MEMOIRS OP THE SANSONS. 4T of the Convention, guilty of having fabricated spurious passports; and Catherine Bethringer, convicted of treason. Nivôse 20.—Marie Aimée Leroy, wife of Jo- seph Faucher, and Joseph Girouard, printer. Nivôse 23.—Adrien Lamourette, constitu- tional bishop of Lyons, was put to death to day. He showed that he did not fear death. He was much insulted on the way ; he blessed the peo- ple without showing any bitterness or resent- ment. People cried to him, in alluding to his speech of July 1792: "Embrace Chariot,1 Lamourette; come, em- brace Chariot!" Lamourette turned to me, and said : "Yes, I embrace in thee humanity; however mad and furious it may be, it is always human- ity." And, in effect, he did embrace me, just as he was about to be strapped to the weigh-plank. After him Jean Joseph Durand, ex-president of the revolutionary committee of Montpellier, was put to death. Nivôse 27.—Jean PierreThiellard, tradesman; Charles Hollier, vicar of the constitutional church of Bordeaux; and Pierre Ducourmau, lawyer, were executed this morning. In the cart the three convicts sang a song they had composed in prison. Their singing excited the anger of the people, who threw mud in their faces. Firmuess does not mollify all citizens, but rather irritates them, as red irritates bulls. Some convicts return the taunts, and theu it is worse. I have already witnessed really disgraceful scenes. Tirasse spoke of the matter to Renaudin asking that Fouquier should give orders to the gerdarmes, and that Jacot, my assistant, should be dismissed. Fouquier answered that he had no time to waste over such futilities. Renaudin, has promised to speak of the matter to Robes- pierre. Nivôse 29.—This day has seen the condemna- tion and execution of the nephew of a man who had much reason to complain of the old régime —Jean Vissée, Baron de Latude. Pluviôse 2.—A year since to-day we executed the King. This morning ray wife was so pale and tired when she awoke that I guessed that her sleep had been troubled. She knelt dowu to pray, and I did the same. ... I had to lead four to the scaffold to-day—Jean Thibault, laborer; Marc Etienne Quatremère, merchant; Jean Marie de l'Ecluse, lieutenant in the navy; and Bernard Sables, merchant. The town was merry, on account of the aniversary of the death of the King. The streets were full of citizens, who sang patrotic choruses. We reached the Place, and as L'Ecluse was going up the steps loud shouts were heard. The members of the Convention were coming through the garden. The public, unasked, opened its ranks before the deputies; but the latter neither advanced nor returned on their steps. A committee of Jacobins had asked the Convention that a deputation of its members should join the Commune in a pilgrimage to the tree of liberty in commemoration of the day. The motion had excited great enthusiasm, and the Assembly rose in a body to join the cortege. No doubt they had no idea of the surprise Citizen Fouquier had reserved for them. Many deputies, when they saw the cart, tried to go away; but the people pressed around them, thereby obliging them to witness the execution. The tumult was so great that the convict L'Ecluse stopped on the steps and turned round. The assistants stood motionless, and I myself did not care to outrage the majesty of the deputies of the nation by such a sight. Cries of "Proceed with the execution!" were raised, and we did our duty. The head of the naval officer fell, and his three companions suffered after him. The thump of the knife was greeted with tremendous applause. Pluviôse 3,4, 5.—Thirteen executions of minor individuals. Plumose 13.—Yesterday I returned from Brie, where our country house is. The three days I passed there leave me no desire to return to the place. The word " fraternity " is inscribed on the mairie, but it is not inscribed on the hearts of the inhabitants. While the poorest in Paris sacrifice whatever they possess, while the most relentless sometimes behave with real generosity, the inhabitants of the country only think of enriching themselves. The sale of the national domains, far from satisfying them, has only excited their cupidity. The law awards 1 "Chariot, "for Charles. This contraction of Charles Henri Sanson's Christian name is still generally applied to the executioner in France.