Norwich bulletin., 1921-12-01
Famous Trials
BARON TRENCH.


 One of the last tragedies of the Reign of Terror was the execution of Baron Frederick Trenck as an Austrian spy on July 25, 1794, in Paris. Had 1t hap pened in remote ages historians would have hesitated to have entered ot on record, believing that it was some monstrous fable of overwrought and disordered tradition.
 Trenck was the scion of noble Prussian family. When he was 1s years of age he was unjustly imprisoned in the fortress of Fiatz by Frederick the Great. From this he contrived to es- cape, but was retaken a few years after | ward. He then suffered for nine years in the fortress of Madgeburg, one of the | most hirrible inearcerations on record. His own narrative of what he endured i is everywhere famous.
 l After his release he entered the Rus sian service, but upon his cousins death and coming into the family i estates, he returned to Germany. Be i tween the years of 1771 and TIT he vis- 1 ited England and France, and was af- terward employed by the Austrian gov i ernment in diplomatic or secret service 1 missions.
 In 17S8 Trenck visited Paris, where he was the hero of society for mo- 1 l the Revolutionary period. He was one l of coterie of eminents who were com pelled to suffer. and among his fellow prisoners were Andrew Chenier, and the eminent Boucher. They were tried l before the Revolutionary tribunal on | July 25, 1794. Trenck was accused of 1 being the secret agent of the King of 1 Prussia and he was charged, moreover, as were also Andrew Chenier and Boucher, with having taken part in the conspiracy of the prisoners in the de- tention house of St. Lazarus.
 When the president of the tribunal said to him: Trenck, you are accused of maintaining criminal correspond ence with the kings of Europe" he
 braced himself up for g reply: "The equity of the public prosecutor has been imposed upon. I have written no let ters to Germany. For a long time I
 have ceased to frequent palaces, and
 if the kings of Europe wished to learn
 what was passing in France they would not have recourse to one who has ever
 people and of liberty. Citizens you
 here see the marks which despotisrn
 has stamped upon my limbs. and can
 you imagine I would devote this hand
 to the defense of tyranny2"
 When the president accused him of
 corresponding with the emperor o4 Germany and he made an effort to ex- !. plain, the prosecutor general, said .1 object to the accused being allowed
 any longer time for entering into use
 less Aggression. The moments of the ! tribunal are precious, and we have nc 3 time to lose"
 Trenckl do you count the moments
 lost which are granted to an accused } to defend himself?' The president however. allowed him to speak.
 He gave a brief history of his life
 after which he bowed respectfully tt ) the tribunal and a lengthy murmur o1 6 administration rang through all pSet. k of the assembly. To this speech tht
 prosecutor general answered "I vii
 give up that branch of the. charg, which reia'tes to the secret dealing. q with the enemies of France, but wha, e can the accused reply eto the over
 bring forward-the plotting in the pris
 on of St. Lazarus?'
 To this Trenck replied: We w1shet 2 to escape from punishment. When !. escaped from the fortress of Glatz the, D increased the weight of my chains, the,
 double-bolted my dungeon, but thef al
 not take my fife. It was reserved for D revolutionary tribune to Ee beypn. . kings in tyranny and in persecution By single word Trenck could hay saved himself had he merely denied hi
 conapucity in the plot to escape. H
 scorned a denial sCitizens." he said n i.sIny companions fate shall be mine l. will live or die with them"
 Is The jury immediately retired and i 7 a quarter of an hour returned with
 verdict of guilty against all the ac
 cused. They were condemned to deatl at Then then arose in silence and retire D. under the escore of the gendarm'es. A In half past two they had been condemned
 at the fatal tu1npril conceyed the1
 to the Place de Ia Revolution. II Trenck was guillotined the last by one He mounted the scanoid as | 10 | would have mounted bench, and e1 r. claimed before yielding his head to th a fatal knife: 'Frenchrnen. we die ipn<
 cent avenge our deaths and re-establis
 liberty by imnplating the assasains wh tarnish and disgrace her. A few second E later he had ceased to live.