The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-20
THE GUILLOTINE TO GO.
Place De La Roquette VIII Soon See
the Last of the Machine.
New York Herald.


1.-The widow is about to leave u.s." is
the cry around La Roquette, Paris. Aye,
the widow will, in future do her deadly
work in the Saint Jacques district. Long
has she queened it at La Roquette and
many a doughty knight has fallen a VIC
tim to her kisses, but now her time has
come and those Parisians to whom she
was familiar sight will have to seek her
elsewhere. The La Sante prison is to be
used for the reception of criminals con-
demned to penal servitude and death, and
outside of it the guilotine is to be erected
Not of warm flesh and blood is this
widow but of cold iron and steel The
guillotine is this widow and she is
called so, presumably, because she has
taken the life out of many a woman's
spouse. A facetious title it is and reminds
one of that old English instrument of tor
ture which, for centuries, was known as
the maiden"
Well does the widow know the Saint
Jacques district, for she worked there some
years ago, and must remember what great
crowds came to see the severed heads drop
into her basket. The new home of the
widow will be in that part of the district
which, as though in cruel irony bears the
name of Good HEALTH and the prison
there will hold fast those who are con-
u
hell and this name, too, seems to have
been predestined and designed as a men
ace from heaven to the criminals awaiting
punishment
Now, it cannot be denied that most of
the residents near La Roquette are de-
nghted to hear that their unsavory neigh
Dor is about to leave them Somehow her
presence cast gloom at times over that
quarter of Paris and, presumably, at times.
also affected the price of property. There
is not one so evil. however, who has not
some friends, and there are some who are
sincerely sorry that the widow is about
to take her departure. These mournfuI
ones are the shopkeepers of La Roquette.
Executions Were a bonanza to them and
they naturally grieve at the loss of the
goose that laid such golden eggs.
A man in Paris who is condemned to
death by the guillotine becomes from that
moment, an object of public curiosity 1t is
not alone his death that whets this curl
oslty, but also ali the other stirring Incl
dents that are wont to occur at the place
OF execution. On the day fixed for his death
the whole city is alert. The news runs
through Paris like a train of powder Then.
from all sides come groups of persons loaf
erS and brazen women, who have prob
ably come to see an old comrade die; anna
teurs, who are curious to see how a fellow
pelng Will bear himself when he is about
TO leave this world; honest folks, who are
anxious to learn just how the widow
does her irreparable work and blase men
OF the world, who so there as careless and
unconcerned as though they were going
house.
OF course, many take all this trouble for
nothing. After waiting for several hours
of the gendarmeS or the horses of the
municipal guards. The police are very
execution shall only be witnessed by GER
tam privileged persons. With certain rare
exceptions, Journalists are the only per-
sons who have right to come near the
WIDOW when she is about to perform her
duty Other persons then, who are resolved
to see man die have only one resource
they must hire a window.
Such windows are for hire in the Rue
all the streets adjacent to the Place de la
Roquette, and the prices range from 20 to
200 francs, according to the Importance of
worldly means of the client. A tavern keep
er on the Rue Merlin, whose house is ad-
mirably adapted for the purpose of wit
Messing an execution from beginning to
end, makes an interesting statement on this
subject:
The best (sic) executions he says
naively, were those of Pranzini, Prado,
Eyraud, Berland and Dore. And yet / al
most lost money on Berland and Dore
thanks to the internal railroad accident
that took place at Saint Mande. You see,
it happened this way: lot of fellows We're
drinking in my house, waiting for the exc
cution was already counting the money
l would make, when, 10, the news came of
eral persons had been killed and wounded
That must be a pretty curious sight said
u,
of them went Off and l saw them no more
"Pranzini's execution was the best Of all.
For For flfteen days; or rather; for fifteen
Each day the cry went out that the execu-
ton would take place on the following
morning at sunrise. And night after night
the crowd took supper here and chatted
about the doomed man. The women We're
especially enthusiastic and they all said
that Pranzini was a mighty fine fellow At
last the day of his execution came and. as
l expected, all my windows were occupied
hn ri hn6 irnd tx1rn Of
them and had picked them out eight days
in advance. She said that she was friend
of Pranzini and she came here every day
with her maid She even took her meals
here. The curious thing about her case was
that, after all her trouble she saw nothing
Of the execution At the, moment. when
Pranzini left the prison and approached the
guillotine she was seated at one of the win
dows but finding that she could not see as
well she desired. she decided to change
places with her maid, who occupied the
other window. She miscalculated however,
for while she moving from one win
dow to another the widow did her work.
Aye Pranzini's head had dropped before
she had seated herself. and SO she saw
nothing of the execution"
This lucky tavern keeper has at times
count once paid him 10 louis for a window
and more than that for a sumptuous sup
per- The count had gone to the Italian
opera. but hurried away when he heard
that the execution had been fixed for the
following morning He was determined. at
all hazards, to secure his window: A man
can hear Italian opera at any time but
not always can he witness an execution.
1t would be a mistake TO suppose. how
ever. that the widow always attracts a
large crowd. There We're more notable
Indicators in their day than the Anarch-
lists. Emil Henri and Valiant and yet com
paratvely few persons went to them
die. The reason may have been because il
was widely rumored that their brother An
. archists intended to blow up the prison
and that Sebastian Faure had hired a win
dow in the neighborhood. from which he
intended to throw a bomb
Many foreigners will miss the guillotine.
EngliShmen are said to be remar kably fond
of seeing the pitiless blade do its work. A
number of Belgians. too, came by express
train in order to witness Naillant's execu-
ton.
No date has yet been fixed for the remov-
IL of the widow" Some heads may yet
drop at La Roquette into the basket of NJ
Deibler. the executioner. and as a result
some money may fall into the storekeep-
RS pockets. But that the widow" viii