FRANCE’S PUBLIC EXECUTIONER.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVIII, Issue XX, 15 May 1897, Page 619

FRANCE’S PUBLIC EXECUTIONER.

Tired of living in retirement, M. de Paris, alias Deibler, has resumed his post, or rather, his posts, to speak more correctly. Such, at least, is the latest report (says the New York Sun}. It has often been remarked that the profession of an executioner has an irresistible attraction for its members. A retired executioner is almost a phenomenon. They all hold on to their occupation as long as possible, and bate hard times and little work. Formerly France had a bead-cutter for every department, bub when it was found that too many of them held sinecures it was determined to appoint one executioner for the whole country. Deibler got the job, and a mighty busy official he was, always on the go from north to south and from east to west. It will be said, perhaps, that the reason why he resumes his office is that he likes to travel ; bub that is only half the reason, because, generally speaking, people like pleasure trips only, and ib can hardly be said that Deibler’s excursions can be placed in that class. As a rale, executioneis are always merry fellows ; but one of them, Heindrich, a Paris headsman, was somewhat of a sentimentalist. He was in the habit of dining in a little restaurant in the Rue de la Roquette. One day a journalist dined with him in company with the brothers Lionet, whom he had invited for the occasion. After the dinner the executioner asked Anatole Lionet to sing for

him the ‘ Musette/ by Marger, which the painter, Horace Vernet, set to music. Anatole sang, and when he came to the words—- ' Et musette, qui n'est ulus elle, IHsait queje n'eta is plus moi /’ two big tears rolled down the cheeks of Heindrich. But suddenly he jumped up, looked at his watch and ran out of the place. His official duties required his pre* sence elsewhere. Deibler has never exhibited any such weakness, but for all that io is well known that he is passionately fond of flowers. Naturally enough, he lives in retired quar* ters, is a very modest man, and avoids publicity. He used to dress like a dandy, and was always fond of a joke, although he has nearly 400 heads to bis credit. His assistants always speak of him as one of the best of men. He hates to execute women, not from any reluctance about putting a woman to death, but because, as he says, • They always cry and make a great fuss.’ He has sometimes been accused of slowness in his executions, but against this charge he always defended himself by saying that he wants to see everything in perfect order so that there never can be any blunder in his work. In other words, he wants to be sure he’s right before he goes ahead. A man becomes accustomed to everything, and Deibler is no exception to the rule. When he first began to practise his profession he was nervous, but in a short time he became quite accustomed to the thing, and now an execution has no effect upon him whatever.