Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-11-01
IA SCENE .OF HORROR.
sLAuGHTERlNG A CRIMINAL BY THE
euILLoTlNE IN PARIS.
woman. Description of the Shock
Ing Spectacle That Always Attracts
the Outcasts of the French Capital.
After the Fearful Knife Has Fallen.

After the Fearful Knife Has Fallen.
In these rushing times we might take
for our motto Something New, AL
ways Something New" Consequently,
I imagine that the impressions Of
woman at the foot of the guillotine
would not be commonplace. Twas pres
emit at one performance in the Place de
la Roquette, where NJ. dc Paris and his
assistants officiated in the name of SO
called justice. The horrible spectacle
haunts and racks the mind and tends
rather to REINFORCE the partisans Of the
abolition Of capital punishment. The
horror of the punishment imposed rem
ders guilty man almost worthy Of
pity. The sight Of q human being,
dragged like a beast to the slaughter
house, up even to the sinister seesaw,
10 terrible.
know many people may be astonish-
ed that nybody could be moved to pity
for the ferocious brute. Carrara, who
transformed his mushroom establish
ment into crematory and had no mer-
cy for the unfortunate young man, La
mara, whom he threw into the fiNs
after having murdered him for the pur-
pose Of robbery. know all that. and !
do not dispute the fact that the italian
was monster, but that Is no reason
whywe should not be disguised at the
spectacle which was presented to our
I eyes and which will now endeavor to
describe with the impartiality Of a sim
pie spectator, without resentment or
prejudice, but with heart that revolts
against a scene that has neither the
grandeur nor the majesty of a punish
ment inflicted, but rather exhibits the
cowardice and baseness of vengeance
which hides itself from the light of day.
The execution was fixed for O'Clock
in the 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 WON.
en- Of the streets assembled there to see,
as they said. 1.-THE Italian animal short
ened I"
Journalists were admitted into the
narrow space SO often described, with
Its Eve sinister stones and its legendary
gas Jet which is never lighted except on
the evening before an execution.
There In the rain we watched the set
ting up of that horrible machine which,
according to the legend, Cagliostro
showed in glass Of clear water to the
terrified Marie Antoinette. In the yell
low and spectral light of the gas jet
that fickered In the wind these prepa-
rations were hideous to witness. AL
most on level with the ground stands
the scaffold with its two arms in the
air brandishing the sparkling knife
And l, 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 the basket.
thought Of his little children, who were
at that moment sleeping soundly some
where, and Of his wife, equally guilty
with him, and who, as 1t were, pushed
her husband into the arms of the execu
toner as last resort to save herself
What remorse will be hers when they
tell her abruptly: "Carrara has suffered
his punishment. You are widowl"
But the day was dawning, and thu
lamps we're going out At the window
and even on the roofs numbers Of spec
tators were gathered as If to witnes
some carnival. The sight was heart
rending. Mounted gendarmss end col
H. Nnfo1lk onfnA - r IN aAkk