Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-08-29

VOL. XXVII.

recognized the face of an old acquaint-
ance. l concealed my emotion, but the
sailor was more frank.
"Hallo ! is that you, Pochinet ?" he
cried for he had twice transacted bust
ness with me at Lausanne, and had even
sold me some very bad tea.
1 feigned establishment His father
told him that my name was Herman,
and that in me he beheld his brother
in-law. Thomas Cromme appeared to
be convinced But my voice troubled
his mind, and my Swiss accent added
to his perplexity, and it was with
very bad grace that he consented
to admit that | was not Poehipet. This
singular incident disturbed my tranquil
ity. The Captain remained month at
Amsterdam, and always regarded me
with suspicious air. He told his sister,
who repeated it to me, that resembled a
grocer of Lausanne as nearly as one drop
of water resembles another, and that he
was surprised to find in Germany two per-
sons so exactly formed after the same
model. mad said that was from Stras-
bGurg and that my parents were Swiss,
which accounted for my Swiss accent,
He asked questions which put me to the
torture. At last l was relieved to learn
that he mad gone,
But it appeared that his suspicious had
extended to his family, for they told me
| that he had returned to the Indies, when
| in reality ne had gone to Lausanne The
| investigation which, unknown to me, he
had made at Strasbourg had convinced
him that l had told falsehood, and he
determined to learn the exact truth.
Arriving at Lausanne, he learned that
| Claude Pochinet had been hanged few
weeks previous to my first appearance in
Holland. So clear fact would have been
sufficient to any other man; but Captain
Cromme had the obstinacy of true Hol-
lander. He found that my first wife,
whom they told me had died while was
in prison, had on the contrary recovered,
and was yet living, which, of course,
made me guilty Of the crime of bigamy
He visited tne, and by dint of question
ing learned that my throat was ossifed.
| This gave him ray of light, and pur-
suing his investigation still further he
discovered the young surgeon who had
saved me, and from him obtained full
confession,
He returned to the widow Pochinet, as
she was called, and abruptly offered to
restore her husband to her. The Door
woman, who well knew that had not in
tended to poison her, was nearly over
come. The Captain. on his part, began
to feel the difficulties into which he had
thrown himself He thought of his sister,
his father, his family. He remembered,
also, that he was rendering very unwel-
come service to my first wife, for it would
be necessary to inform her that l was
married again. He could not bring him
self to tell her this, SO ne contented him
self by saying:
Madame Pochinet, I am just starting
for Amsterdam. If you wish to accom-
pany mel do not deceive you'll will
show you your husband"
His proposition was accepted, and one
day I, who suspected nothing of all this,
beheld before me Captain Cromme, who
said to me:
| Come here moment; there is some
one who wishes to speak to you"
These were his very words.
"But," said I, in astonishment, 81
thought you were in Batavia"
He did not answer, but conducted me to
the Hotel des Armes de Nassau, which
was few steps from our house. We en-
tered room, and there | saw woman,
who threw herself on my neck. was SO
surprised that l could not restrain an e1.
clamatiOn.
"Why, Rose you are alive %
did not then observe the movements
of the Captain, who hastened out. My
wife and had about quarter of an hou1
for explanations, during which I had not
ventured to tell her that, believing myself
a widower, I had married again, when the
Captain returned. He was followed by
four policemen, to whom he pointed me
out, saying:
'There he is" Then, apostrophizine
me, he said: "You might have murdered
pillaged, robbed you might have given
Batavia up to fire and blood, and I would
have pardoned it all but to have been
hanged, that is too much. To think that
my poor sister married man who has
been hanged to think that | have drank
and eaten with him, that my father has
had him for son-in-law =; that our house
has been kept by him ]"
He uttered these words in so loud 9
tone, and those who heard him repeated
with such an air Of horror the words, ''s
man that has been hanged" that / could
not utter single word in defense of my
innocence.
'Take him away" said the Captain.
The four men seized, and without any
pity for Rose, who had tainted, they
dragged me to prison.
was tried more quickly than at Lau
same, and once more condemned to be
hanged; this time for the crime of big
amy. had no hope of escaping again
for Cromme knew what had saved me the
first time. 1 sadly made my adieu to life
in my dungeon, when one night Gt was
the night preceding the day appointed fo1
my execution) | heard my door open A
man presented himself before me; it was
my brother-in-law.
t'Come," said he, s'I have arranged
everything 1t will be reported that you
have died in prison. l do not wish tc
have it said that my fathers partner was
hanged My sister has died of grief"
"What! my wife dead!"
yesterday"
"And the other?"
MADAME Pochinet, the poor Swiss wo
man? / have rendered her very bad
service. In going to intercede for you
with the Judges, she caught cold and sh'
died this morning."
"Alas! cried /, 81 have no wife"
s'That will not prevent you from beins
hanged tomorrow as bigamist.'
Then, seeing that wept, he went on:
you will. Ii you succeed in business
very well; but if you are unfortunate
write to me, for l do not wish to see my
fathers partner to be a beggar. Blu
come, cheer up. and drink this glass O.
gin. Under any other circumstances VIZ
should drink together, for l have caused
you much grief, but Captain Thomas
Cromme cannot drink with man whC
has been hanged"
mechanically swallowed the gin, ant
followed him out. He conducted me tt
a boat which was to start at daybreak fo
Anvers, and having recommended me t.
the Captain bade me adieu. wept dur
ing the whole voyage, and was unable t.
compose myself or fix my thoughts OIL
anything. After reaching Anvers, be
gan to recover my spirits little by little
Wishing to be as far from Holland as pos
sible, I went to Leige, where, with m,
thousand florins, opened little shop o
groceries. L was so honest and industri
Gus that my business prospered. But al
though I procured the most positiv
proof of the decease of my two wives,
never married again, lest should run tn
chance of being hanged third time.
So, having neither wife, children no
moor relative 7 leave nv wealth to h