Year: 1877

tne Accused at STAKE.


PSris Csrrespondence New York Times.l


His story was that Marie le
MANAGE had come home half drunk
on the evening of the second of
December; that he reproached her
for her conduct; that when she was
changing her clothes she threw
down a China cup that was very
precious to him; that he turned,
and in his wrath gave her a kick
in the stomach. She fell uncon-
seious, according to his version.
Then he tried to restore her, but
found that she was dead. He slept
upon the bed beside her all that
night, or rather reposed there while
revolving plans in his mind for
getting rid of the body. He finally
pitched upon the plan of cutting it
into pieces and Of throwing it into
the Seine. On the 9Th his work
was completed. He had carried
the parts at two trips, and had at
tached stones to the packages in
order to make them sink. That
night the level of the Seine sank
very nearly two feet, and in the
morning the largest of the packages
was floating so near the surface of
the water that it could be seen. 1t
was fshed out in "a short time and
the horrible crime discovered.


The death sentence was about to
be pronounced when the accused
was ordered to rise. "Billoir,"
said the president, "you have yio-
lated the laws Of honor; you are no
longer worthy to bear the military
medal, or the decoration of Italy;
you are degraded" The Judge
then said that the verdict had been
affirmative, and ordered the clerk
to record it. Billoir did not under
stand it. George Lachaud leaned
over and whispered that he could
demand executive clemency, but
that the sentence was death, and
Billoir sank down half unconscious
upon his bench. 1t is scarcely
probable that the executive will in
terfere in a case of this kind, and
imagine that Billoir's head will
fall under the ak of the guillotine
within the next few days. Here
three days are allowed for an appeal
to the Court of Cessation, which
deals solely with questions of form,
and cne day, or as long as is neces-
sary, to ask for executive clemency,
but the moment that it is refused
orders are sent to the executeur des
hautes euyres to prepare his ma
chine. Executions take place be.
fore the prison of La Roquette in
the gray of the morning.


The prisoner is left in doubt
about his fate until four o'clock,
and generally condemned men are
buoyed up with the hope Of a re-
prieve. When the hour comes an
officer with a lantern enters the cell
to wake the prisoner and to tell him
that the hour has come. In mo.
ment NJ. Roch comes in to sign a
receipt for his man, a priest has a
few moments for prayer, and then
the condemned is led out to a small
chamber, where he is seized by the
aids of NJ. Roch, who make the
final toilet. His shirt-collar is cut
off, and the hair at the back of the
head clipped close. Few men can
bear the touch of the cold scissors
without a shudder. When this is
done the prisoners hands are tied
behind him, q coat is thrown over
his shoulders, and the procession
starts out. A few yards away stands
the fatal machine; the condemned
man is marched up to an upright
plank, to which he is strapped ia a
twinkling. 1t is hung upon pivot,
a slight push sends it over, and as
the mans head falls into the groove
of the block bit of wood comes
down to hold it. Five or six seconds
only are occupied with this work,
and in a second more the ak falls,
and the criminals head rolls into
! the basket.