The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

98 THE COURT OF LONDON their usual avocations, and when congregating in great numbers. But all their thoughts, all their ideas, all their interest, in short, seemed absorbed in the legal tragedy that was about to take place. There were not many troops present. The people of Geneva, having republican institutions, and governing them- selves, are in the habit of preserving order without the coer- cion and repression of large military and constabulary forces. Still there were a few soldiers and mounted gendarmes, for the purpose of keeping the space about the scaffold clear, and maintaining a pathway amidst the dense mass for the passage of the vehicle that was expected. The behaviour of the multitude was most decorous, form- ing a strange contrast with that of the crowds which assemble © at the Old Bailey in London to witness the execution of a criminal. There, at Geneva, no ribald jests were heard, no practical jokes were played; there was no loud, coarse laughing, no disgraceful quarrelling, none of those indecen- cies and obscenities which are enacted on an execution morn- ing around the drop in front of Newgate. True, the same morbid feeling of curiosity which serves to gather the crowd in the Old Bailey had now congregated these masses in the market-place at Geneva, but there the similitude ceased. For around the Genevese guillotine the bearing of the popu- lace was as solemn and as respectful as if those gathered masses had come to assist at a funeral. Upon every counte- nance might be seen an expression of mingled awe and terror and grief, and any remarks that were made were uttered in subdued whispers, as if those who spoke felt that they were in the presence of the dead. But let us turn our attention to the front of the prison, which establishment was situated at some little distance from the great square. At the door of that gloomy gaol stood a rude, uncouth-looking vehicle, like a common cart, drawn by two horses. Inside four coffins were placed. An escort of gendarmes was in attendance. A little after eleven the prison door was thrown open, and the three male crimi- nals, Kobolt, Hernani, and Walden, came forth, accom- panied by the Catholic priest who had all along been ap- pointed to minister unto them. They were evidently much cast down, although to the best of their power they strove to maintain a bold front. Kobolt was the least depressed Comicoooks (@