Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-08-25

ana when II WAS opened party or
soldiers entered and informed Cha
teaubrun that he was under arrest by
order of the convention. In spite of
his clinging wife he was dragged away
and lodged In the conciergerie.
He demanded-all arrested persons
made the demand-to know the charge
brought against him. He received no
reply till he was brought up for the
semblance of a trial he was given
then was informed that he was accus
ed of conSpiring With others to bring
the Duke of Orleans across the border
and establish him as king. Chateau
brun knew that there was not word
of truth IN the charge. but its very
absurdity told him that il was a pre-
text rather than an accusation, and he
lost hope At once.
There were twenty-One persons tried
at the same time with Chateaubrun
and convicted on various preteXts
They were all sentenced to be execut-
ed on the guillotine on the same day. All
were imprisoned in the concicrgerie.
which was the depot of supplies, so
to speak. for the terrible engine of
uS OtlO4c Tue SAC1hAlOb
Nine Chateaubrun went TO Boyer
and begged him TO save her husband
He told her THAT to show favor to one
convicted by the ElODS tribunal would
be to endanger his own head. She
was astoniShed that he considered the
risk in the case of his old friend, but
Boyer maintained resolutely that he
dare not interfere From Boyer the
wife went 20 the conciergeric to tell
her husband OF the failure of her mis-
sion and TO bid him goodby. She was
taken from the prison and carried
home in a swOon.
The next morning number of carts
were backed up TO the door of the con
ciergerie. and a soldier in the prison
called the names of twenty-One men
who were to go forth TO execution.
Among them WAS Henri Chateaubrun.
They all walked out to the carts. some
of them dragging themselves. some
erect. all of them showing in their pale
and haggard features the mark of
death. Standing in the carts. they were
driven toward the Seine and crossed
ii by a bridge entering the Place de
la Revolution. since called the Place de
la Concorde. There stood the guillo-
tine with persons to work ii ready to
lop off twenty-one heads. and there
stood q crowd. kept back by soldiers.
to witness the grewsome sight. The
carts stopped beside the machine. and
the victims descended from the carts.
And now began work that even an
implement so well adapted to the pur-
pose found it difficult TO perform. Each
ore of the prisoners, hatleSs and with
his hands tied behind his back. in turn
stepped up to it, was laid upon 1t.
strapped to it; the knife fell, his head
rolled into the basket. and his body
was removed to make room for the
next victim. Fifteen of the twenty
one had been executed when the
guillotine refused to work. Whether
the knife got wedged in the grooves
or whether the machinery that raised
the ak or that which detached it after
it had been raised got out of order
doesn't matter. Something had gone
wrong, and those IN charge of the exc
cutions We're unable to fix il.
The proceedings were stopped. and a
messenger was sent for mechanics to
put the guillotine IN order. This re-
quired time. Waiting is not conducive
to discipline. The soldiers who were
there to keep the crowd back grew lax.
and by the time workren had arrived
people had elbowed their way close
upon the remaining six men standing
in line waiting for the repairs on the
machine that was TO make corpses OF
them.
sect backr' cried the guards. SHOW
ing the crowd with the butts Of their
muskets.
This was repeated so often and was
so often that at last very
little attention was paid TO 1t. Chateau
brun presently found himself in the
first line of spectators Then, instead
of being In the line next the guillotine.
he found himself in the second. In the
pushing that continued he was wedged
hack info tha third line and ar last was i