The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-11

Caste of the ExecutiOners-M. DeibIeI
to Retire.
ri Inff In, NIorr

to Retire.
Paris Letter in New York Sun.
France is to have a new official execu-
toner before the beginning of the wear. The
present Monsieur De Paris Louis Deiber
is siXty-nine years old and has been in
harness for thirty-five years. The job is
worth $l,2OO q year and perquSitieS, and
upon retirement there is annuity of $780,
In these days the legal beheading of man
doesn't happen often; the crime must be
very atroclous to bring the penalty, because
the French laws are wondrously lenient in
matters concerning the splitting of blood.
The records of all the trial courts of France
for the last six years-that is, since the ap-
plicatlOn of the much discussed Beranger
law-show that when man commits muir
der his chances of being guillOtined for ii
are about l in Is. If the murder is COM
mitted in hot blood he rarely gets more
than five or six years in prison. and if it
be premeditated he stands three chances of
deportation to one of execution. For that
reason when the sentence of death is pro-
nounced the French newspapers print the
fact in fat, black type. indicating its rarity.
M. De Paris is the sole execut oner for con-
tinental France, and there is an executioner
for Algeria and Tunis. Until 1871 there was
one for each province, named after the
chief cties-M. De DENIES, NJ. De Toulouse,
etc. Charles Henry Samson was the first
executioner of Paris holding office from the
time the guillotine adopted in 1892 until
1920, when he was succeeded by his son, who
had the job until 1910. He in turn was sue
ceeded by one Roch, who was in office until
the accession of Deibler. The latter grew
up in the trade. His father was a provin-
cial eXecutioner before him, and as soon al
the son was over his military service he
was made an assistant. At the present
time he is a man of some influence and
much respected in his neighborhood. He is
not pretty man to look at, but he is said
to be exceedingly urbane. He has had two
wives, both daughters Of executioners In
termarriage is characteristic of the craft;
which is perhaps sef-explanatory. The four
assistants of M. Deiber are all sons of for
mer executiOners, and each has married the
daughter of an executioner. 1t is little
caste all nv itself
There is but one guillotine in France, and
it is logged around from place to place as
chine, and cost So 900. M. De Paris receives
in addition to his salary. $1,000 a year for
taking care of it and keeping IL in business
like condition. 1t does not look unlike an
oil 1-faShiOncd printing press. The two up
rights in which the knife runs are little
over ten feet high, and the greatest width
of the platform is about four feet The
knife itself is wedge-shaped, eighteen
inches wide aid weighs 14O pounds with the
weight which surmounts It, In an execution
it falls about four feet in tVo-thirds of a
second
The machine was first set up in the Place
du Carrousel for the execution of political
prisoners, but was removed by the Com
mune to the Place de la Concorde, where
it stood at point twenty-five feet north of
1898, until August, 1874. over 2.S00 persons
were beheaded, including Louis XVI, Char
lotte Corday Marie Antoinette, Nine. Ro-
land, Philippe Egalite, Danton, Des-
mouins, the sister of Louis XVI, and
Robespierre and his brother. 1t was then
removed to the Place du Trone, now the
Place de la Nation, where 1900 more per-
sons were beheaded in one month. Since
1852 the place of execution has been in front
of La Roquette prison. About fifty feet
from the entrance there are five oblong
stones inaid in the pavement, over which
the guillotine is erected; the center stone
is the one upon which the basket is placed
to receive the head as ii falls under the
knife.
The agitation for the adjustment of cap
ital punishment in France is not carried on
with the vgor that marked the pamy days
of Victor Hugo and his associates, but OBJ
serving men say that the dissemination of
French judges TO inflict the death penalty
is becoming yearly more marked. and that
while the existing law may not be soon
changed, it will gradually fall into de-
suetude that will be equivalent to aboli-
ton, considering the great latitude permit
ted the magistrates in its constituting.