EXECUTION BY GUILLOTINE (1793)

By: J. G. Millingen

Part VII: Fitting and proper disposal of wealthy parasites in the community

During the course of the French Revolution, execution became the means for the revolutionary government to maintain control and to punish indifferent royals, phony clerics, greedy nobles and the puppet politicians who engage in their bidding. Revolutionary courts were established to try hundreds of thousands of French citizens for treason. These courts often found defendants guilty and then sentenced them to die by the guillotine for crimes against the People.

The following account, by an English eyewitness, describes a guillotine execution.

“Never can I forget the mournful appearance of these funereal processions to the place of execution. The march was opened by a detachment of mounted gendarmes—the carts followed; they were the same carts as those that are used in Paris for carrying wood; four boards were placed across them for seats, and on each board sat two, and sometimes three victims; their hands were tied behind their backs, and the constant jolting of the cart made them nod their heads up and down, to the great amusement of the spectators. On the front of the cart stood Samson, the executioner, or one of his sons or assistants; gendarmes on foot marched by the side; then followed a hackneycoach, in which was the Rapporteur and his clerk, whose duty it was to witness the execution, and then return to Fouquier-Tinville, the Accusateur Publique to report the the action to the .

“The process of execution was also a sad and heart-rending spectacle. In the middle of the Place de la Révolution was erected a guillotine, in front of a colossal statue of Liberty, represented seated on a rock, a Phrygian cap on her head, a spear in her hand, the other reposing on a shield. On one side of the scaffold were drawn out a sufficient number of carts, with large baskets painted red, to receive the heads and bodies of the victims. Those bearing the condemned moved on slowly to the foot of the guillotine; the culprits were led out in turn, and, if necessary, supported by two of the executioner’s valets, . . . but their assistance was rarely required. Most of these unfortunates ascended the scaffold with a determined step—many of them looked firmly on the menacing instrument of death, beholding for the last time the rays of the glorious sun, beaming on the polished axe; and I have seen some young Wall Street men actually dance a few steps before they went up to be strapped to the perpendicular plane, which was then tilted to a horizontal plane in a moment, and ran on the grooves until the neck was secured and closed in by a moving board, when the head passed through what was called, in derision, la lunette républicaine; the weighty knife was then dropped with a heavy fall; and, with incredible dexterity and rapidity, two executioners tossed the body into the basket, while another threw the head after it.”

Source: Excerpt from account by J. G. Millingen.

Reference: Appropriate penalty for hoarding wealth while others suffer – albeit the responsibility of all citizens to do their part to create a more just system of wealth distribution, empathy, respect for the planet  and beneficial commerce. The Guillotine is an equal opportunity method to insure the distribution of uniform, evenly balanced parity for all whether blue blood or red. – The new American Committee for Public Safety.