The evening times., 1900-09-07
ANARCHISTS ALL ACTORS.
Crimes often Committed to Crafty
Their Dramatic Tendencies
(Fgom the Kansas City Star.


Anarchists have made three attempts
on The lives Of rulers during the last four
months. The Prince OF Wales and the
Shah Of Persia escaped while HumbeTt
was killed. During The excitement fol-
lowing the assassination at Monza, An
archists have boasted that the new King
of Italy and the Gar OF Russia would rot
long escape There was a time during the
last century when the man who attempted
10 take the life of monarch was tortured.
tLfamiens. who attacked Louis XIV OF
France, was torn by red hot pinceTs and
burned with molten lead. Today the Iegi-
eide IS protected from the mob and is put
TO death dramatically in The presence OF
a crowd On the scaffold he poses as a
martyr and dies with the shout. Long 1--we
Anarchy" upon his lips
II IS worthy of serious consideration
whether the Anarchist is not enc0ui aged
by the dramatic manner of his expected
taking of. Anarchists and assaSsins are
actors by nature. After Booth shot Lin
coin he Ieaped to the stage of the theatre,
hraIdished his pistol, and cried: Sic sem
per tyrannis!" Thus ever 10 tyrants.1
No doubt the thought of being able to pose
as the Brutus Of tragedy helped to make
Booth murderer All said Santo. the
assassin Of President Carnot, in speaking
OF the putting to death of another An
aFchist Henri did not die like a brave
courage were I 70 mount the scaffold-" So,
when he thrust the dagger into CaTnot's
breast he heroIcalIy exclaimed: ''Vive
Ianarchie!' His bitter disappointment
came on the day of the execution. All
Lyons was about the guillotine. the
women's gay gowns adding color to the
scene. Santo had probably pictured the
whole thing to himself before he struck
the blow-himself the centre of that vast
throng, passionateiy decIaim- -ng TO the peo-
pie, who would hang upOg The words of
the martyr. But on that August day the
poor wretch collapsed and had to be car
ried TO the sCaffold. Yet, even in hs
fright, his seif-taught lesson was not for
gotten. Courage, my comrades! Long
live anarchy" he was heard to murmur in
voice hardly above a whisper.
Guiteau, the assassin of Garfield was
hanged in the presence of 250 persons. On
the scaifold he was allowed 10 read aloud
chapter from the Bible and a prayer
which he had composed expressing the
opinion that President Arthur and the
other members of the Government would
80 down TO perdition. At the conclusion
of the prayer he iatoned an original chant
When the f0ur Chicago Anarchists were
hanged they were not given quite SO great
consideration, yet there was much that
was theatrical in their death which they
evidently enjoyed. Parsons and Spies had
asked 10 be allowed 10 make twenty
ute speeches. but their request was de-
MED. newspaper account of the hang
ing says: Parsons died in a way TO i'm
press future generations that he died a
martyr. No tragedian ever made a more
marvellous presentation of a self-chosen
part" Parsons was interrupted in a
speech by the falling of the drop. Fischer
died crying Long live anarchy" and
Engel shouted, Hoch die anarchy! as he
went down.
Luccheni. the murderer of the Empress
Elizabeth of Austria evidently had the
kletails of his dramatic death in mind be-
fore the assassination. He was greatly
disappointed on learning that Switzerland
had abolished capital punishment so he
could not be guillotined. His counsel said
Of him: He is anxious To be gloriied by
the Anarchist fraternity. and regards his
coming execution as the fit end for a life
OF martyrdom.' Lucchenfs wish for a
theatrical death was not grsGfied and he
IS now solitary prisoner. The st
James Gazette" tells of a French An
archist and murderer who was taken into
an obscure town and guilIotined with only
a milkman in sight, who did not tur,
around. The condemned man had pre-
pared a seaffold speech. and finding no
crowd TO which TO make it. he burst into
tears.
There is hint hare for the treatmep.
of such persons that might prove more
effeetual in preventing crime than even
the red hot pincers and molten lead Of
Louis XIV If the vanity -smitten Anarch
ist who tries 10 kill an official could be
put in a ridiculous and humiliating posi-
ton in public and if the Anarchist who
succeeds in doing murder could be hanged
speedily in private without any fuss bg
sentimental persons, one of the great in
centiyes of the devotees of the red wonid
he
Bresci will die in seelusion and with little
ceremony soon after his conviction for tn9
crime.