French Empire: But Napoleon IV

Chapter 112 The Trial of Troch (Seeking first subscription, collection and follow-up reading)

"Traitor."

"Hang him."

"No, it's better to execute him with the guillotine!"

"No, he should be hanged!"

The simple and honest nature of the people remains unchanged, as does the hanging and guillotine. Although nearly 80 years have passed, the way the people of Paris treat the privileged class has not changed much.

Trosch was not a fearless man; the dragon-slaying hero eventually becomes the dragon himself. In the past, when he fought brilliant battles for promotion, perhaps Trosch was unafraid of death.

However, Troch changed after taking up the position of Inspector General of the Army.

The president, despised by the people of Paris, had his handcuffs removed, allowing Trochet to cover his face with his hands and avoid confronting the angry crowd below.

It was visibly clear to the naked eye that the half-day president's body was trembling incessantly, and since Eugène was not far away, he could hear Troche making muffled sobs from time to time.

Without a shred of sympathy for Troch's tragic end, Eugène didn't think that someone of his status would have a good fate if he were captured by these Republicans.

Eugene simply signaled to the soldiers to protect Troche and prevent him from being killed by stones thrown from who-knows-where before he could be tried. After the crowd below had vented their anger and curses, Eugene began to preside over the final ceremony.

Hanging on the spot or being executed by guillotine was out of the question. Ultimately, because he couldn't gain the support of the French nobility, Eugène wanted to regain the support of the broader peasantry, but his position was ultimately that of a beneficiary of the existing system.

I am not the one who seizes power, but the one who maintains it.

This limitation of his status makes it impossible for Eugène to convict Troch without going through legal procedures, but it is still possible to have a public trial.

Since he was pursuing procedural justice, how could Eugène not make proper arrangements?

As a revolutionary base area, Paris boasts a well-developed administrative system, especially its courts. The three-tiered system of the Paris Court of Appeal—the Paris Supreme Court—was already quite sophisticated in the 19th century.

However, Trox's crime falls under the category of treason, a serious crime that cannot be handled by the high court in the initial trial.

Paris has specialized courts for this purpose, and the appropriate one for Trochet is the Circuit Court of Serious Crimes.

This court is used for ad hoc hearings to handle serious crimes such as death sentences and life imprisonment. The judges are drawn directly from the appellate court, bypassing the primary trial court.

In order to expedite the process and finalize Troch's guilt in front of the public, so as not to dampen public enthusiasm.

When Eugène was transferred to the circuit court of serious crimes, he also invited Jean-Baptiste Duverguier, the president of the Court of Appeal, and Michel Hébert, the chief president of the French Supreme Court.

With these two men standing to the side, Troch's entire demeanor dimmed. Even if he appealed, whether it was a second or third trial, these two men could re-examine his case on the spot.

Therefore, upon seeing this configuration, Trosch knew he was doomed.

Looking at this impressive panel of judges, Eugene nodded in satisfaction. With these two seasoned judges present and their endorsement, he was confident in the impartiality of his judicial work.

"Citizens, Troch's crimes will be tried publicly by the courts. Under your supervision, I believe the courts in Paris will give Troch a fair verdict and make him pay the price for his actions."

After making his statement, Eugene stepped aside and, like the general public, watched the trial proceed with the two courts and one tribunal.

Eugène's speech seemed long, but it didn't even reach 2 o'clock in the morning, while the court's ruling process was indeed cumbersome.

Even with the evidence caught red-handed, they still didn't stop until nearly 5 a.m. for the sake of so-called procedural correctness.

After Troch appealed repeatedly, the final decision on his fate rested directly with Michel Hébert, the Chief Justice of the French Supreme Court.

"According to the Napoleonic Penal Code and the Imperial Special Laws on Public Order, Articles 75-79 of the Penal Code, treason by raising an army against an enemy,..."

The four crimes are: treason by colluding with the enemy and plotting war; surrendering maps and cities to the enemy; and instigating the defection of troops. In addition, there are Articles 87-92, treason by violent subversion of government, and Article 97, armed rebellion...

In accordance with the principle of strict punishment during wartime, the defendant Troch was found guilty of 12 serious crimes and sentenced to beheading, to be carried out immediately.

Michel Ebert spoke at length, but the crowd below did not tire of listening; on the contrary, the more he spoke, the more enthusiastic the crowd became.

These crimes sound serious enough just from their names, and Troche alone committed 12 crimes.

The Parisian citizens, who were strict with themselves and lenient with others, were unaware that they might have unknowingly committed the grave crime of armed rebellion and insurrection, and wished they could tear Trochet on the stage to pieces.

Fortunately, although the old methods of execution, such as burning at the stake, hanging, and dismemberment, have been abolished by law, Paris still retains the fine tradition of beheading.

The execution did not take place here. Parisians, who were very familiar with the execution sites in Paris, crowded around Trochet and his men, who were surrounded by gendarmes and police, and slowly made their way to the gates of the Roquette prison in Paris.

This is the designated public execution site in Paris. France has a long-standing tradition of publicly displaying images of executions to the people of Paris, a practice that was not discontinued until 1939.

Thanks to the efforts of Parisians to spread the word, and the fact that some people were off work, the number of people watching the execution did not decrease over time; on the contrary, it continued to increase.

Nearly 30 people had gathered to watch. In the summer heat, the roads were completely blocked, and even though it was already dusk, many people still fainted from the heat.

At this point, even if someone were to die from the heat, it would be a small matter compared to Trox's execution. Everyone watched intently as Trox was led to the execution ground.

Two military policemen pinned Troch to the ground, bound and secured him, then placed a half-moon cangue around his neck, with a 40-kilogram guillotine hanging over his head.

This former French Army Inspector General was so terrified he was on the verge of losing control of his bladder and bowels. Fortunately, he still had a shred of self-control and didn't lose his composure in front of 30 people.

Click~

With a crisp sound as the cervical vertebrae collided with the guillotine, the 40-kilogram guillotine fell from the sky, instantly separating the head from the body. Troch's head fell directly into the wicker basket that had been placed below him beforehand.

"Oh oh oh~" The gratifying scene of over 30 people drew cheers from the French crowd. It seems that Europeans enjoy seeing such a powerful person being executed, perhaps because of their oppressive living conditions.

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