Salt Lake Telegram | 1932-09-14 | Page 1 | Woman Reporter in Guise of Boy Sees Execution

Woman Reporter In Guise of Boy Sees Execution Paris Writer Describes Infliction Infliction Infliction tion of Death Penalty on Slayer of French President By MARY IARY KNIGHT Copyright 1932 by United Press PARIS PARIS Sept 14 14 1 stood beside th the guillotine outside Sante prison a adawn at dawn today the first woman to witness witness witness wit wit- wit wit- ness an execution in France from the inclosure reserved for officials and journalists and watched as Dr Paul head was chopped oft for the murder of President Paul Paul Pau D. D The rhe spectacle was not too terrifying terrifying terrifying terrify terrify- ing to me rae personally but it was a ghastly scene I I. I dressed in boys boy's clothes in a hiding place near the guillotine guillotin until 1 was more frightened during durins that wait than by by bythe the actual execution SWAGGERS THROUGH LINES Finally I summoned all all all' my courage courage cour cour- age stepped from my hiding place swaggered through the thc lines of gendarmes gendarmes gen gee darmes and republican guards there guards there were almost 1000 of them them and ant reached the group of some persons persons persons per per- per per- sons admitted to watch the widow do her quick work was brought up in a ablack ablack ablack black prison van just at dawn The change between night and day in Paris is always Impressive but today it was particularly so We stood there conversing in whispers A grea great crowd cro waited outside the police lines Jines They had no hope of seeing much Suddenly we became quiet The van was maneuvered into position The Thedoor Thedoor I door opened looking like a great monster In the j Light of ot early day His hands and teet pet were manacled He had a peculiar I liar twisted smile on on his ros face half hal angel and half hat devil Republican guards raised their I Ia I a now t 1 outskirts of the crowd who were not J aware of the thc Rus Russians Russian's ians ian's arrival walked to the platform 1 of af the death machine where Monsieur Monsieur Monsieur Mon 1 Paris the official executioner I Ind and nd his aides rec received the prisoner I quickly and silently 1 t The faces of the execution crew were expressionless t tK t K KEEPS EPS U UNHOLY noL SMILE S1 i t tt But ff kept his unholy smile mile The silence w was s broken only by C hc the tinkling of a bell from a convent The Russian with a guard on either cither side was now pushed or hobbled to the execution table His neck was the death groove The knife fell feU swiftly surely The assassins assassin's head toppled into a basket It was all allover over in a few seconds Gas lamps around the guillotine were extinguished a few seconds before before before be be- fore the knife fell People not close to the scaffold could see little Most of them heard the thud when the knife struck neck 7 There was no autopsy widow claimed the body but it must be buried temporarily in the Square of the Damned where lie Ue Landru the famous bluebeard young Gauchet guillotined for murder early this year and others of ot the widows victims I I