The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 172: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

TIE SN rere eee _ ‘ Toere is one inmate of thisestablishment,’ said Mr. Scales, quitting the window aud returning to his reat—an example followed by the gallant officer,— “there i3 one inmate whose early history is very peculiar; and the most extraordinary circumstance ronnected with the matter is thot he believes the events of his younger days tobe ontirely unknown and unsuspected within these walle. I should not point him out to you, even were he amongst the loungers in the court at this moment: neither shall J mention his name—or rather the name by which he ishereknown. But I may state that thirty years ago I knew him by the name of MIacpherson. We met in Paris, shortly after the peace—and he was living, with a beautiful French woman as his mistress, in very handsome apartments. Her name was Augus- tine; and she certainly was the most lovely creature I ever saw in my life. Macpherson adored her; and while he believed that she worshipped him in return, her infidelity was notorious amongst all his friends. He had succeeded to a small fortune, by the death of an uncle; and, on visiting Paris, had fallen in with this young lady, whose charms immediately enthralled him. She was a banker’s cast-off mistress, and was glad to ensnare a handsome English gentle- man in her meshes. Her extravagance was un- bounded; and in less than a year Macpherson’s re- sources were completely exhausted. It would appear that Augustine at that period introduced to him a Frenchman whosereal name was Legrand, but whom she passed offas her brother. This Legrand was elegant in manners and agiceable in conversation, as well as handseme in person; but he was unprincipled, dissipated, and of broken fortunes. From ail I subse- quently learnt, and from the knowledge I had of Mac- pherson’s character, I feel convinced that Legrand made my English friend his dupe and victim; and that Macpherson was entirely innocent of any intentional complicity. Certain however it is that one morning I was thunder-struck by the tidings that Macpherson had been arrested on a charge of forgery. I hastened to him in prison; and he declared most solemnly that he was guiltless. It was true that he had negotiated the instrument which was discovered to be fictitious: but he assured me that Legrand had induced him to do ao. The examination before the Judge of Instruction led to the arrest of Legrand; and it was confidently hoped by Macpherson and his friends that the real truth would transpire at the trial. Butwhen the case came on, Augustine—the faithless, treacherous, un- cratcful Augustine—-gave such evidence as entirely to exonerate Legrand and fix all the guilt upon Mac- pherson. Sho committed perjury; but her tale was belicved,—for it was consistent, though false—delivered with plausibility, though based on the most damnable deceit. In fact, the vile woman sacrificed the English- man whom she had ruined and never loved, to the French paramour whom she had passed off as her brother; and Macpherson, being pronounced guilty, was condemned to be exposed and branded upon a scaffold on the Place de Gréve, and to be afterwards imprisoned for a period of five years at the galleys at Brest, Myself and another English gentleman drew up a memorial to the King, setting forth a variety of circumstances in favour of Macpherson, and imploring the royal mercy on behalf of our unhappy fellow- countryman, Louis the Eighteenth referred the peti- tion to the Judges who had condemned Macpherson, and as they stated that they had taken every thing into consideration when they pronounced his punish- MYSTERIES OF LONDON. A es 1035 | ment, the Minister of Justice and Graco couid not hold out to the petitioners any hopes of a commutation of the sentence. We had endeavoured to obtain tha remission of that portion of the sentence which con- demned Macpherson to be publicly exposed and marked with a red hot iron—but, alas! this indignity could not be. spared the unhappy sufferer. Well, the fatal morning arrived, when this dread public ceremony was totake place. Macpherson rose early, and devoted unusual care to his toilet. His countenance was ghastly pale—his eycs were fixed,—his lips compressed. THe did all he could to appear calm, and endeavoured to mect his punishment with Grmness. But to be con- demned for an offence of which he was innocent ;—to see the fairest years of his youth destined to be passed in a horrible state of servitude ;—to know that he was about to be branded with an infamous mark, which he would carry with him to the grave,—all this must have been beyond human endurance. Had he been really guilty, his sufferings would not have been so acute ;—had he deserved his punishment, he would have bowed to those destinies which ho would have thus prepared for himself. But he was innocent— innocent; and the world did not know it :—only afew faithful friends consoled him by the assurance that they believed inhisinnocence. On the fatal morning which was to consummate his disgrace, I visited him early; but when I found him so apparently resigned and calm, I did not offer those consolations which I would otherwise have tendered, and which were all I bad now to offer. “Ft was about cleven o’clock, in the forenoon,” con- tinued Mr. Scates, “ when Macpherson was summoned to the lobby of the prison. Two gendarmes were waiting there to conduct him to the Place de Gréve, where he was to remain exposed for two hours, and then be marked. He resigned himself to their cus. - tody, and, accompanied by myself, procecded tow-zds3 the great square where the hideous ceremony wes tobe performed. Immense crowds were collected in all the avenues leading to the Place, which was itself thronged toexcess. Two lines of soldiers kept a pathway clear for the march of the prisoner up to the foot of the scaffold. Ie did not cast his eyes downwards :—nor did he glance to the right or to the left; but he kept them fixed upon the scaffold towards which he was advancing. Je ascended the ladder with a firm step, accompanied only by the gendarmes; for I was com- pelled to remain below. The moment he appeared upon the platform, a tremendous shout arose from the thousands and thousands of spectators assembled to witness his punishment; but no indignity of a violent nature was offered to him. He cast a hurried and anxious glance around: the whole square seemed lite- rally paved with human faces, which were continued up every street communicating with the Gréve, as far as he could sce. The quay behind him, the bridges, the windows and roofs of all the houses, and even the towers of N6tre Dame and the parapet of the Hotel- de- Ville were crowded with human countenances. Mac- phergon remained exposed for two hours, seated upon a chair on the scaffold, while the populace, with hyena-yells and laughter, were contemplating him as if he were a wild beast which they delighted to see, but of which they were afraid. The idea, whether this penalty were deserved or not, never entered the head of one single individual in that vast multitade; —all that they cared about was the man and his punishment—and both were there! At the expiration of the two hours, the crowd suddenly epened. an? the i re ee es ee ee ee ee ee -—— me te ee” i i ne ee ee SS = S42 (C(O) (C DOO SS (SO)