Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-04-15
MONSIEUR DE PARIS.
A TALK WITH THE WORLDS MOST
NOTED ExECUTloNER.

A TALK WITH THE WORLDS MOST +,
NOTED ExEcuTloNER.
For Over Fsrty Years He Has Been Master
Of the Guillotine He Describes the
Method Of Execution-Feels His Respon. !
sibility Most Acutely.
Comparatively few Frenchmen are ac-
quainted-that is, personally acquainted
with their dreaded and mysterious COM
patriot Monsieur de Paris, and 1t Is no
easy matter to come across him, for his
name is omitted from the Paris directory, |
and the police absolutely refuse to have
anything to say as to his whereabouts.
However, being in Paris not so very
long since, and having some perhaps par
donable curiosity concerning a ceremony
In which tho guillotine plays the most
prominent part, I obtained a letter Of in
PRODUCTION to Monsieur do Paris, who is
tho public oxecutioner of France, known
in private life as NJ. Deiblcr. and who, this
acquaintance Of mine said, though of a
most retiring disposition, with a perfect
dread Of nctorioty and avoiding contact
with inquisitivo strangers, more especial
ly journalists, as much MS possible, would
not DO found indisposed to give just q few
details of his by no means cnviablo pro-
fession.
"Just Al years ago." said he, II sue
cccded NJ. Roche, who had been valet to |
tho famous or notorious NJ. Hoindrich, |
and with whom I served my apprentice
ship in turn in 1855. l assisted him alto
gothcr in 80 executions before 1 CON-
mcnccd business on my own account, SO l
was no novice. Yet my first independent
performance was not ali easy matter, I can
assure you, for tho criminal, a youth
named Laprade, who had murdered his
father, mother and grandmother, resisted
go s%trenuously that ! was compelled to re-
sort to methods tho reverse of gentle.
However, the story of that execution got
noiscd abroad, and, though the Paris Jour-
nalists were very severe with me and de-
clared that I lost my head as we'll as did the
wretch I executed, since then / have
found my clients less recalcitrant. Until
my appointment I followed tho trade of a
tailor, and SO from q maker of garments
in second class omporiums I have worked
my way up, AZ you see, to be n first class
cutter in the government establishment"
And NJ. Deiblcr laughed heartily ut his
own rather CHASTITY joke.
I next venturcd to ask If I could DO al
lowed a private Wow Of the guillotine,
which its manipulation referred to rs ''la
machine"
M..Dciblcr shook his head most decisive
~. Impossible! Quite impossible! But
hero is a model which will show you how
it is worked. 1t is all very simple. Tho
culprit is strapped on to this seesaw plank,
which, topplinG over, brings his neck into
this scmicircular ring, called la lunettc,'
where it is secured thus. Then | touch
this button, the knifo, which is heavily
weighted to make it fall swiftly, t:esccnds
! with tremendous force, and tho head is
received in Il tin pan partially filled with
sawdust. Is it not simple now? may
tell you that l always keep la Liachino'
ready for use, us l am Liable to be sum
moncd at u moments notice. l am sup
| posed to receive a full days notice in Paris
and two days for the departments, but l
always hold myself in readiness to start at
any moment, rs so soon as the day and
hour of an execution aro fixed by the au-
thorities there is n great deal to be lone in
q very short time.
"ln Paris I mako it q rule to pass the
night preceding an execution ut tho Ro-
quetto prison SO rs to be ON tho spot when
III ONO iJkNjh NSA1lS-OLCC OIlUtlIluR Viz
woods of JUSTICE and tho other destined
to convey the body of the culprit to Ivry
comctery-arr:vc ut dnybrcak. Then I
personally supcrintend the installation of
Ia machine and give a dress rehearsal, as
it were, of tho performance with tho gen.
tleman who is to take tho leading role left
out. BY this means / have always, with
n solitary exception, avoided any hitch
at the last critical momont. AS soon as
tho hour decided upon strikes the culprit
is handed over to my assistant, who, to-
gcthcr with tho prison chaplain, escorts
him to the depot-his last station on earth
before reaching Ia machinc-whero his
toilet is performed. This does not take
long, for his hair and beard havo been kept
close cropped since his condemnation. Hc
is pinioned, his shirt collar cut away, and
he goes forth to his death. AS soou as the
body is unstrappcd from the plank it is
put into a coffin, with the head between
the feet, driven off to tho cemetery and
buried"
"And now, NJ. Dcibler," I said, "what
Is your opinion as to tho theory that life
actually endures in the head for some lit.
tie time after it is severed from the body?''
"Woll," was the reply, given reflective.
ly, II have certainly on more than one CO.
casion seen the eyes in a decapitated head
open. and close and the lips twitch con.
vulsivcly for quite ten minutes and even
longer after the fatal stroke has been
given. But though this may give all the
semblance of lingering life, I do not fancy
that it is life, and for this reason: You
see, tho knife is SO heavily weighted that
at the same instant that the neck is sever.
ed the occiput receives a blow that fire.
quently cracks the skull, n would, in