AT THE GUILLOTINE.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 May 1928, Page 2

AT THE GUILLOTINE.

PARIS, March 23. For the first time in Paris a woman accompanied a condemned man to the guillotine this morning wlion, in tlie grey dawn, two heads fell in less than 40 seconds on the pavement outside the Santo Prison.

They werer those of Pachowsky and Zinzuck the two leaders of the l’olisli murder gang sentenced to death for no fewer than, 12 murders, and they walked to the guillotine escorted by MHo Sonia Erlich, the 25-year-old barrister sister of M. Erlich, deputy ior Paris.

There was a dramatic scene when Mile. Erlich, who was Zinzuck’s counsel embraced him as he stepped from the prison van, drawn by two horses which had rattled the two condemned men over the 209 yards of stone setts from the inner court-yard of the prison to the point where the guillotinehad been set up. "When Zinzuck stepped from the prison van to walk the half dozen paces to the guillotine he whispered to the girl advocate as she embraced him “Good-bye, Madame. Then, walking bravely to his fate, he shouted in a loud voice: “Good-bye gentlemen |" A seond later he was no more.

The execution took place in the presence of at least 200 people, including the judical - authorities, police, and mounted municipal guards, and. it seemed that there were many more spectators present than is required -y the law, which severely restricts the Witnesses to the Public Prosecutor, the examining magistrate, and the condemned man’s counsel. The executioner was a drapper little man with a pointed grey beard and wearing a hard felt hat. An American present said that the guillotine was quicker and certainly more humane than the electric-chair.