Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-08-27
EXECUTION or ST. MATTHIAS.

Charles H Walsh Of Philadelphia has in
his possession prints that provo the OK
istence of the guillotinc centuries before
the French revolution. They tell the story
of the ghastly killing machine, and, in
the opinion of the Philadelphia Times,
prove that DIR. GuillOtinc was not its in
ventor The prints are reproductions from
valuable enGravings, the period oi which
is about 1850 They exhibit the instru-
1nent called the guillotinc doing its hidoous
work DR. Guillotine and the French rev
olution did not come along until 200 years
later.
DIR. Guillotine was born on May -,
1913, at Saintes, aud when France was in
the throes of her bloodicst period he was
elected To tie constituent assembly in
1883. AS the chief concern of that body
was rs to executions and matters pertain
ing 10 them, DIR. GuilIutinc devoted some
attention To the subject. the result of
which was that on Dec ] of that same
year he mad two propositions 10 the as
sembly. both Of which were of Il radical
and startling nature.
1t had been the custom to permit only
mobiles and those Of high degree TO be OK
ecuted by dccapitasiun. COmiuoner people
against whom the death sentence had been
pronouncett were killed by less expeditions
and moro painful methods. DR. Guillotine
proposed that all people sentenced to death
should die by decapitation. and, secondly,
that decapitation should be performed by
a machine, plan Of which he submitted
the guillOcine OF today
d. GuiIlCtinc urged his propositions ON
the grounds tliat death should be made As
swift and painless rs possible, an Rrgu-
ment that had little force with the cal
louscd men of that day, and it is recorded
he concluded amid great laughter, the i'm
mediate cause 81 which was "a reference to
his machine which would do the work in
that way.
TIE seeds he sowcd, however, did not
fall entirely ON stony ground, for two
years later, oct e.. 1921, e WIS made -
part of the penal code that al executions
should be by dcrIpitation. n. Samson, the
executiouer, - once pointed Gus III" prsic-
ticai difficulties Of doing this 10y the
sword, and the matter WAS referred To Is
committee which finally recommended
an Instrument precisely similar Ia tha;
suggested by Dr. G-iilotinc and laughed
down. a German named schmidt under
the direction of DR.. Antoine Louis, ScCrc-
tary of the Academy q. Surgeons. fur
nished machine Tor each Of the depart
Inents OF France, and the machines yyUrc
tried on cadavcrs with satisfactory RESULTS.
On April -, 1902. occurred the first cN-
ecution III Franco on the nov inst rumcnt.
then namcless. 1t WIS sat up ON the Place
de Greve and the head of highwayiuan
named Pellcticr WAS C5st CT. Naturally
there was q great deal OF talS about the
new machine and inany rccollcctcd that
it was what DR.. GuiilotiHc had TccOsn-
mended two years before. On April -,
1875. the Journal dies Revolutions sc Paris
referred 10 the instrument Is Ia EUillo-
tine" and by common consent such be
came the name OF tho killing machine
not only in the mouths Of tlo pcUple, but
officially.
As soon rs the guilloiine came into gen
cral nse there arose . great discussion as
TO whether or not its work was iis;-;n-
taneous, and in 1875 when Charlotte Cor
and the exoouticaer holding up ihs head
before the excited popuiaco strtiu,l IL with
his est, IL Vas related tiiac II flushed Is II
with indignation.
II Is a popular error that DR.. Guil,osiI-e
died by tbs Instrument that bears his
name. The story i told. ard il la, dis
tinct romantic value bat there can bc no
doubt that he outliyed Frances carnival
of blood and died a natural death III 1914.
II fs-clcar. then. thar the constituent as
sembly adopted The guillo1i lc from plans
originally submitted by DR.. Guillotinc,
and II he did not invent the Instrument
where then did he get tie ideas for his
plansg
several years ago Philadelphia artist
sketching in Antwerp found in that ar
Gent Flemish town in one Of its pictur-
esque houses box OF engravings into
which he plunged with the rapture that
only an artist and a collector can under
stand The prints were old, but excellent
" preserved and had been for three goner-
a:ions in the family which then possessed