Telegram-herald., 1891-01-13
r1E lvTgl Tlrr u EIEiTl
1he etoxy Of An kxeestion u
the Preach Capital.
\ mssa<rsx RassiSiy ksAsa1st n -
0osa ssx~ss A. krSss ~ -
RrtsoM ke&as<ts.

&fts~n As$eetts-
The reeent Eyraud- Bompard murder
trial IA Paris. tbst attracted ths sstea-
ton Ut half sAs world and terminated
"a the sentencing Of the Bolnpzrd
woni1a y sssnsy years Imprisonment
aud Of Eyrsad u death, recalls
me- norslss morning in last July. AZ
o'clock in the morning the streets and
boulevsrds Of that quesnly city, Paris.
are usually quiet and but few pedes-
trans are abroad. But this morning
there u quite = stir. From oil parts OF
the city msn are walking toward one
po.nt- They 60 along swiftly aud
Glentiy. with bowed heads. seldom
speaking. II WAS but natural for one
OF rsportoFiai instincts 70 hsll into the
strsam regardless of where il was fiow-
ing. for there WAS = suppressed excite
ment in al faces that told Of something
startling to come--some tragic deed or
event near At hand. Down the broad
Boulevard Voltaire and into the narrow
Rue de Ia Roquette strcamed the pso-
pie, and looking up the quaint old street
toward Pere la Chsise cemetery, the
point of attraction became visible. A
throng of people filed the street and
between two sections Of the crowd was
an open space lined with Gems d Armes.
The dark, intelligent French faces all
around were Quivering with excite
ment, and seemed almost tigerish in
expression, yet the concourse was as
silent as . funeral gathering. All eyes
were turned toward q low casteilated
structure of gray stone that stood be-
hind a row of tall plane trees.
"WhaA building Is THAR" was asked
| in execrable French.
"The prison DE La Roquette," was
the answer gwen by = burly black
whiskered workman.
whats going onT'
Gan execution" .
The Quest,oner now became as much
| excited Us the rest of the crowd. Just
| in front OF the prison gate inside the
| open space and close to the curb are
| five large stones bedded into the pave
| ment and standing little higher than
those surrounding them. The stones
would not ordinarily attract the atten-
ton OF the passer-by, but this morning
every eye is fastened upon them, for
| they support the five legs OF clumsy,
strongly numbered machine, the sight of
which sends chill to every heart. 1t
Is the dreaded guiliotlne.
The execution is to take place at 5
| O'Clock aud there is time to look around.
Just across the street is another struct-
ure similar to the prison, a little larger
perhaps. 1t is the prison for young
criminals whose downward career has
just begun. Here they are brought
face to face with the grim and awful
end of capital crime. All the execu-
tons take place in plain view of both
prisons and the neighbors over the way
are all booked for death.
The prison Roquette opens its cruel
jaws and out of the dim archway issues
short procession. There are officers
of the law, attendants of the prison
and two priests, but the central figure
of the group is the condemned man.
He appears to be calm but his CHASTITY
pallor and the oozing perspiration that
glistens on his face tells of the struggle
within. His eyes are cast down as If
he could not bear the sight of the
horrid instrument of death that stands
but few feet away. The officers are
as gentle and polite to the poor wretch
as If he was some nobleman that they
are conducting to his private
carriage, all are quiet and
gentle, but firm. The priestly
offices are finished, and all the consola-
ton which thereverend fathers cangive
to the condemned, has already been
given. The excutioner steps to the
guillotine, and theheavy diagonal blade
ascends to the top of the slide. AS he
critically examines the edge of the
deadly knife the poor victim lifts his
eyes toward it for the first time, and
shudders as he does so. The elbowing
the scene of death is hidden, but every
act of the executloner can be felt
through the contact of those who dc
see it. As the doomed man is led for
ward and pinioned to the inclined
plank, with bis neck locked in the hol-
low beneath the knife, the crowd
presses forward; as the executioner
touches the spring that releases it,
every nerve and muscle in the crowd is
strained to its utmost tension. There is
i ou0uCh SaSP 90 tnO hCoSf Oid0C
rushes downward, and the man to
whom it means death must live an
eternity IN that second of time. if he
has not already tainted from fear. The
silence is intense, but there is a scarcely
perceptable shock as the knife passes
through the victims neck. The crowd
suddenly surges backward and flash
ing vision of spouting blood is seen
through a momentary opening. Then
the crowd closes up more denseIy than
before. A few at the outer edge of the
crowd turn away, and as two men pass
by, one of them gives a shrug of his
shoulders and says: "Eh, we'll; those
that dance must pay the piper" Al
least that would be its equivalent in
English.
The crowd still fingered about the
place of execution as if, having seen
the victims life stricken out, they
longed still to see his immortal spirit
that had been so suddenly rent from
L .fa tauemeut of clay