, 1864-12-21
THER0MANCE OF THE AGE.
FINALE OF THE GREAT TRU1I-
PY-DEMME CASE.
Last Act Of the Tragedy-Deliberate
Suicide Of Dr.. Demme and his
Bride in Lake Geneva.

(Trom the N. 7. World, Dec. III
The last letter addressed By Hermann
Demme and his bctrothed bride, F1ora, to
their parents, before their joint suicide In the
Swiss journals. They rach us through the
medium OF French version, and something
Of the tenderness and pathos Of the originals
must inevitably have evnporated In the pro-
cess Of transferring the expression Of 80 much
suffering aud affection from the emotional
md almost caressing Ienton,S s!at, speech lato
Gallo tongue.
But read even at two removes, they will be
felt 10 be a touching record of human feeling,
wrought up to an exceptional point Of inten-
si,y By the pressure Of circumstances in
an extraordinary degree peculiar aud agoni-
ziDg.
Ne need scarcely recapttulate the story Of
which these letters hcralded the tragic de-
pouement.
Accused Of comprising the death By poison
of friend Of whose daughter be was the be-
trotbed husband, DR.. Hermann Defnmc, Us our
readers will recoilect, vas acquitted by
commonly painful and Interesting By the
strange conduct Of the deceased mans vile,
the mctllcr of the afaanced bride Of the nc
cused. This lady, Madame Trumpy, publicly
charged herself with having lived In criminal
relations with Dr. Demme, aud with having
HtDfEA Qlll lO Clu4lu1t sAE OtCl VIA HAEA
he was charged.
Neither OF these confessions Tas substantial
ted by the evidence and they must be added
to the list Of those instances ofmoral lyste-
ria which constitute not the least rcmarEa-
BILE chapter in the annals Of human psychol-
ogy.
cha,ee , Of murder vas declared by tie jury to to
have been guilty Of q culpablc dereliction of
duty as physician In failing to declare at the
time Of NJ. Trumpy's death that the deceased,
his patient, had taken poison
I be most eminent men Of science In SHitz-
erland had testified On the trial Of Dcmme to
also to the almost morbid devotion which he
lad shown from his earliest youth to an c1nl-
ted idea Of professional excellence and pro-
feEsfonal honor.
The modification inflicted upon this trait of
his character seems, in connection with the
naddening circumstances Of the whole case.
to have profoundly depressed the unhappy
young hero Of this most unhappy drama.
He turned for relief to his bridc-clect, but
only to meet with new ycxations. The guar
dian Of Flora Trumpy vehemently opposed
the marriage Of his ward, and the family Of
D.. Demme himself do notseem to hare look
ed with favor upon his alliance with the
daughter Of a worse than .dissfpated father,
and q mother who, If not tnaniac, must
CLEARLY he act anvu na srmefhirr 1rorsa $hon
s'sus. W oeS eo"u s0 eoN4etu116 "o4oe enall
mah1Ac.
Uflgcn Qn1e 10 despair NY luis Tesl COM
p'ication In tltciF destiny, the lovers suddenly
left Be1ue, and passing by FreTburr to Bullc
and Vevev fnn[- small hont II f1ncnv naar
,sS r1r;-t~ ~ ~ ~ -
neya, buried themselves aud their sorrows
forever beneath its placid waters.
The following letters mark the stations Of
this most tragical pilgrimage:
FprvpInn Norcmher 1e 1se4
Posted four days later at Lausaune.)
nrsn pauxx7s .rn RRnruyRa.-I know 41alf
that lie news OF nv death. which t.fa eftnr h"srs
IL ynn: Will canae you fenrfhl min. mt tnnW,
TOO that he nnal1erabIc love yot, bear to me- will
eecr,r, for me The pardon which / now ber Of Won.
The step which his letter tells you have taken,
las uut been taken 1jchty. but uDoo calm rcffer.
tIun and after cnrefl exan1inatinn of ali the cir
cumsturces.
Nv Existence fs shatterch bv the terrible errnt7
Of this past yesr. ''''9'' " ~1''
I did uot wish to turn xny back on tho battle. I
resolved 10 sec nv couscfous innocence yjcto-
riore]y cstablishel degpie The terrible counffca-
7fons ThIrf, bnyn rnna r., nnss. md IN thts ami
ncrsevrrcti NJ ions, ~ nv 4hnnar T and that ~ nv
kfam,lr were threatened. Bnt I could neyer ~.
rover from thc wnund nn,nst;v inHIcted mon nv
u!edical honor By the tribunal: -.
~ enemies we're not contenf With all the misery
winch ias tnls year OFeIH1e|meu NE.