The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-09
80 anIrnorfxE Iv FnANoE
caste 81 the Executiencrs-Capitai Pnnishmene
q, Frnncr-ar. peIbIcr TO Retire.

- IN Frnncr-NI. psIbIcr TO Retire.
p,p,u Oct. 29.-Franco Is TO have q new Of
oc,ol eyccutionor before tho beginning OF the
year. The present Monsieur dc Paris lSouis
RATHER. IA 60 yoars old, and has boon in harness
snr th,rty.aye years. The job is worth 81 ,"0oa
year and perquisites, and upon retirement thcre
is an annuity OF 1900.
In these days tho legal behoadinE OF n man
,,nosn,t happen often; tho crime must b" ve'v
a,,oc,ous to bring the penalty, because the
Trcrob laws are wondrously lcnicnt in matters
oonccrning the splitting OF blood. The records OF
all tho trial courts OF France for the last SIX
years-that is. since the application OF inc
uueh.dIscusscd Berangar law-show that when
n man commits murder his chances OF being
puillotincd for IL are about ] In IL. IL the
murder is committed in hot blood he rarely Rets
moro than Ave or six years In prison. ana II i"
no nremooitnted he stands three chances OF do
variation 10 one Of execution. For that reason
when the sentence OF death Is pronounced the
French newspapers print the fact In fat, oiack
tyne, indicRting its rarity.
NJ, dc Paris Is the solo eNecutioner Tor cohtr
mental France, and there ia IN cxecutioncr tor
Algeria and Tunis. Until 1871 there was ono
for each province. named after tho CHER citles
M. de Rcnncs. NJ. d. Toulouse, &c. Charles
Henry Samson was the first cxecutionero Paris
holding Office from tho tine tho guillotiue was
ndoptcd In 1902 until 1870, when lie was suo-
ceeded by his son, who had the Job until 1870,
He In turn was succeeded by ono Roch. who was
in office until the accession of Dciblcr. The
latter ercw up in the trade. His father was =
provincial cxecutioncr before him, and as DON a.
the son was over his military service he was mado
an assistant. At the present unic no ID a meu
of some influence, and much respected In MS
neirhborhood. He Is not n pretty man to look
at, but he Is said to DO exceedingly urbane. He
has had two wives, both daughters OF execu-
TONERS. Intermarriagc is a characteristic OF the
craft; which is perhaps self explanatory. Inc
four assistants OF NJ. Deibler are all sons OF Tor
mcr executioners. and each has married tho
daughter of an cxocutioner. 1t is a little caste
There is but one ruillotinc in France. and Il y
l nnsSca " r. ~ ID v From rI HIl"fi eok tH p Machine Hs u and
cost $1,000. n; de Paris receives in addi . II
to e29 M t sSlSTy; S II IN b q sTsr iii ,sS consdition. II
does not look unlike an old.fnshioncd F%ranl,lin
printing press. The two nprig hai h in Wh aSd t tSe
greatest width OF the platform is about four feet.
The knife itself is wedge SHAPED, eighteen inches inS
wide. and weighs liO pounds with the Weignt
about four feet in twothirds of = second; =.
CarrousSl for tho execution Of political prison.
ers, but was removed by tho Conmun to tn;
!, There. from January. 1898; until August, l7Sa
: II(sinssss: SIion, HsIana 4. P !Ii{iq >, Hs rdaI,
, XVI, and Rohespierre and his brother
. Trone, now the Place de la Nation. whert
: 1900, more persons were beheaded IN on,
1 been in front of La Roquotte prison. AbouI
fifty feet from the entrance there are five OBJ
. long stones inlaid In the pavement, over which
one upon which the basket Is placed to receive
, the head as 1t falls under the knife.
q The agitation for the adjustment OF capita
. punishment in Franco Is not carried on with
. the vigor that marked the palmy days of Victo
I Hugo and his associates. but observing men sal
I that the disinclination Of French Judges to in
Q nict the death penalty is becoming yearly NOR
Q marked. and that while the existing law ma!
u not be soon changed. 1t will "radually fall int!
q desuetude that will be the equivalent of aboli
U ton. considering the great latitude permittea
. the Magistrates In its constituting.