The Warwickshire Herald. — 1889-08-22 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

EXECUTION OF FRENCH CRIMINALS. The two executions by the "guillotine" which took place outside the prison of La Roquette were, telegraphs the Daily Telegraph's Paris correspondent, remarkable for the celerity with which they were accomplished and for the mixed character of the crowd which witnessed them. M. Deibler, toe headsman, did his work in about two minutes and without a hitch, as if he wanted to phew his critics and the "Exhibition" spectators, before whom he performed for the first time, how efficiently he could get through his fearful duties. Among those who witnessed the executions from the enclosure near the prison were various exhibitors, several Japanese officials, some Egyptians and Tunisians, the American marines who are on duty on the Champ de Mars, and the usual contingent of the Lord Tomnoddy and Sir Carnaby Jinks types from the Boulevards. Outside the cordon of police there was the customary collection of foul nightbirds from Belleville and Charonne, who joked and chatted or sang snatches of ballads about the men who were doomed to die. The two felons who were "guillotined" were Allorto and Sellier, burglars of Auteuil, who broke into a villa some months ago, murdered its caretaker in a most inhuman manner, and then made off with booty. Their accomplice, a good-for-nothing rascal of respectable parentage, named Mecrant, was reprieved by the President of the Republic. The "guillotine" was ready at half-past 3 o'clock in the morning, and at 20 minutes past 4 o'clock M. Beauquesae, Governor of La Roquette, who was accompanied by two chaplains, various officials, and Signor Ferri, an Italian Deputy, permitted to be present—woke up Allorto, who was sleeping Bouncily. The murderer rubbed his eyes and jumped up bathed in perspiration. He was then taken to the hair-clipping room. In passing by Mecrant's cell he muttered some words indicative of the guiltiness of that person, whose evidence had Len used at the trial, and then remarked to the Abbe Faure that he had not murdered the gardener Bourdon, but had only gagged his mouth. After that Allorto became calmer, made an "act of faith" as a Catholic, and complained that the executioners had bound his legs too tightly. He went firmly to the lunette, and, after his head was cut off, Deibler's deputies quickly sponged the dreadful machinery and went back to the prison for Sellier, who, contrary to previous custom, was not present at the execution of his accomplice. Sellier, or the Manehot as he was called by his friends, by reason of his having only one arm, had heard the horrible sounds which preceded the execution of Allorto, and was awake when summoned to his doom. Sellier was fully prepared for death. On the day before his execution he remarked that he would soon be gone, and he made a will leaving to a colleague, whom he called the "Bather," the effects to be found in his cell. After having tossed off four small glasses of rum, &Hier begged for a cigarette, but this was refused, so be turned to the chaplain and asked if there was any use in appealing to Heaven. Having endeavoured to repeat a few prayers, the felon was bound and walked without flinching to the scaffold, only turning his head to look at one of the spectators, who exclaimed aloud, "That fellow is a real murderer ! " The bodies of the two criminals, after having been taken for sham interment to the turnipfield " at Ivry, were handed over to the Faculty of Medicine for dissection. Mecrant, the other convict, had also, like Senior, been aroused from slumber by the noise which preceded the execution of Allorto. He waited in fearful sue parse, expecting every moment to hear his summons to the "guillotine," but as the time wore on he knew that he was reprieved. When the governor of the prison told him of his escape from the "knife" his joy knew no bounds. The prisoner was then removed to another cell, whence he will be sent on board a ship bound for the penal settlement of New Oaledonia.