The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-02-05
HIS HEAD CUT OFF.
Anarchist Valiant Today
Paid the Penalty of His
Fiendish Act.
"LONG LIYE ANARCHY!D BE CRIED.
Guillotined in the Presence Of a
Large Gathering of Working
men-Police Precautions.
BIZ Gable to the Ussted Press.

BIZ Gable to the United Press.
PARIS, Feb. 5, 1S94--With the cry Of
"Death to the bourgeosie,' sLong live
Anarchy" Valiant the Anarchist whose
name has been to the lips of Parisians ever
since the ninth of December, when he threw
the bomb in the Chamber of Deputies, paio
this morning the penalty of his crime.
The precautions taken by the authorities
to prevent any Anarchist demonstration al
the guillotine were perfect, and many Of
the crowd that had gathered to witness the
execution, finding that the guards prevented
them from seeing anything OF the gulllotlne,
left the vicinity of the Roquette prison, IL
which Valiant was awaiting the coming OF
the headsman, before the time it was ex-
pected that the execution would take place
Judge L'Espinasse, before whom Valiant
was tried, arrived at the prison at an early
hour Shortly after, M. Lepine, Prefect OF
Police visited the Place de La Roquette to
see that every precaution had been taken
to guard against demonstration.
THE GUILLoTINE TESTED.
After the guillotine had been set up in the
Place de la Roquette, but a few feet from
the doorway OF the prison, by the assistants
of NJ Diebler. the State executioner, the
latter appeared and tested the machine of
death. After examining the pulleys and
was inserted. This knife, which was foot
wide, had a diagonal edge, one end being a
foot longer than the other.
At Gas O'Clock the gas lights in the vicin-
ity of the prison began to pale. 1t was estl-
mated at this time that not more than seven
or eight hundred people were waiting to see
the execution, but as it grew later the
crowd slightly increased, and at the time
the knife fell about twelve hundred people
were present. Many persons were standing
on the roofs of houses from which view OF
the guillotine could be had. Everybody was
remarkably silent. There was none of the
shrieking that usually marks an execution
here.
AT seven O'Clock twenty-five mounted
guards advanced to the front of the guillo-
tine Muskets were slung across their backs,
and all carried barred sabres in their hands.
All the troops present Strengthened up as
the little door in the gateway closed. This
was sign that the double doors would
shortly swing open to allow the passage OF
Valiant and his attendants.
At ten minutes past seven o'clock all the
gas lamps were extinguished except the one
nearest the guillotine.
VALIANT SURPRISED
At seven o'clock Head Warden Brun,
Judge LEspinasse, Registrar Horoch and
District Police Commissary Leygonie entered
VaiIlant's cell to inform him that the time
had arrived for the sentence of the law to be
~, l.
ing when they arrived. He was awakened,
and told to prepare for death. He appeared
TO be surprised, and began to reiterate the
theories he advanced before the Assize Court.
He declared that though it was easy to sup
press him, it was impossible to suppress
Anarchist ideas ''My body is nothing" he
added, compared with the progres of my
principles l shall be revenged."
Valiant was perfectly calm, and dis
PLAYED no fear whatever. The warden
asked him if he would like to see the chap
lain.
NO" replied Valiant, 81 will not see
him"
Twill you have something to drink"
asked the warden.
sNo.n Valiant replied, ''I shall have
enough courage without that :"
THE MARCH TO THE GUILLOTINE
As q matter of fact the courage of the
condemned man was remarkable, as the later
incidents showed He was shackled by the
executioner's assistants and then ordered to
follow to the guillotlne.
He obeyed the order readily, and as he left
tae prison his form was upright. He walked
as quickly as his shackles would allow, with
out leaning for support on the assistants, one
of whom walked on each side of him.
As Valiant appeared outside the prison,
wearing only shirt and trousers, everybody
barred their heads and the troops presented
arms to salute him who was looked upon as
already dead
Chaplain Valadier, whose ministrations
Valiant had refused, stood outside the prison
in order to be near should the prisoner
change his mind. His services, however,
were not called for.
Valiant advanced steadily. When about
eighty yards outside the prison, he sprang
forward a little to shout death to the
bourgeoisie' Long live Anarchy As he
shouted his last cry his voice resounded over
the whole square. When he had finished he
was about three yards from the plank, on
which his body was to be fastened. 1t has
been customary for the sexecutioner's assist
ants to push the condemned criminals against
this plank, but as Valiant reached it he
sprang forward and placed himself against
it. The plank dropped, and in a shorter time
than it takes to write it, Vaillant's neck
slipped under the glistening knife, and the
moment he was in position Diebler touched
TIE HEAD CHOPPED OFF.
There was flash as the heavy blade de
scended. and then the spectators saw head
and bleeding stump of neck drop INTO the
basket placed behind the guillotine The head
turned around as it was severed from the
body and dropped into the basket face up.
Al second later the plank twisted to the left
and the trunk was thrown intosa large bas
ket placed alonside of the guillotine to receive
it.
Between the time of Vaiilant's arrivals at
the guillotine and the closing OF the baskets
containing his remains scarcely more Than
twenty seconds elapsed
Diebler who has received many letters
threatening him with death ii he executed
Valiant, and who at one time wished to re-
sign his position rather than to put the An
archist to death, appeared paler end more
nervous than Valiant.
WITNESSES OF THE EXECUTION.
i By the time the execution had been per
formed the crowd had grown somewhat IN
numbers. Most of those who witnessed the
execution were working people of the dis
trict. who had learned when they arose to
90 to their work that Valiant wonld be put
TO death this morning. Had the news been
known earlier, there is no doubt that an i'm
1nense crowd would have been present The
usual mob that gathers to witness executions
had been twice disappointed after waiting
nearly all night, and so they missed the gull
lotining of Valiant, not caring to sit OF
stand ali night again on the chance of seeing
him put to death.
Most of the men who saw the end of Vail
liant wore blouses and peaked caps, and the
women, of whom there were not few, were
without bonnets and wore aprons.
THE BoDY BEKIED.
Tn less than ten minutes after the knife fell
yaillantss body was placed in one of the wait
inc vans and was taken to the 1vry Gene
tery The van was preceded by twenty
mounted guards and followed by similar
number and carriage containing officials
The route to the cemetery was covered al
Gallon. The remains were ostensibly in
ferred in that part Of the cemetery known a.
the ssTurnip Field, which is reserved to-