Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-12-19
THE TWICE HANGED.


the tale am about to tell commences, il is noon,
in tie French town Of La Piroche, that the
month is May, and the year 14lS. Two men,
one older than the other, one the father and the
other the son, both peasants, are jogging along
the road into the town, mounted on a couple of
ponies, which trot at pace sufficiently agree
able. considering they are only ponies bestrode
by peasants.
:. Shall we get there in time?" asked the son
"Yes; it won't take place before two O'Clock, -
answered the father, . and it is only a quarter
past noon, by the sun"
e 1t ia what / am very curious to see.''
e. have no doubt you are
- And so he is to be hung in the armor he
stole -
Yes"
Was the armor handsome?"
90 Magnificent, they say, embossed all over
with gold
" Ind he was caught as he was making away
with it,
Yes; you can comprehend that the armor
wac not to be carried of without making hor-
rible clanking and rattling. The people in the
chateau were awakened by the noise they
heard"
And they arrested the fellow!'
'' Not Immediately; they were in fright at
frst"
Afraid of whom2''
"Of a ghost This wretched thief of un-
common strength, held the armOr in front of
him. in such a way that his head was at about
the level Of the waist of the said armor. 80 that
it appeared to be of gigantic proportions in the
corridor along which he passed Add to that a
harsh noise which the cunning rascal made be-
hind him. and you can fancy what a terror the
Wallets were in. Unfortunately for him, they
went and aroused the Seigneur of La PirOche
who cares a straw for no man, either living or
dead. who simply, and without any ones as
sstance, stopped the thief, and delivered him
mi han and fnnt To
Justice
- And his own proper justice ?"
Condemned him to be hanged, clad in the
armor'
Wherefore that clause in the sentence9''
d" Because the Seigneur of La Piroche is not
only a brave captain, but a man of sense and
spirit, who wants to obtain from this just con-
demnatiOn both an example from others and a
benefit for himself. Well, don { you know that
whatever has touched a hanged man becomes
talisman for its possessOr! The Seigneur of La
PirOche. therefore, ordered the criminal to be
clad in his armOr, that he mig ght take it back
again after he was dead, and 30 have a talisman
in our coming wars"
" That's a very clever stroke"
. | should think so. indeed
Let US push on; then; for 1 particularly
want to see this poor wretch hanged"
The father and son continued their journey
chatting "a they went. and half-an-h hour after
immense concOuTse Of people in the grand
square in front Of the chateau. for there the
scaaJld was erected-a very handsome gsllows,
In truth. made of superb oak wood. The two
companions got as near a. possible to the scat
fold, in order to lose nothing of the events that
were about TO take place; and like everybody
else. they awaited the spectacle, with the ad-
vantage Of being mounted on pOny-back, and
Of seeing better with less fatigue. Their sus-
pense was not Of long duration.
At quarter to two the gate of the chateau
was opened. and the condemned man appeared,
pTeced by the guards of the Seigneur Of La Pr
roche, and followed by the executiOner. The
thief wss in the armOr he had stolen, and was
riding backwards on an ass without a saddle.
His visor was down. and he hung his head. lie
was led close TO the scaffold. and picture that
must have been anything but agreeable to his
feelings began to be sketched in upon the azure
back ground.
The hangman had just set his ladder leaning
against the gallOwS, and the chaplain of Seig-
neur La PirOche, mounted on a platform pur-
POsely prepared, was reading the sentence
The condemned man did not stir. You would
have said that he had played the spectators the
scurvy trick ofdyIng before there was time 10
hang him. They called out to him to get of
bis ass. and give himself up 20 the hangmsn.
He did not bulge inch. We can understand
his hesitation. Then the hangman seized him
by elbows, lifted him of the ass's back, and set
hlm down upright on the ground.
When We say that he set him down upright
We speak the truth. But we should tell false
hood in saying that he remained in the same
position in which he deposited. In two
minutes he ran through twO-thirds of the al
phabet-that is to say, in vulgar parlance. in
stead Of remaining straight as an /, he became
crooked as a Il.
During the change Of attitude, the chaplain
had hnished reading the sentence.
Have any make ~ ha in
quIred Of the patient.
Yes replied the wretehed man, in q sor-
Towful and scarcely audible voice.
What is il -
- request my pardon,
do not know whether the joke was invented
On that occasion, but then or never was the time
70 conceive and utter IL The Seigneur of La
Piroche shrugged his shoulders and ordered
the hangman 10 do his office. That official per-
sonage prepared to mount the ladder, leaning
against the gibbet, which, impossible. with out
stretched arm, was about TO tear n soul out Of
living bOdy, and he tried to make the crimi-
nal mount before him; but the thing was not
easy. IL is scarcely credible what an amount
Of difficulties condemned men in general make.
The executiOner and his present client ap-
pedred to be engaged in a contest Of politeness.
Ihe point at issue was. who should 90 first.
The hangman, to make him mount the ladder,
had recourse 70 the same means which he had
employed TO make him get OF the ass; he took
hlm by the waist, set him on the third staye Of
the ladder. and then pushed him up behind.
Bravo shouted the crowd.
There was no help for it, except to mount
Then the eXecutioner adrOitly slipped round the
patients neck the running moose which Orna-
mented the end Of the rope, and giving him n
violent kick in the back, sent him swinging
into open space.
An immense clamOr followed this expected
scene, and shudder ran throughout the crowd.
Of whatever crime he may be guilty. a dying
manis always, for an instant. greater than those
who come 20 see him die
The hanged man swung twOOr three minutes
at the end Of his rope. as he had n right to do.
kicked. writhed, and then remained motionless
and stiff
They stared few minutes longer at the suf-
ferer, whose gilded armOr glittered in the sun
shine the spectators gradually formed into
groups, and then went their several ways home
wards, discoursing on the late event.
The next morning at break of day a connie