The Portland daily press., 1894-02-06
HOW VALIANT DIED.
Cried death to the Bourgeoisie" al He
Walked to the Guillotine.

Paris, February 5.-With the cry of
Death to the Bourgeoisie," Long live
Anarchy" Valiant, the anarchist, whose
name has been on the lips of sParisians
every since the ninth of December, when
he threw bomb in the Chamber of
Deputies, paid the penalty of his crime
at ITO this morning.
The precautions taken by the authori-
ties to prevent any anarchist demonstra-
ton at the guillotine were perfect, and
many of the crowd that had gathered to
witness the execution, finding that the
guards prevented them from seeing any
thing of the guillotine, left the vicinity
of Roquette prison in which valiant
was awaiting the coming of the heads
man.
Judge L. Espinasse, before whom
Valiant was tried, arrived at the prison
at an early hour and shortly after NJ.
Lepine, project of police, visited the
prison to see that every precaution had
stration. After the guillotine had been
set up in thesplace de Ia Roquette, few
feet from the doorway of the prison. by
the assistants of M. Diebler, the state
executioner, the latter appeared and
tested the machine of death. After ex-
amining the pulleys and finding that
they worked all right, the knife was in
serted. This knife, which was foot
wide, had diagonal edge, one being
foot longer than the other.
t645 it was estimated that not more
than seven or eight hundred people were
gathered 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.
ctandinr on the rOnfC
of houses from which view of the
guillotine could be had. The crowd was
remarkably orderly. There was none Of
the sbrieking that marks an execution
usually here. At Z O'Clock 25 mounted
guards advanced to the front of the
guillotine. Muskets were. slung across
their backs, and all carried bare sabres
in their hands All the troops present
Strengthened up as the little door in the
gateway closed. This was a sign that
the double doors would shortly swing
open to allow the passage OF Valiant
and his attendants.
Att o'clock head Warden Brun. Judge
district police commissary Leygonie en-
tered Vaillant's cell to inform him that
the time had arrived for the sentence of
the law to be carried out. The con-
demned man was sleeping when they
arrived. He was awakened and told to
prepare for death. He appeared to be
surprised and began to reiterate the
court. He declared that though it was
easy to suppress him, it was impossible
TO suppress anarchist IDEAS "My body is
nothing" he said, compared with the
progress Of my principles. l shall be
revenged."
Valiant was perfectly calm and dis
PLAYED no fear r. nn e I h warden len
chaplain. "No," replied Valiant. 81
will not see him."
"Will you have something to drink"
asked the warden. "No," Valiant re-
piled, 81 shall have enough courage
without that"
ASS matter of act his courage was re-
markable, as later incidents showed. He
He was shackled and ordered to follow
to the guillotine. He obeyed the order
readily and as he leftthe prison his form
wassupright He walked as quickly as his
shsckles would allow, without leaning
for support on the assistants. one of
whom walked on each side of him.
AS Valiant appeared outside the
prison wearing only a shirt and trousers
troops presented arms to salute him who
was looked upon as already dead.
Chaplain Valladie, whose ministrations
Valiant hadssrefused, stood outside the
prison in sorder 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 theBourgeoisie; ~" Long live Anarchy"
AS he shouted his last cry his voice re-
sounded over theswhole 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 executioner's assistants 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
shor, er time than it takes to write, Vail
lant's neck slipped under the glistening
keen knife, and the moment he was in
position Diebler touched the spring.
There was a flash as the heavy blade
descended and then the spectators saw
head and bleeding stump of "a neck
drop into the basket placed beneath the
aulllotine. The head turned around as
it was severed from the body and
dropped into the basket face up. a
second later the plank twisted to the lett
and the trunk was thrown into large
basket placed alongside the gnillotine
TO receive it,. Between the time OF
Vaillanu's arrival at the guillotine and
the closing of the casket containing the
remains, scarcely more than twenty
seconds elapsed
Diebler, who has received many letters
threatening him with death if he exc