime. Gabrielle sat on Gouffe's la
and playfully put the moose around til
collectors neck. At a signal Eyraud fror
bshind the curtain pulled the unfortunat
man from the chair and strangled hin
The remains were packed in n trunk an
shipped to Lyons. On the witness stan
Gabrielle testified that Eyraud exercised
supernatural power over her, and elaine
that she was hypnotized on the night of tn
murder. Considerable discussion aros
and many scientists were put on the stan
to testify as to their knowledge of hypnot
ism. While they disagreed in main, hypnot
ism was admitted as a new plea and Ga
brielle was sentenced to prison for life an
Eyraud sentenced to be Guillotined.
A FRESH WATER SLEUTH.