Foreign News: Salesman of Death

In Paris many a child has been frightened to silence, many a joke of macabre humor has been evoked by the name “Monsieur de Paris,” Government executioner. Everyone knows that this is not his real name, that whoever happens to be the official French executioner always skulks behind the name Monsieur de Paris. Last week Paris learned the real name of “the present ‘M. de Paris.’ ” He is M. Anatole Deibler.

In all France there is only one current guillotine knife, although there are many scaffolds. Therefore M. de Paris has to travel, sometimes to Marseilles to decapitate a taker of virginities, sometimes to Rouen to speed a parting fratricide. He is a traveling salesman of Death. His salary until last week was a paltry $455.

M. de Paris long since wanted a raise.

Timidly but often he has essayed the subject to his superior, Minister of Justice Louis Barthou. But year followed year and M. de Paris was never raised. Recently Mme. de Paris, desperate and confident in the potency of a woman’s nagging, approached the Minister of Justice, spoke volubly anent the high cost of Life, the low wage of Death. Last week, her confidence was vindicated. Her husband’s salary was raised to a still paltry $720.

M. de Paris’ name, however, became known. Bourgeois neighbors were scandalized to discover that quiet M. Anatole Deibler was also the phantasmagoric M. de Paris, that he made his living by odious matutinal decapitations.