4 – Nicolas-Jacques Pelletier (1756 – 1792)
This French highwayman has the macabre distinction of being the first person to be executed by the guillotine. Little is known about his early life barring the fact that he was part of a gang of criminals who terrorized lonely travelers in France. While some highwaymen often have false romanticism attached to their names and deeds, Pelletier is not one of them! He was notorious for performing brutal robberies and didn’t hesitate to murder victims who wouldn’t immediately hand over their possessions.
As is the case with the vast majority of highwaymen, Pelletier’s career didn’t last long and came to a brutal end. His downfall started when he stole a wallet from a passerby, and the victim apparently died during the assault. Cries for help alerted nearby police who quickly apprehended Pelletier. Where this case differs from others on this list is not only the method of execution but the length of time it took for the death sentence to be carried out. In most cases, highwaymen died within days of their sentence, but it took almost four months for Pelletier to die and almost six months from the day of his arrest.
He was arrested on October 14, 1791, but the death sentence was not passed until December 31. As it transpired, France was undergoing major upheaval due to the Revolution. In 1789, Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin lobbied for equality in the field of capital punishment. He said it was wrong for convicted criminals to be punished by barbaric methods such as hanging, breaking on the wheel and burning at the stake. In contrast, aristocrats were executed in swift and painless fashion via decapitation.
The National Assembly decreed that decapitation should be the only method of execution in France in 1791. The problem was, the country didn’t have enough skilled executioners to carry out all the necessary beheadings. Guillotin solved this problem with the unveiling of his decapitation device that became known as the guillotine. After conducting numerous tests on animals, the device was ready for use on a human being.
Meanwhile, Pelletier’s execution was delayed because the means of his death had yet to be finalized. Eventually, the device was ready, and on April 25, 1792, Pelletier was swiftly and cleaned dispatched by the guillotine. Not everyone was pleased with the outcome. A huge crowd had gathered to witness the execution and was angered by the fast and clinical nature of the new death machine. Some pined for the return of the gallows.