American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-08-31
VOL. NH.

Halo , is that you, Pochinet >" II.
cried for he had twice transacted bust
ness with HE at Lausanne, and had ever
sold me some very bad tea.
l fcigned establishment His father
told him that my name was Herman
and that in me he beheld his brother
in-law. Thomas Cromme appeared tC
be convinced. But my voice troubled
his mind, and my Swiss accent added
to his perpiexi;y, and it was with
very bad grace that he consented
to admit that | was not Pochinet. This
singular incident disturbed my tranquil
ity. The Captain remained month a,
Amsterdam, and ALWAYS regarded me
with a suspicious air He told his sister
who repeated it to me, that l 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. had said that l was from Stras
bourg and that my parents were Swiss,
which accounted for my Swiss accent.
He asked questions which put me to the
torture. At last | 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 fdlsehood, 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 a fact would have been
sufficient to any other man; but Captain
Cromme had the obstinacy of a true HOl-
lander. He found that my first wife,
whom they told me had died while l 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 me, and by dint of question
ing learned that my throat was ossified.
This gave him ray of light, and pur-
suing his investigation still further he
saved me, and from him obtained a full
He returned to the widow Pochinet, as
she was called, and abruptly offered to
restore her husband to her. The poor
woman, VINO 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
himself. He thought of his sister,
his father, his family. He remembered,
also. that he was rendering a 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 he contcnted him
self by saying:
Madame Pochinet, 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 1, who suspected nothing of all this,
beheld before me Captain Cromme, who
said to me:
Come here a moment; there is some
one who wishes to speak to you"
These were his very words.
But" said 1, in establishment, 81
thought you were in Batavia"
He did not answer, but conducted me to
the Hotel DIES Armes de Nassau, which
was few steps from our house. We en-
tered room, and there l saw a woman,
who threw herself on my neck. l was SO
that l could not restrain an ex-
''Why, Rose you are alive!"
/ did not then observe the movements
of the Captain, who hastened out. My
wife and had about a quarter of an hour
for explanations, during which had not
to tell her that, believing myself
a widower, had married again, when the
Captain returned. He was followed by
four policemen, to whom he pointed me
out, saying:
There he is" Then, apostrophiZing
me, he said: "You might have murdered,
pillaged, robbed you might have given
up to fire and blood, and would
have pardoned it all but to have been
hanged, that is too much. To think that
my poor sister married a man who has
been hanged to think that l 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
.one, and those who heard him repeated
with such an air of horror the words, "a
man that has been hanged" that could
not utter a 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
ragged me to prison.
l was tried more quickly than at Lau-
;anne, and once more condemned to be
hanged; this time for the crime of big
my. had no hope of escaping again,
or Cromme knew what had saved me the
irst time. l sadly made my adieu to life
n my dungeon, when one night lit was
he night preceding the day appointed for
ny execution) l heard my door open. A
nan presented himself before me; it was
ny brotherin-law.
Come" said he, 81 have arranged
1t will be reported that you
ave died in prison. l do not wish to
nave it said that my fathers partner was
hanged. My sister has died of grief"
"What! my wife deadw
yesterday"
"AnG the other?"
Madame Pochinet, the poor Swiss wO-
nan? l have rendered her IA very bad
service. In going to intercede for you
with the Judges, she caught cold and she
lied this morning"
"Alas, cried |, II have no wife"
THAT will not prevent you from being
hanged tomorrow as a bigamist."
Then, seeing that / wept, he went on:
Here are IA thousand tlorins; go where
you will. III you succeed in business,
very well; but if you are unfortunate
write to me, for do not wish to see nv
dther's partner to be Il beggar. But
come, cheer up, and drink this glass of
gin. Under any other circumstances we
should drink together, for | have caused
you much grief, but Captain Thomas
Cromme cannot drink with a man who
has been hanged"
/ mechanically swallowed the gin, and
him out. He conducted me to
4 boat which was to start at daybreak for
Anvers, and having recommended me to
.he Captain babe me adieu. / wept dur
ng the whole voyage, and was unable to
compose myself or fix my thoughts on
After reaching Anvers, | be-
gan to recover my spirits little by little
Wishing to be as far from Holland as pos
,ible, / went to Leige, where, with my
thousand forms I oDened "A little shon of