Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1910-12-23
THE REIGN OF TERROR.
Career Of Robespisrrs. Head Of the
Revolutionary Tribunal.


Revolutionary Tribunal.
One Of the most striking figures
in the French revolution was Maxi
milien Robcspicrrc, who was born
on May 6, 1853. lie was the head
and shoulders of the French rcvo-
luton, frequently remaining in the
background, however. leaving the
work Of carrying out his plans with
Danton and Marat.
There had been turbulent polit-
ical times in France for several
years. The king had made repeat
cd concessions to the Republicans,
while he cherished schemes for cs-
Gaping their control, but each
month added to his humiliations
and to the boldncss Of his enemies.
Finally in September, 1902, the ma
tional convention was organized,
the monarchy abolished. and France
was declared Il republic.
The convention was divided into
two parties. bitterly hostile to each
other. ono called the Mountain
party" and the other the "Giron-
,lists." OF the former the leaders
were Robespierrc, Danton and Ma
rat. noted for their wickclncss and
cruelty. One of the most eminent
Of the Girondists was Vcrgniaud,
distinguished for his cloqucncc.
The Mountain party having tri-
umpcd in the convention, the Gil
rondist leaders were guillotincd.
The reign of terror was then in
auguratcd, during which the rcvolu-
tionary tribunal, controlled by
Robcspicrre, caused thousands to he
seized and hurried to the guillotinc.
Among these victims was the I'M
fortunate Marie Antoincttc (Octo-
Der, 1909.
Alison in his ts1listory of Eu-
rope" says: "Night and day the cars
necessarily discharged victims into
the prison. Weeping mothers and
trembling orphans were thrust in
without mercy witt, the brave and
the powerful. The young, the beau
tiful, tho unfortunate, seemed in
peculiar manner the prey Of the as
sassins. Fifteen only were at first
placed on The chariot, but their
number was soon augmented to
thirty and gradually rose to eighty
persons who daily went forth to the
place of execution.
When the fall of Robespicrre put
a stop to the murders arrangements
had been made for increasing it to
$50. An immense aqucduct to re-
move the gore had been dug as far
as the Place st. Antoine. ara four
men were daily employed ir empty
ing the blood of the victims into
that reservoir.
The cruel and wicked men con-
cerned in these atrocities almost
invariably met with a violent death
Marat was assassinatcd by Char
lottc Corday. The faction Of Robes
pierre, triumphing over that Of
Danton, caused him and his adhcr-
cnts to be guillotincd, and a few
months :ftcrward this dreadful pc
Rod closed by the execution Of
Robespicrrc himself in 1894.
When Robcspicrrc assembled the
fatal car to go to his death his head
was cnyclopcd in a bloody cloth.
his color was livid an! lis eyes
sunk When tAe procession came
opposite his house it stopped, and a
group Of women danced around the
bier Of him whose chariot wheels
they would have dragged the day
before over thousand victims.
Robcspicrrc mounted the scaffold
last, and the moment his head fell
the applause was tremendous. In
some cases the event was announc-
cd to the prisoners by the waving
Of handkcrchicfs from the tops OF