St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-06
How HIS HEAD DROPPED OFF
DETAILS or YAiLLANT'S LAST MO-
MENTS ON EARTH.
"DEATn TO SOCIETY,", HIS CRY.

otaA w AS DninIh2 OuS
Clear and Distinct. Owing to
the Rays fthe Many Lanterns
Around the ScafYoId- Execu-
Quickly Over.
PARIS, Feb. 5.-The judicial authoris~
ties arrived at the prison at 6:l5 a. m,
and entering the cell occupied by Vail
liant they woke him and informed him
that his last hour had come.
Valiant did not seem to be In the
least astonished or much alarmed. He
turned deadly pale. it is true. but he
began dressing with all the haste which
could be expected. and remarked to one
OF the prison attendants:
You see was right in saying that
my sentence would not be commuted.'
1t was evident from the manner In
which he said this that he was consid-
erably disappointed, and that he had
built up strong hopes of clemency upon
the part of the president of the repub-
lie.
While Valiant was dressing one of
the officers. noticing the anarchists
hands trembled slightly as he put on
his clothes, said:
"Have courage, Valiant
To this Valiant smiled in sickly
manner, and. throwing his head up. re-
piled: Never fear.
''G WILL KNOW HOW TO DIE"
At this point of the toilette one of the
prison officials offered Valiant large
glass of some strong cordial intended to
brace up the condemned mans nerves,
but Valiant gently put it on one side,
saying:
Il have no need of artificial strength,
and despiSe man who needs brandy
to nerve him to meet his fate"
This calm and courageous bearing of
the anarchist won him the sympathy of
everybody present, and veteran officer
of the guard who was present said in an
undertone:
THAT is not artificial courage"
Later one of the attendants offered to
assist Valiant in dressing for his march
TO THE GUILLOTINE,
but the doomed mau said, gently but
firmly: II need no assistance, thank
you. ] am dressing as quickly as pos
ciCAOt anu VIII iOb oSAuy fOO oliy lOlSO1
than can help"
Valiant, in reply to question as to
whether he had any statement to make,
began making strong profession of
anarchy, defending 1t IN burning words,
until it was gently suggested to him
that such remarks were useless and out
of place.
Contrary to expectations, Valiant did
not speak of his mistress, Nine. Marchal.
or of his daughter, Sidonie, whose al
legged letter asking for Communication
of her fathers sentence has been SO
much discussed.
+, Twice during the preparations for
death Valiant refused to see the prison
chaplain, saying upon one of these oc-
casions:
II DO NOT RELIEVE IN RELIGION:
it is all sham. Let those who profess
religion give some evidence OF it by ex-
tending a helping hand to the deserv-
ing poor. This will do more to crush
anarchy than all the armies of the
world"
When Valiant neared the guillotine
he glanced upwards at the cleaning
knife suspended between the two up
rights, the blade shining out clear and
distinct, owing to the rays of the many
lanterns around the scaffold, and then
he shouted:
"vIvE L'ANARcHIE."
A moment later, as ne was ascending
the steps leading TO the platform of the
guillotine, the desperate anarchist
shouted, "a mort les bourgeois" death
to the bourgeois).
As he uttered this cry Valiant
reached the foot OF the sliding plank
which leads the body of the criminal,
when strapped onto it. beneath the
knife. After one quick push, he cried:
death to society,""
Valiant had hardly uttered these
words when he was seized by nj. Dieb-
ler's assistants and thrown upon the
sliding plank, or bascule, to which he
was strapped with remarkable rapidity,
and IN less time than it takes to write it
his body was thrust through the lunette,
or hole in the end Of the Scaffold. upon
which half circle or locking piece
falls after the head is through; spring
was touched and this
SHINING KNIFE SPED DOWNWARD
with quick and noiseiess movement.
There was a terrible squirt of blood, and
the head of Valiant, separated from it's
trunk, fell into the basket of saWdust,
and all was over.
With the greatest rapidity the head
and body of the anarchist were gathered
up, placed in separate baskets, and
were escorted away from the scene of
the execution at "a gallop.