—N. Ed. ! death to monopolizers. Were the law carried j out, a guillotine should be erected in every vil- lage : for almost every peasant conceals his corn, for fear of being compelled to take it to market, and receive assignats in payment. There are, it is true, revolutionary committees in almost every village; but the peasants understand their own interests, and they never denounce each other. They form a secret association, which defies the decrees of the Convention, and which is the real cause of famine. The patriotic vigilance of the said committees is only exer- cised at the expense of those who are rich enough to be envied. Thus several rich in- habitants of Coulommiers, two of whom I know, were brought to Paris, judged and exe- cuted to-day, under pretext of a conspiracy wliich never existed. Pluviôse 16.—The jurors of the Revolutionary Tribunal are not very scrupulous as to whom they condemn, and on their side the prisoners care little for life. Never were people more re- gardless of existence. Formerly, when I used to enter a prison, my appearance frightened the boldest; now among the prisoners I meet in the passages and parlor of the prison, not one seems to think that to-morrow, perhaps, I may call for him. There are some who smile when I appear. These smiles produce a singular effect upon me. Experience has made me callous, and I can bear the horror with which we execu- tioners are regarded ; but to get accustomed to people who almost say "Thauk you" when they are led to the guillotine, is more difficult. My hand could not have remained firm if it had still to carry out such sentences as the former régime were wont to inflict. Judges, jurors, prisoners seem as if they were taken with a kind of delirium of death. When shall all this end? A prisoner asked rae the other day: " W hat- could I do in order to be guillotined immediate- ly?" Those who manifest such impatience perhaps are not the pluckiest. There are oth- ers who remain calm and cool, as if they had yet a hundred years to live. Such was Mont- jourdain, commander of the St. Lazare bat- talion. During six weeks of incarceration in the Conciergerie he did not betray the slightest sign of fear or sadness. When he was informed that his time was come, he composed a song. He was taken to the scaffold with one Courton- net, and both kept on joking and laughing up to the las' minute. CHAPTER XXXVI. CHARLES HENRY SANSON'S DAIRY—(CONTINUED. > Pluviôse 17.—To-day we executed some ladies of quality. They showed almost as much tranquillity as Citizen Montjourdaiu. Their names were: Marie Gabrielle Lechapt, widow of the Marquis de Rastignac, convicted of hav- ing sent money to her son, who had emigrated ; the ci-devant Marchioness de Marbceuf, con- victed of having accaparated provisions; and with Jean Joseph Payen, farmer of Madame de Marbceuf ; and two forgers of assignats, Nicolas Armand and Jean Renaud. On theTway Madame de Marbœuf exhorted Payen to die courageous- ly. She said to him: "After all, my poor fellow, it is just the same whether we die to-day or twenty years later." " If it is just the same," answered Payen, who was notât all resigned to his fate, "I would rather die in twenty years." Pluviôse 19.—This day, Elizabeth Pauline Gand, wife of Count de Lauraguais; Louis Pierre; Madame de Lauraguais's steward; Pierre Joseph Petit, constitutional curate of Ménil, guilty of corresponding with the enemy; and Nicolas Pasquin, formerly Princess Elizabeth's valet, were executed. Pluviôse 22.—Couthon had, it appears, made more noise than harm at Lyons, He threatened very loudly, but his threats killed no one. Things considerably altered after he was super- seded by Collot and Fouché. Collet eschewed the guillotine, which he thought was not sufficient- ly expeditious, and executed with cannon, and thus put to death over two hundred persons everyday-. Robespierre and Couthon are indig- nant at this butchery. The Convention gov- erns the Republic. It is itself governed by a dozen sanguinary leaders, who obey the orders of the Club des Cordeliers; so that Hébert, who is the big gun of the Cordeliers, can say with reason that he is the real sovereign of the peo- ple. All this is sad enough. Thé Tribunal to- day sentenced six nuns. We executed them immediately after their trial. Pluviôse 23.