The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-09-18
AN AWFUL REVENGE.
DRIVEN THROUGH THE STREETS OF
PARIS BY A HEADLESS MAN.
An Account of the Death of DIR. Gaspard,
the Young French Scientist--A Sensa.
tional Story of Tragic Event of the
French Revolution.


French Revolution.
This story l can only tell as it was told
to me by the son Of man who took An
active part in the French revolution
Incredible as the narrative may seem to
the average reader, the old gentleman who
related the incident to me firmly believed
it, and a few experts in electricity have
admitted that such things are possible
When the revolution was at its height in
Paris during 1892, young doctor named
I1aspard met horrible fate under very
singular circumstances. The doctor was
devoted to science. He had mastered many
of the secrets of electricity, and there is
good reason to believe that if he had lived
in our generation he would have been far
in advance of our leading electricians.
DIR. Gaspard loved science and hated Du-
! mont, a dreaded rival In his own particular
field. One night Dumont was arrested and
carried before the revolutionary tribunal.
He was tried and onyicted of treason before
midnight and was sentenced to die at an
early hour the next morning. In this case,
so hurrledly disposed of, the prosecutor was
Gaspard. He made the affidavit which
caused the arrest, and he was the only
witness against the prisoner.
The square where the execution took
place was crowded at sunrise, for there
were 30 persons to suffer the death penalty.
DumOnt was a young man of gigantic size
He was very tall, with massive frame,
and his head loomed far above his fellow
prisoners. He had nothing to say, but his
rowing eyes searched the ranks of the spec
tators until they finally rested upon one
face-the face of his false friend, Gasrard.
With a mighty effort the prisoner burst
his bonds.
"Villainp' he shouted in a ringing voice
as he pointed to the man who had betrayed
him. my death will be avenged Your
hour of doom is near at handr'
He was roughly seized His wrists were
bound and the beating of the drums
drowned his voice
Gaspard hid himself in the crowd and
waited. BE did not have long to wait. His
enemy was the first victim, and the guillo-
tine had hardly severed the head before
the remains were placed on a stretcher and
carried to the Doctors laboratory close at
hand.
Gaspard locked his doors at once He
had everything ready for the experiment
A few stitches reunited the head TO the
body, and the doctor went to work with
his electrical appliances. Just what oc-
CURED in the laboratory will never be
known. There were still ten persons to be
executed, when the people around the gull
lotine were struck dumb with horror by a
spectacle more shocking than the scenes
which they had just witnessed on the scat
fold.
DIR. Gaspard was seen rushing from his
laboratory in frenzy of frantic terror.
Close at his heels followed Dumont. The
pursuer's dress was disOrdered and covered
with crimson streaks from his neck down
ward to his feet. His face convulsed with
rage, was horrible sight to behold.
When they had recovered from their
fright sufficiently to move, the spectators
scattered in every direction, leaving only
the executiopers, the guards and the pris-
oners who were awaiting their turn to
mount the scaffold.
Straight through the square the two doc
tors darted, Gaspard uttering the most
terrifying cries, while the other sped along
in silence. The two reached narrow
street leading to the river, and then came
the most exciting part of the race
They had traversed about 200 yards when
the stitches became loosencd in Dumont S
neck. Quick rs lightning the victim of
the guillotine snatched off his bleeding
head and continued to run, holding the
CORY, ghastly thing in one hand, with its
staring eyes fixed on Gaspard. The
wretched fugitive, looking backward, saw
this new horror, and with blood curdling
yell he almost doubled his speed.
Onward and still onward they flew, the
pursuer slowly gaining in the race. Scared
shopkeepers closed their doors, women
shrieked from their windows and tainted,
brave soldiers turned white with fear and
many old people fell upon their knees and
crossed themselves, Looking neither to the
right nor to the left, Gaspard rushed on.
ward, continuing his cries.
Attracted by the uproar, the judge who
had sentenced Dumont stopped his carriage
and waited with his daughter to ascertain
the meaning of it all. The young lady was
Gaspard's sweetheart, and when she saw
her lover flying before the red and headless
avenger behind him she gave desperate
, scream. The fugitive saw her, but dared
not stop.
Without pausing, Dumont, when he
passed the carriage, suddenly gave his head
a swing and hurled it through the air. II
landed in the lap of the judges daughter
and, seeing it's staring eyes looking into hel
own, tine poor girl gave another scream and
then tainted The judges horses dashed
away at the top of their speed, and the few
people who saw the affair barred theil
doors and fell to praying in good earnest
Gaspard was about 90 yards from the
,, quay when Dumont caught him. The
: headless man wound one crimson arm
around the captured doctor and then drag
ged him rapidly to the river. A moments
: pause, and the struggling doctor was forced
to leap into the water with the red terror
in whose grip he was utterly helpless.
1t was hopeless, frightened face that
disappeared under the black current. Thi:
was all that party of pleasure seekers IL
boat near the scene could tell about Il
;, afterward. Almost before they knew il
those in the boat saw the two men disap
pear They saw a moment later a crimson
spot on the surface of the water, but tina
was all The bodies were never seen again
This strange occurrence would have at
I. tracted the world attention but for tn,
J fact that the revolution furnished new sen
J. sations every day. As 1t was, it was sool
!, forgotten in a city where the guillotin
i flooded the streets with blood every morn
ing. ATLANTA Constitution.