The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-03-01

him and would have taken Off his
clothes, but he repulsed them with
haughtiness; he undressed himself,
united his neckcIoth, opened his
shirt and arranged 1t himself. The
guards surrounded him again and
would have seized his hands. What
are you attempting?' said the king,
drawing back his hands. TO bind
YOU answered the wretches. To
hind me?' said the king with an In
dignant air. mol / shall never con-
Sent to that; do what you have been
ordered, but you shall never bind me-
The guards insisted; they raised
their voices and seemed to wish to
call on others to assist them.
Last Words a Prayer for France.
"Perhaps this was the most terrible
moment Of this most dreadful morn
ing; another instant and the best of
kings would have received from his
rebelliOus subjects indignities too
horrid to Observation-Disclosures that
would have been to him more insup-
portable than death. Such was the
feeling expressed on his countenance.
Turning towards me he looked at me
steadily, as If to ask my advice. 1
replied. Sire. In this new insult I
only see another trait of resemblance
between your majesty and the Savior
who Is about to recompense YOU At
these words he raised his eyes to
heaven with an expression that can
never be described.
"'You are right said he; nothing
less than His example should make
me submit to such a degradation
Then turning to the guards, DO what
you will; I will drink of the cup,
even to the dregs.'
"The path leading to the scaffold
was extremely rough and difficult to
pass; the king was obliged to lean
on my arm and, from the slowness
with which he proceeded, feared
for a moment that his courage might
fail; but what was my establishment
when, arrived at the last step, l felt
that he suddenly let go my arm, and
l saw him cross with a firm foot the
breadth Of the whole scaffold; he ST.
fenced by his look alone, fifteen or
twenty drums that were placed oppo-
site to him; and in a voice so loud
that it must have been heard at the
Pont Tournant, l heard him pro-
nounce distinctly these memorable
words:
81 die innocent of all the crimes
laid to my charge; l pardon those
who have occasioned my death; and
pray to God that the blood you
are now going to shed nay never be
visited on France!
"He was proceeding, when a man
on horseback. in the national uni
form, waved his sword and with a fe-
rocious cry ordered the drums to
beat. Many voices were at the same
time heard encouraging the execu-
TONERS. They. seemed terminated
themselves and, Selling with violence
the most virtuous of kings. they
dragged him under the ak of the
guillotine which with one stroke sew
cred his head from his body. All
this passed in a moment. The young
est of the guards, who seemed about
eighteen, Immediately seized the head
and showed it to the people as he
walked round the scaffold. He ac-
companied this monstrOus ceremony
with the most atrocious and indecent
gestures. At first an awful silence
prevailed; at length some cries OF
'vive la Republique' were heard. By
degrees the voices multiplied. and in
less than ten minutes this cry, a
thousand times repeated, became the
universal shout of the multitude. and
every hat was in the air."
f6 nv the Bell Syndicate. Incl