Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-02-08
HIS HEAD IN A BASKET
Execution Of Valiant, the An
aTChiSt Bomb. Ihr0Ner.
WENTB0LDLY T0HlSFATE
"Death 10 the BOuFS0OlSio" and Long
Live Anarchy"
WERE HIS LAST WORDS IN LIFE
Placed Himself in Position for
the Death Knife.
WERE HIS LAST WORDS IN LIFE
Placed Himself in Position for
the Death Knife.
A REMARKABLE DISPLAY OF COURAGE

OcAtn Of AUGUSTA NailluntB tNe AnaFCn-
ist who Threw the Bomb in tho Cham
Der OF Deputies--Refused Religious Com
ISOLATION and Walked Unassis:ed to the
Guilotine--A Speedy Execution--Poiice
Precautions Prevented Any Demonstra-
tions by His Fellow Anarchists.
PARIS, FRANCE, Feb. with the
cry of "Death to the Bourgeoisie, h"Long
live Anarchy" Valiant the Anarchist
whose name has been on the lips of
Parisians ever since the 9th Of December,
when he threw the bomb in the Chamber
of Deputies, paid this morning the pen
atty of his crime at 7.10 o'clock.
PERFECT PRECAUTIONS.
The precautions taken by the authori-
ties to prevent any Anarchist demon
stration at the guillotine were perfect,
and many of the crowd that had gath
cred to witness the execution, finding
that the guards prevented them from
seeing anything OF the guillotine, left
the vicinity of the Roquette prison, in
which Valiant was awaiting the coming
of the headsman, before time it was OK
pected that the execution would take
place.
Judge L Espinasse, before whom Vail
liant was tried, arrived at the prison at
an early hour, and shortly after M.
Lepine, project of police, visited the
Place de la Roquette, to see that every
precaution had been taken to guard
against demonstration.
TESTING THE GUILLoTINE.
After the guillotine had been set up
in the Place dc la Roquette, but few
feet from the doorway of the prison,
by the assistance of M. Deibler, the
state executioner, the latter appeared
and tested the machine of death. After
examining the pulleys and finding that
they worked all right, the knife was
inserted. This knife, which was foot
wide, had diagonal edge, one end
being foot longer than the other.
At6.45 o'clock the gas lights in the
vicinity OF the prison begon to pale.
NOT A LARGE CROWD PRESENT.
1t was estimated at this time that not
more than 700 or 800 people were waiting
TO see the execution, but as it grew later
the crowd slightly increased and at the
time the knife fell about 1900 people
were present. Many persons were
standing on tho roofs of houses from
which a view of the guillotine could be
had. There was none of the shrieking
that usually marks an exection here.
MOUNTED GUARDS DRAWN UP.
Att o'clock % mounted guards ad.
vanced to the front of the guillotine.
Muskets were slung across their backs
ana all carried barred sabres in their
hands. All the troops 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 ITO o'clock all the gas lamps were
extinguished except those nearest the
guillotine.
AROUSED FROM SLEEP TO DIE.
At o'clock Head Warden Brun
Judge L'Espinasse, Registrar Horochs
and District Police Commissary Lev
gonie entered Vaillant's cell to inform
him that the time had arrived for thu
sentence of the law to be carried out
The condemned man was sleeping wher
they arrived. He was awakened anC
told to prepare for death. He appeared
to be surprised and began to reiteratt
the theories he advanced before thu
assize court. He declared that though i
was easy to suppress him, it was i'm
possible to suppress Anarchist ideas.
my body is nothing" he added
compared with the progress of m,
principles. l shall be revenged."
CALM AND WITHOUT FEAR.
Valiant was perfectly calm and dis
played no fear whatever. The wardei
asked him if he would like to see tn
chaplain.
"No," replied Valiant, az will no
see him."
evil you have something to drink p
asked the warden.
"No," Valiant replied, II shall hay
enough courage without that"
AS matter of fact, the courage G
the condemned man was remarkable, o
the later incidents showed. He wa
shackled by the executioner's assistant
and then ordered to follow to tn
guillotine.
He obeyed the order readily and q
he left the prison his form was uprigh
He walked as quickly as his shacklt
would allow, without leaning for sur
port on the assistants, one of whoi
walked on each side OF him.
sALUTED ny THE TROOPS.
As Valiant appeared outside IL
prison, wearing only shirt and trou
ers, everybody barred heads and th
troops presented arms to salute him wi
was looked upon already as dead
Chaplain Valadier, whose ministr,
the prison in order to be near shouI
the prisoner change his mind. His Sc
vices, however, were not called for.
DEFIANT DEATH CRY.
Valiant advanced steadily. Wht
about 80 yards outside the prison
sprang forward little to shout "Deai
to the Bourgeoisie; long live Anarchy
AS he shouted his last cry, his Vol
resounded over tho whole square.
When he had finished, he was abo
three yards from the plank on which /
body was to be fastened 1t has be,
customary for the executioner's d
sistants to push the condemned Grimm
against this plank, but as Vaila
reached it he sprang forward al
placed himself against it. The plai
dropped and in shorter time than
takes to write it Vaillant's neck slipp
under the glistening knife and I
moment he was in position Diebl
touched the spring.
There was fash as the heavy bla
descended, and then the spectators S.
head and bleeding stump of a ne
drop into the basket placed behind t
guillotine. The head turned around
1t was severed from the body a
dropped into the basket face up.
& SPEEDY EXECUTION.
Between the time of Nuiilant's
iysl at the guillotine and the closing
The baskets containing his renal
carcely more than 20 seconds elapst
Diebler, who has received many lett,