A further, but very short lived, change occurred under the executioner Nicolas Roch in the late 19th century; he included a board at the top to cover the blade, hiding it from an approaching victim. Leon Berger Noted improvements to the guillotine machine were made in 1870 by assistant executioner and carpenter Leon Berger. Nicolas Roch (né le 4 janvier 1813 à Mende [N 1] et décédé le 25 avril 1879 à Paris) ... dont Alphonse-Léon Berger, ébéniste de métier, appelé quelques semaines plus tôt pour créer la nouvelle guillotine. He was executed in front of what is now the city hall of Paris (Place de l'hôtel de ville). The guillotine blade, massive and extremely sharp, cleaved the head off effortlessly, causing instant spinal shock, with complete loss of sensation and immediate death. Paris. A guillotine (/ ˈ ɡ ɪ l ə t iː n / GHIL-ə-teen, also US: / ˈ ɡ iː ə t iː n / GHEE-, French: ()) is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading.The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The new release mechanism for the blade, was also developed by Berger. Berger added a spring system, which stopped the mouton at the bottom of the groves. Thirty-eight of the United States apply the death penalty, but Texas leads the number of executed criminals with a total of 253 as of January of 2001. The first execution by guillotine was performed on highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier on 25 April 1792. Top grade 1907 Berger guillotine w/basket: 1/6: Mahogany-Painted: Paris, France: No: 4/15/15: Finally a new finished Berger model. VIDEO: The Guillotine See why this device was a preferred form of legal execution. The Berger guillotine in the picture is very similar to the 1909 model above but does have a sort of wood shield at the base of the bascule. 1872 Nicolas Roch was now occupying the post of executioner at Paris itself, his five assistants included MM. All guillotines built after 1870 are made according to Berger's construction. Berger, Ganier and Desfourneaux. The guillotine has since been replaced by other so-called humane ways of executing criminals, such as lethal injection, hanging, gas chambers, a firing squad, and the electric chair. I hope to be able to build a few more in the next years but there is no certainty in life. In … Judge Jacob-Augustin Moreau had sentenced Pelletier to die for robbery and murder in December 1791. The Berger design became the new standard for all French guillotines. He added a lock/blocking device at the lunette and a new release mechanism for the blade. Because of various personal issues it took nearly two years to get this one done. Latest news related to Nicholas Berg murder; Four arrested in Iraq over beheading, funeral held for slain Iraqi leader (AFP via Yahoo, May 18, 2004) The Unanswered Questions of Nick Berg's Murder (Antiwar.com, May 16, 2004) Nick Berg decapitation video: analysis (Part 1) (Vigilant TV, May 14, 2004) Nick Berg decapitation video: analysis (Part 2) Roch loge non loin de là, rue de la Folie-Régnault, où est entreposée déjà la Veuve. Le deuxième enfant de Roch, Olympe, née le 19 mai 1856, s'éprend du nouvel aide de son père Berger, qu'elle épouse. Cette exécution, accomplie sans échafaud, provoque la colère des spectateurs, qui ne voient guère que le sommet de la guillotine.