—Executed Anne Henriette Bou- chevain, Baronne de Vaxence, and François Atnable Chapuy, lieutenant-colonel of the fifth battalion of Saône-et-Loire. * * * * * * Ventôse 1.—Ronsin, general of the revolu- tionary army, and Vincent have been set free. What is strange is that it is Danton who obtained the discharge of these two violent men. Ronsin strides about the streets with his old airs. His presence dispels all hopes of clem- ency; aud it has given rise to the rumor that another government is to be established. This government is to have for principal object the acceleration of revolutionary justice. Ronsin is to be the head of the government; under him is to be a military tribunal, composed of a high judge, a prosecutor, and four judges. A coun- cil, called the Conseil Antique, is to take the place of the Convention. I need hardly say that very few people believe in this absurdity. To-day executed François Gerbaut, merchant, and a deserter named Gossenot. ****** Ventôse 6.—Jean Jacques Dortoman, formerly general in the Army of Italy; Thomas de Maus- sion, a nobleman; Joseph Canel, a hairdresser; and Barbe Smith, a woman, were executed Lto- day. Ventôse 8.—Wood, wliich was dear enough last mouth, is unapproachable now. The cold is intense. A month ago planks of the guillo- tine were stolen; this morning, on our way to the Conciergerie, we found a man stretched out on the pavement; he wanted to fetch some water from the river, had fallen on tho quay, and had not the strength to get up. He told us that he had not eaten" for two days. We had three cart-loads of convicts to-day, fifteen in all —men, women, noblemen, priests, and mer- chants. Ventôse 10.—Robespierre is ill, and the Cor- deliers have it all their own way. Yesterday they declared that Citizens Camille Desmoulins and Fabre d'Eglantine should be impeached: they also make the best of the sufferings of the people, which are great; they accuse the Con- vention, and speak of doing again what was done on June 2. What shall we become if they have the best of it? Since the guillotine is at. the order of the day, its inventors are always thinking of modifying it. Over twenty sugges- tions to lhat effect have been presented lo the revolutionary committee, but they were so ab- surd that only one of these has been reserved for consideration. The plan consists in a trap opening near the weigh-plank, into which the body falls, a device which prevents accumula- tion on the guillotine. Citizen Vouland, of the Convention, was present when the experiment was made. It did not succeed, the two bags of sand which were used for the purpose having failed to enter the trap. Citizen Vouland asked for my opinion. I said that the proposed alter- ation was full of danger; that if the trap did not close better than it opened, the execution- ers or the convicts might fall through it with the corpses. He expressed his concurrence in this view, and the proposed alteration was shelved. We guillotined five persons to-day—four me» and one woman. Ventôse 13.—The Revolutionary Tribunal set ties old accounts with country citizens. Two carts were sent to the guillotine to-day. AU the convicts were peasants. A very unfortu uate accident happened. Only one convict re- mained, all his companions having been exe- cuted before him; as he was being strapped down, my son Henri, who was attending to the baskets, called me and I went to him. Lari- vière, one of the assistants, had forgotten to re- raise the knife, so that when the weigh plank was lowered with the convict Laroque strapped upon it, his face struck the edge of the knife, which was bloody. He uttered a terrible shriek. I ran up, lifted the weigh-plank. and hastened , to raise the knife. The convict trembled like a leaf. The mob hissed us, and threw stones at us. In the evening Citizen Fouquier severely reprimanded me. I deserved his blame, for I should have been in my usual place. Citizen Fouquier saw I was very sorry, and dismissed me with more kindness than I expected. Thir- teen executions. Ventôse 15.—The Cordeliers proclaimed in- surrection in their sitting of yesterday. I see no symptoms of emotion in the streets; gather- ings are neither more numerous nor more tur- bulent than usual. If this goes on the Père Duchêne (Hébert) may perhaps learn by ex- perience what the. sensations of the guillotine