Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-05-10
TO HIDE GUILLOTINE
Bill Is Before French Parliament
to Abolish Publicity.
Spectacle of "Red Widow" and Her
Victims in Streets of Paris Being
Opposed BY Many as Conduc-
i've to Crime.

Paris-The death of criminals
upon a guillotine set up in the street
in full view of the public may soon be
abolished in France. A bill for the
repeal OF the law providing for public
executions of the death sentence is
now pending in the chamber of depu-
ties.
1t is therefore probable that when
the three-and possibly four-heads
of the notorious bandits of the Bonnet
band of outlaws are chopped off by
the Red Widow" as the French call
the guillotine. the CORY spectacle may
be given in private. Should that be
the case the motor bandits would be
the first to benefit" by the new law.
Public beheadings are intended to
inspire awe. The would-be assassin
is supposed to see the terrible end
of fellows such as he and refrain from
committing the deed.
The reverse of the picture is said
by many to be true. The hardened
criminal usually meets his doom in a
way that inspires other of his stamp
with the notion that he is a real hero.
for public beheadings furnish occasion
for the exhibition of a certain kind of
bravado which has a strong appeal to
the desperate type. Senator de Chau
mic, one of the leaders of the public
beheading abolition movement, so
says, adding that not only are such
scenes disgusting beyond expression.
but demoralizing in the extreme.
Beheadings now take place at sun
rise. The condemned man is kept in
ignorance of the date of his death
until he is awakened to have his final
toilet made for the knife. Until that
moment he has hopes of executive
clemency, it being the invariable rule
to ask the president as last resort to
use his prerogative and show mercy.
The scene usually is in some street
near the prison in which the man is
confined The narrower and more
crooked that street, the better, since
the authorities desire as few OF the
rabble as possible to see the blade
fall. Scores of police and a large
number of troops. on foot and a-horse.
keep the crowds back and only the
officials. newspaper men and prison
chaplain are grouped about the base
Of the guillotine.
When several persons are beheaded
they are brought out of the prison one
at time, the last to die not seeing
the others meet their fate. The Grim
inal is tied TO a sort of block which
pivots in the middle; he is given a
push, he falls horizontal and the tri.
angular blade descends. The head
rolls into a basket on one side. the
body is dumped into a similar but
longer receptacle on the other. Then
the carcass is carted away at a gallop
while the headman's assistants wash
the guillotine with huge sponges,
which they wiring out in pals of
water.
They call this making the widows
toilet for her next husband"
Much of this sickenng sight as pos
sible is hidden from the public, which
remains passive. or becomes demon
strative according as to whether the
man is an ordinary criminal, or "pop-
ular" or much disliked. II hated cries
of "A mort" and Death to the muir
derer." are heard as the knife falls.
Senator Chaumie is against hiding
the guillotine up a narrow street or
blind alley. In speech before the
senate he said he favored abolition OF
the gullotine as a public exhibition,
but until the government should make
the necessary laws. beheading should
take place in the broad open day and
in the most crowded squares to be
found. If the death is to be made
public. said. then let it be really pub
lie. Have it where all may see it.