The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1864-12-28
THE ROMANCE OF THE AGE.
FINALE OF THE GREAT TRuMPY.
DENME CASE.
Last Act of the Trsssdy-DeIiberate
Suicide of Dr.. Oemme and his
Bride in Lake Geneva.
Fro- the y. Y. world. Dee. IL.

Demme and his betrothed bride, Flora
TO their parents. before their joint suicide
in the Lake of Geneva, have been pub
lished in the Swiss journals. They
reach us through the medium of a
French version, and something Of the
tenderness and pathos of the originals
must inevitably have evaporsted in the
process OF transferring the expression
of so much suffering and affection from
the emotional and almost carressing
Teutoaic speech into the more exact ami
glittering phrases of the Gallic tongue.
But read even At two removes. they
will be felt 10 be q touching record OF
human feeling, wrought up to an ex
ceptonal point OF intensity by the pres
sure OF circumstances i'll an eXtraordina
- degree peculiar aud agonizing.
! We need scarcely recapitulste the
story Of which these letters heralded the
tragic denouement.
Accused - comprising the death by
POISON of = friend of whose daughter he
was the bstrothei husband. DIR. Hermann
Demme. as our readers will recoltect.
Was acquitted by q Bernese jury After
trial made more tn2a commonly painful
and interesting by the strange conduct
of the deceased mans wife, the mother
of the affianced bride of the accused.
/ MS lazy.
charged herself with having lived in
| criminal relations with DR.. Demme. and
with having moved him to commit the
deed with which he was charged
Neither OF these confessions was sub
stantiated by the evidence; and they
must he added 70 the list of those instan-
ces Of moral hysteria which constitute
not the least remarkable chapter IN the
annals of human psychology.
DR.. Demme, however, was acquitted
Of the charge of murder, WAS declared
by the jury to have been guilty of a cul-
pable dcreliction of duty as q physician
in failing to declare at the time of NJ.
Trumpy,s death that the deceased, his
patient, had taken POISON.
The most eminent men Of science in
Switzerland had testified on the trial of
Demme to his great merits scientific
physician. and also to the almost morbid
devotion which he had shown from his
earliest youth to an exalted idea of pro-
fassional excellence and professional
honor.
The modification inflicted upon this
trait of his character seems. in connect
iol with the conduct Of Maiame Trampy,
and the general maddsning circum-
stances of the whole case, to have pro-
folndly depressed the unhappy young
hero of this most unhappy drama.
He turned for relief to his bride elect,
but only to meet with new vexations
The guardian OF Flora Trumpy rehe-
msntly oppo ed the marriage Of lis ward
and the family of DR. Demme himself
do not seem to have looked with favor
upon his alliance with tho daughter of
D worse than dissipated father, and
mother who, if not maniac, must clear
y be set down as something worse than
8 maniac.
Driven quite to despair by this fl esh
complication in their destiny, the lovers
suddenly left Berne, and passing by
Freyburg to Bale and Vevey. took a
small boat at Ouchy. near Lausanne.
and, rowing out on the lake Of Geneva,
buried themselves and their SORROWS for
ever beneath its placid waters.
The following letters mark the stations
of this most tragicai pilgrimage
FREYsUEa, November b, 1884
Posted s1u- iav, later a: Lausanne.
DzAs PAR-Srs AND BsorH2Rs u know well tina:
tie OF M death, which This letter bears 20 you
VII you fearful pain. But kao~ too. tina.
the unalterahse lore you bear 10 viii. for
the pardon which now beg Of you. The step which
this letter tells ro have taken has not been taken
lightly but up,n calm reflection aud after careful
iastio1 o. all tie circumstances.
hy existence - sha;terei BY tbs terrible events Of
| did not wish to turn NV back on the bas.. Ire
solved to nv conscious innocence victoTiuusy
ta6lsasd DESPITE the terrible complications which
have come = pass ali TO tais end perseyers1
long honor All tha. Of family ~erc threat
e1sd Bu couii never recover from tie wound
TASTY inh.cte@ upon ny medical honor BY the ui5u-
. Al.
Nv .rs7aiss were ID: content with all the misery
which this year overwhelmed ne.
They have persecu,ei down the las, moment,
AMI have eEel souEh: 20 :e4r from her who has
lovalr born. up With me throuyf all the storm AMI
I hsya fulrlo ~ .ai I
ears that could never have bean happy Al.sr vha.
have suffered that tbe honor Of our name is safe,
that - Tar as have been free 70 do so, have ei-ea
my Life, 1Iss patton bot conscientious Iabos
hese considerations, dear parents, should be you
CONSOLATION
by p4r.iag from ron bsen terribly .eonizine to
M. Blt It must ba Oh receive nv gratitude for
made for AM forgive :he have caused
you DO not lament Is, for we have been faithful in
our love til death. |.
Mr dear parents leave TO you all that I possess
AM beg Q! yoH oaiy e give .0ss>n., Of to each
Of ny tras frisals GTve 70 brothers something
which nsr be u-efsl each OF them, I beg you 20
-ve Lay c5aesoa Of pathological anatomy the city
q "arz aF, the city II u heh ny dear AtAer pass
sixsys fe-F detr % ne: ssnd With i, fs. s.-os,
All klnily wD-is Send mr. manuscripts 70 B.
snt eeg him 20 fad some one who can continue and |
In case mr. father should have . worthy suecssso.
IN b. cl1scal caair DR. Demns, Senior, is one Of
re leading Professors At B-rne in TIE University.
ls9g7aia ny galTano plastic aPParatus 20 the Cni-
r@r~rsT otherwise let nv family keep is.
To ~ Tnoi.sr -ish my hsart's farewell leave We
,4ock Whsca has r-asaFsd out the wearieat hours Of
zv life 81 vii Understand cha. at this solsun mo
Deot caonet recall al TIA: would ish done !
rus, N re teaghtfuness Of my parents t fulHl su
Ia; forget % mention
IL dear parents and b-n;aers you VIII protect nv
Den'ry i II The ST. : ske you viii SEE no: an
Ict Of covart-e bu: tie determined action Of an IN
.ur ably wounded uaaa. shall be satsshed. I h.r.
,stl=atJ oor1s al ta.t fearful bear have
asser tremole1 NJ Death nov ;.aat nv inoocencs
been esszbIshs5 cza give ri,e % no snis.er jn
erPfe-2raons- for17re then {! Would I might
ave taken the pardon Of rFz al WITH me Th..
;lSaf %. ne Dear parents, !srexs.. Farewell.
elo-ed broiSsrs' Faithful friends. farewell. Nav
on ma strength 70 bear this nsvs aud te -ru.t
4 oy Is p--s@rTe yourselves, dear parents, for nv
roiaesss VITO 50 much rssd Jon, and rsHseshsr With
ove Fo1r HExnAss
Nor. IA, 1854 Soos-I have jas: reached Brile /,
d a1a fs~ F1us1ss sfie1x 70 nv letter. We hsY |
,sSsd u e--t y -iD this day for kAprisss