Memoirs of the Sansons; From Private Notes and Documents (1688-1847) Volume 2 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1876 edition. Excerpt: ... 'But, my friend, you have but one last effort to make to go to heaven. Come, be humble' 'I shall go to heaven, just as you will, if there is one. Leave me alone, pray; think of yourself, not of me.' 'My dear child, I beseech you, ' insisted the abbe, think of the salvation of your soul; say that you repent.' 'Sir, ' indignantly retorted Louvel, 'I have already done a good many things to please you; you are stepping beyond the bounds of your duty'1 Hardly had Louvel said these words than he ascended the steps so rapidly that the assistants were obliged to hold him back. He took his place unaided on the fatal plank, and at six o'clock precisely Louvel's head fell into the basket. We took the corpse to the cemetery of the Barriere du Maine, but we were afterwards ordered to dig it up and bury it in another spot . The secret of this new burial remained unknown to all, save to the executioner and his assistants, who, on this occasion only, acted as gravediggers. 1 The highly improper discussion raised by the Abbe Montes at the foot of the scaffold confirms a preceding note.--N. Ed. CHAPTER LI. MY EXECUTIONS. On December 6, 1820, the scaffold was again erected on the Place de Greve for a young man, Pierre Louis Martin, who had murdered his father. He was led to the scaffold with a black veil over his head, and, in accordance with the penalty edicted against parricides, his fist was cut off before he was beheaded. It was the first time I saw this kind of punishment. The same sentence was executed on July 21, 1821, on a man named Nicolas Boutillier, who had murdered his mother. On August 1r, in the same year, we were sent to Melun to execute one Joseph Gratureau. A gentleman's blood was shed on the scaffold on October 19. The Viscount de Ruault, ...