The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1898-09-28
A SCENE OF HORROR.


GulLLOTlNE IN PARIS.
A Womnn's Description of the ShocIs-
Tag Spectacle That Always Attracts
the outcnSts of the French Capital
After the Fearful IL nif. Iina Fallen.
In these rushing times VIZ might take
for our motto Something New. Al
ways Something New. 1nsequently,
| imagine that the impressions of
woman at tho foot of the guillotine
would not ho commonplace. Iwas pres
ent Mt ono performance i'll tho Place do
In Roquetto, where NJ. de Paris and his
assistants oilieiated i'll tho name OF SO
called Justice The horrible spectacle
haunts and racks tho mind and tends
rather to ro-onforco tho partisans of tho
abolition of capital punishment. Tho
horror of tho punishment imposed rem
ders u guilty man almost worthy of
pity. Tho sight of IA human being,
dragged like II beast to tho slaughter
house, up oven to tho sinister seesaw.
is terrible.
l know many people may be astonish-
ed that anybody could BIO moved to pity
for tho forocious brute, CaIrara, who
transformed his mushroom establish
iuent into Il erematory and had no mor-
cy for tho unfortunate young man, La
MARIA. whom no throw into tho fro
after having murdered him for tho pur-
pose of robbery. / know all That, and l
do not dispute the fact that tho Italian
was monster. but that is no reason
why We should not be disgusted at tho
spectacle which was presented to our
eyes and which L will now ondeayor to
describe with tho impnrtiulity of IA sim
pie spectator, without resentment or
prejudice, but with II heart TINT royolts
against "a senno that has neither tho
grandeur nor tho majesty of II punish
ment inflicted. but rather exhibits tho
cowardico and baseness of vengeance
which hides itself from tho light of day.
The execution was fixed for i o'clock
In tho morning. but from tho hour of
midnight tho noighborhood Of tho
Grando Roquotto was swnrming with
an undulating and hooking crowd.
Jailbirds, murdcrers, footnads and wom
en- of tho streets assembled there to see.
us they said, Tho Italian animal short
encd. 4"
Journalists were admitted into the
narrow space SO often described, with
its five sinister stones and its legendary
gas jet which is never lighted except en-
tho evening before mn execution
There in tho rain wo watched the set
ting up OF that horrible machine which.
according to tho legond, Cagliogtro
showed iii ii glass of clear water To tho
terrified Mario Antoinotta. In tho yell
| low and spectral light of the gas jet
| that niekorod in tho wind these prepa-
rations wero hdeous to witness. Al
most on II level with the ground stands
| tho scatlold with its two arms III tho
mir brandishing tho sparkling knife
And ]. u woman, i'll the presence of
these preparationa could not help think
ing of tho family of the wretch whose
| head waa soon to fall into tho basket. |
| Thought of his littlo children, who wcro
ut that momont sleeping 6oundly some
where, and Of his wifu, equally guilty
With him, and who. az il were, pushed
ner husband into tho arms of tho oXecu-
tioner az II last resort To save herself.
What lenorso will bo hers when they
tell her abruptly; "Carrara has suffered
his punishment. You are II widow =
But the day was dawninR. and tho
lamps were going ont At tho windows
and even on tho roofs numbers Of spec
tators were gathered AZ if To witness
some carnival. Tho sight was heart
rending Mounted gondarmes and sol
diers gradually cano out Of tho dark
ness, and ono might DO inclined to rail
at such display of force at the exeou-
ton Of II wretch paralyzed by fear, who
in few moments would appear upon
tho scene tied hand and foot.
There was some little commotion
among tho crowd when people began to
| point at thin, old man who hObbled
about with tho gestures Of IL dancing
| jack to see IL the lnifo III tho brass run
ners was in good working order This
was Deibler, tho exeGutioner. II ghost
with Il white beard, who adjusted tho
instrument with tho indifference Of II
grocer Weighing his goods Suddenly
there was profound silencoi tho rain
| was over, heads Wer0 uncovered and
motionlesa. Brcathcss and almost in
agony tho crowd followed with staring
eyes tho movement Of tho doors Of tho
prison, which at last opened wide.
A suppressed "AhP camo from many
contracted chests, while with pale faces
all gazed upon tho assassin, whose
orimo the mountebanks Of the fairs pop
ulari2cd. IIo was simply frightful to
| look ut, bowed down IA he was with
terror. Ile did not look like "A human
being. Ho looked like IA hcast. His in
telligeneo was already dead and his
heart had lost all feeling Tho instinct
Of tho animal still remained. Tho sight
was droadfully sad.
What followed beggars description.
Tho executionor and his aids seemed no
longer to DO men employed to carry out
tho ends Of justice; they looked like
butchers Thoy seized tho condemned
man, somo by tho ears, some by tho
legs, while others held down tho center
Of the body and kept holding him up to
tho very moment when, with Il sudden
rumble, tho knife foil, tho head ro-
bounded into tho basket and tho abomi-
nation was at an end.
But ono should DO present and 500 tho
payements covered with blood. the CORY
knife. tho blood squirting from the do
capitated trunk. tho ignominious wash
ing at tho nearby fountain and the gut
tiers rolling to tho sewer Is purple color
/ cd mud, III order to DO able to cOmpre-
/ bend all the horrors Of an execution in
! Paris. Exchange.
buried with Eyeglasses.
| hI....---. d.. LII H.. hmm