The Red Slab on the ground
The assassination of President Sadi Carnot is marked by a simple red slab placed on the sidewalk, marking the place where he lost his life on June 24, 1894. This act was perpetrated by a young anarchist activist of Lombard origin, Sante Caserio. His motivation was to avenge the refusal of a presidential pardon to Auguste Vaillant, another anarchist activist sentenced to death for having thrown a bomb into the grounds of the Palais-Bourbon (the National Assembly).
A President of the Republic assassinated on the Rue de la République
That day, President Carnot was on an official visit to Lyon to inaugurate the Universal Exhibition held at the Parc de la Tête d'Or. After attending one of the republican banquets for 1,000 guests, an event much appreciated by the people of Lyon, the presidential landau was traveling up Rue de la République towards the Grand Théâtre to attend a performance of Andromaque. It was at this moment that the young activist stabbed Sadi Carnot. Surprisingly, instead of taking him to hospital, he was taken to the prefecture. Three hours later, despite the care provided by the best doctors in Lyon, including Dr. Ferdinand Monoyer, President Carnot succumbed to his injuries. The Monoyer family kept the white shirt stained with the president's blood, now on display at the Testud-Latarjet Museum of Medical Sciences.
