“The Prince hastened to bed, but before he could have fallen asleep the judges sent to request his presence in the Council-chamber.  I was not present at his examination; but when it was concluded he returned to his chamber, and when they came to read his sentence to him he was in a profound sleep.  In a few moments after he was led out for execution.  He had so little suspicion of the fate that awaited him that on descending the staircase leading to the moat he asked where they were taking him.  He received no answer.  I went before the Prince with a lantern.  Feeling the cold air which came up the staircase he pressed my arm and said, ‘Are they going to put me into a dungeon?’”

The rest is known.  I can yet see Harrel shuddering while thinking of this action of the Prince’s.

Much has been said about a lantern which it is pretended was attached to one of the Due d’Enghien’s button-holes.  This is a pure invention.  Captain Dautancourt, whose sight was not very good, took the lantern out of Harrel’s hand to read the sentence to the victim, who had been condemned with as little regard to judicial forms as to justice.  This circumstance probably gave rise to the story about the lantern to which I have just alluded.  The fatal event took place at six o’clock on the morning of the 21st of March, and it was then daylight.

General Savary did not dare to delay the execution of the sentence, although the Prince urgently demanded to have an interview with the First Consul.  Had Bonaparte seen the prince there can be little doubt but that he would have saved his life.  Savary, however, thought himself bound to sacrifice his own opinions to the powerful faction which then controlled the First Consul; and whilst he thought he was serving his master, he was in fact only serving the faction to which, I must say, he did not belong.  The truth is, that General Savary can only be reproached for not having taken upon himself to suspend the execution, which very probably would not have taken place had it been suspended.  He was merely an instrument, and regret on his part would, perhaps, have told more in his favour than his vain efforts to justify Bonaparte.  I have just said that if there had been any suspension there would have been no execution; and I think this is almost proved by the uncertainty which must have existed in the mind of the First Consul.  If he had made up his mind all the measures would have been taken in advance, and if they had been, the carriage of the Duke would certainly not have been kept for five hours at the barriers.  Besides, it is certain that the first intention was to take the Prince to the prison of the Temple.

From all that I have stated, and particularly from the non-suspension of the execution, it appears to me as clear as day that General Savary had received a formal order from Bonaparte for the Due d’Enghien’s death, and also a formal order that it should be so managed as to make it impossible to speak to Bonaparte again on the subject until all should be over.  Can there be a more evident, a more direct proof of this than the digging of the grave beforehand?  I have repeated Harrel’s story just as he related it to me.  He told it me without solicitation, and he could not invent a circumstance of this nature.