Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1898-10-14
A SCENE OF HORROR.
SLAuoHTERlNG A CRIMINAL BY THE
oUlLLoTlNE IN PARIS.

In these rushing times we might take
for our motto Something New, AL
ways Something New" Consequently,
imagine that the Impressions Of a
woman ut the foot Of the guillotine
would not be commonplace. Twas pres
ont at one performance In the Place de
Ia Roquette, whore M. do Paris and his
assistants OBLIGATED In the name Of 30
called justice. The horrible spectacle
haunts and racks tho mind and tends
rather to re-enforoe the pnrtisans Of the
abolition OF capital punishment The
horror Of the punishment imposed rem
ders guilty man almost worthy Of
pity. The sight Of II human being
dragged like u beast to the slaughter
house. up even to the sinister seesaw.
1 is terrible
know many people may be astonish
ed that any body could be moved to pity
| for the ferooious brute, Carrara, who
transformed his mushroom establish.
iuent into a crematory and had no mer-
| cy for tho unfortunate young man. La
| mara, whom he threw into the fire
after having murdered him for tho pur-
pose of robbery. know all that and ]
do not dispute the fact that tho Italian
was u monster, but that IN no reason
why we should not be Disguised at the
spectacle which was presented to our
eyes and which 1 will now endeavor to
describe with the impartiality Of sim
pie spectator, without resentment or
prejudice, but with heart that revolts
against scene that has neither the
grandeur nor the majesty Of a punish
ment inflicted. but rather exhibits tho
cowardice and baseness of vengeance
which hides itself from the light Of day.
The execution was fixed for 4 o'clock
III tho morning, but from the hour Of
midnight the neighborhood of the
Grande Roquette was swarming with
an undulating and hooking crowd.
Jailbirds murderers. footpads and wom-
eli of the streets assembled there to soc,
as thoy said, "the Italian animal short
ened "
Journalists were admitted into the
narrow space 80 often described, with
its five sinister stones and its legendary
gas jet which il never lighted except ON
the evening before an execution.
There in the rain we watched tho set
ting up Of that horrible machine which,
according to tho legend, Cagliostro
showed in glass Of clear water TO the
terrified Marie Antoinette. In tho yel-
low and spectral light Of tho gas jet
that fiokered In the wind these prepa-
rations were hideous to witness AL
most on level with the ground stands
the scaifold with its two arms in the
air brandishing the sparkling knife.
And /, u woman, In the presence of
these preparations. could not help think
ing Of the family Of the wretch whose
head was soon to fall into tho basket. l
thought Of his little children, who were
at that moment sleeping soundly some
where, and Of his wife, equally guilty
with him, and who. an It were, pushed
her husband into tho arms Of the execu-
toner az last resort to save herself. |
What remorss will be hers when they
tell her abruptly: "Oarrara has suffered
his punishment. You are widowp'
But the day was dawning. and the |
lamps were going out. At the windows |
and even on the roofs numbers Of spec
tators were gathered az II TO witness
some carnival. Tho sight was heart
rending. Mounted gendarines and sol |
diers gradually came out Of tho dark |
ness, and one might be inclined to rail |
at such display Of force ut tho oxocu-
ton Of II wretch paralyzed by fear, who |
in few moments would appear upon |
the scene tied hand and foot.
There was SONS little coinmotion |
among the crowd when people began to
point at thin, old man who hobbled |
about with tho gestures Of IL dancing |
bick to zee If tho knife in tho brass run |
ners WINS in good working order This |
was Deibler tho exocutioner, IL ghost
with white beard, who adjusted the |
instrument with tho Indifference OF
grocer weighing his goods. Suddenly |
there was profound silence; the rain
was over, heads were uncovered and
nIotionless Breathless and almost In
agony the crowd followed with staring |
eyes tho movement Of the doors Of the |
prison, which ut last opened wide.
A suppressed "Ah - came from many
contracted chests while with pale faces
all gazcd upon tho assassin. whose
crime the mountebanks Of tho fairs pop
ularized. He was simply frigbtful TO
look ut, bowed down IN he was with
terror. lie did not look like human
being. He looked like beast. His In
telligenco was already dead and his
heart had lost all feeling. The instinct
Of the animal still remained. The sight
was dreadfully sad.
What followed beggars description.
The executiOner and his aids seemed no
longer TO be men employed to carry out
the ends Of Justice they looked like
butchers They seized the condemned
man, some by the ears, some by the
legs, while others held down the center
Of the body and kept holding him up TO
the very moment when, with sudden
rumble, the knife foil, the head 70.
bounded into the basket and the abomi-
nation was at an end.
But ono should be present and see the
pavements covered with blood, the CORY
knife the blood squirting from the do
capitated trunk. the ignominious wash
ing at tho nearby fountain and tho gut
ters rolling to tho sewer purple color
ed mud, In order 10 bo able TO compro-
bend all tho horrors Of All execution In
Paris. -Exohang0
DI,Iat Call Her Mary.
II il said that the native servants in
Hawaii used b. call their mistresses by
I