The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1866-04-18

How He Committed Suicide.

I
|
The most extraordinary suit perhaps
ever preferred before the tribunals 10 about
to be transferred from the courts of Naples
to those of Paris. The subject of litigation
| is the last will and testament made by
certain NJ. Couvreaux, Frenchman, by
which considerable sum was bequeathed
to "the people Of the hotel" at Castella-
mare, in which he committed suicide. The
tribunals of Naples have decided against
the bequest on the plea of the insanity of
the testator; but "the people of the hotel,
acting under advice, have denied the COM
petence of the Italian law to judge the
validity Of Frenchman's will, and have
brought the affair before the French courts
The circumstances brought to light are Gu
rious enough. M. Couvreaux, whose for
tune Sc ms to have been considerable, was
the son of silk merchant in Lyons, who
having married his cook, while the subject
of the present investigation was still child
had placed him at his death under the sole
and entire control of the promoted cook
until he had attained his majority. Hence
arose in the nervous disposition and sensi-
tive mind Of the youth, neglected and ILL
treated by the mother inlaw, q deeply root
ed aversion to women, and terror of all
physical suffering. His fathers example
had warned him Of the danger of yielding
to the influence OF the fair sex, and he was
resolved not to trust himself even TO the
possibility Of yielding to temptation. Like
Charles XII. of Sweden, he deemed it wiser
to fly than to combat when danger from
bright eyes was to be anticipates; and the
stories told Of his needless alarm when by
chance he met any of the serving women
on the stairs Of the hotel, and of their
equally needless alarm at beholding the
terror they occasioned, have furnishe ed the
joyous propos Of Naples for the last three
years with amusement. For nine
months, NJ. Couvreaux has been entire
" occupied with the study Of every
work ever written on the guillotine
Several books were found in his apartment
treating of the manner of death of those
who had suffered by this instrument. The
question of pain was one which occupied
his attention most Of all, and, as he possess
sed some talent for drawing, vast collec-
| ton of sketches of heads in every position
as falling beneath the axe, with the various
contrac;ions of nerve created by the differ
ent directions given to she edge, or the de-
gree of rapidly with which the knife was
made to descend upon the neck of the VIC
tim. The result Of the Inquiry must have
been favorable to this mode Of exit from the
world, fer, henceforth shutting himself up
| in his own room, he devoted his whole time
to The construction of guillotinc for his
own private use and graliicalion-a self
acting instrument, effective, easy, and sure
in its operation As success began to
crown his experiment, his laeors became
\ N re eager and more unceasing He sell
dom left mis- room but for the purchase OF
the materials necessary for his great work
The knife was tried on living fowls and
rabbits TO the great amazement Of the in
mates Of the hotel, who had ended III pro
claiming the unhappy man ..Slrago" or
sorcerer of the deepest dye. None passed
the door OF his room without making the
sign OF the cross and muttering prayer, in
the full conviction that the most deadly in.
cantations were being pursued night and
day by the "Strago," who had power 10
blight with all sorts Of curses those who
dared to thwart him or oppose his wishes
The master Of the hotel alone. who had
| found his money quite as profitable as that
! Of others, denied his magic power, and sent
in his bills without the smallest fear Of the
magic power Of his guest. When the instru
ment at which he had worked with the
greatest steadfastness was completed, he set
it up in the doorway bel ween the two rooms
he occupied. The axe had been duly sharp
ened aud balanced with sixty kilogrammes
Of lead, to insure its swift descent With
Frenchman's taste he then proceeded to the
ornamental part of the design He enclosed
the grim machine beneath crimson velvet
hangings, then placed a table covered with
black cloth under the axe, and built steps
below the whole to enable him to ascend
and as there is always something Of the
grotesque mingled with the Frenchman's
vagaries, he took the precaution Of placing
soft white pillow by the table, SO that his
head might fall easily and with picturesque
! grace when severed from the body. When
every preparation was thus completed, he
sat down to the piano, and played with
great sentiment and feeding hymn to the
Virgin Of his own composition.
1t was heard by those promenading on the
quay below. There must have been some
thing peculiar in the sound, for the people
stopped to listen, and the landlord. who was
loll.ng against the door-post, said to the
people gathered, 1.-THE performer is my
French lodger. He plays well enough, does
he not Well, whenever he dies, it will be
in the skin of the greatest mailman this
| earth ever bore" When the strain was
concluded the listeners dispersed, and ran
| to witness the performance Of Punch,
little further on; but NJ Couvreaux, in the
| costume Of white flannel he had ordered for
the occasion, mounted the steps of his tiny
scaffold, and, lying quietly down with his
| eyes raised SO as to behold the descent of
the knife, let 60 the pulley and launched
| himself into the spirit world from which no
man has ever returned. The next morning
| the body was discovered by the waiter, and
| great was the CONSERVATION Of the inhabit-
| ants Of Castellamare, when this new means
| of self destruction became revealed As
may be supposed, the hotel was visited by
| the whole population until the brothers Of
the Pieta came 10 convey the corpse away.
| By strange coincidence it was observed
that the head had fallen exactly in the posi-
ton marked as easier of all by the hand of
| NJ Couvreaux beneath one Of The sketches in
the album of guillotined heads he had left
behind. His will, written in a clear, bold
hand, was laid upon the table After dis
posing Of his fortune among his relations in
completely rational and natural manner,
! he bequeaths some few thousand francs to
"the people OF the hotel" and it is this sum
which has become the subject Of dispute
through the miserable cupidity Of the
family.
| A ROMANTIC SToRy.-A Memphis paper
says, that some ten years ago, young
| couple married, and at the end Of a year,
after the birth Of daughter, they separa-
ted, and divorce was obtained. For nine
years they never saw or heard from each
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