End of Public Executions in France

This was the last time the French guillotine carried out its duty in

public. In June 1939, the condemned man, Eugen

Weidmann, never closed his eyes. Having been sentenced to death

for multiple violent crimes, his rapid breathing betrayed the fear

inside. Meanwhile, outside, a few staff were busy around

a wooden frame. The sound of metal parts clinking stood

out sharply in the

silence. What they were assembling was the guillotine, which France had used

for nearly one hundred fifty years.

Its blade gleamed coldly, as if bearing the weight of centuries of

French

order and deterrence. Following prison procedure,

a dark suit was

handed to him. This was not a special tradition,

but a way to let him keep

his dignity in his final moments. Having stayed awake all night, his

eyes were vacant and his steps unsteady.

He needed support just to stand. At the end of the corridor, a priest

stood waiting with a scripture. In the soft murmur of prayers, Weidmann's

emotions settled somewhat, though his hands still trembled

uncontrollably. He was then led to the execution ground.

Along the way, a guard offered him a drink

and a cigarette.

He refused the alcohol, but with trembling hands,

lit the cigarette.

One can't help but wonder, even a man guilty of terrible crimes

longed for a shred of familiarity and calm.

At the very end, before he approached the device,

a guard gently cut

open his shirt collar. This was to minimize any obstruction during the

execution. By then, Weidmann was nearly unconscious.

Two guards held him up and brought him to the cold apparatus.

The switch was pressed, and everything stopped abruptly.

A brief silence fell over the scene, broken only by scattered whispers,

reminding everyone that what had just happened was real.

After that day, France put an end to the era of public

execution. An age that relied on public punishment had come

to a

close, and it leaves us with a question to

reflect on.

Does true civilization mean no longer using fear to maintain order?