The Ottawa Free Trader

A Public Execution in France.

France still believes in the deterrent influence of public executions. On the 11th of this month the western suburbs of Paris organized a perfect fete champetre to witness the decapitation of the murderer Janot, alias Jean Tappan. For nearly a mile the avenues leading to the place of execution were lined with newsboys and cake venders; every shade tree sheltered a group of excursionists, arranging the contents of their picnic basket and congratulating each other on the favorable state of the weather. The approach of the executioner's cart was hailed with acclamations that would have gratified the ambition of a popular matador. Whoops, cheers and all sorts of cynic gibes mingled with the huzzas, and all voices joined in a yell of applause when the condemned arose in his cart and doffed his cap with a facetious smile. Of course he had to make a speech. For a minute or two the crowd gave him a fair chance by keeping their peace, but then the whoops broke forth uncontrollably, and the pathos of the concluding sentence was rewarded by a crash of applause that seemed to elate the soul of the doomed man, for he waved his hand and smilingly met his fate—a very ugly fate. By some misarrangement of the guillotine the gory head missed the basket and carromed across the scaffold into the dust of the street. The French dislike botchwork, and the picnic ended with a charivari of cat-calls.—Dr. Felix L. Oswald.