The Republican journal., 1875-01-21

not easy
The han@mau. to make him mount the
ladder, had recourse to the same means
which he had employed to make him get
off the ass; he took him by the waist, set
him on the third stave Of the ladder, and
then pushed him up behind
''Bravor' shouted the crowd
There was no help for it, except to
mount
Then the executioner adroitly slipped
round the patients neck the running moose
which ornamented the end of the rope.
and, giving him violent kick in the back,
sent him swinging into open space
An immense clamor followed this ex-
pected denouenaent, and shudder ran
throughout the crowd. OF whatever crime
he may be guilty, a dying man is always,
for an instant, greater than those who
come to see him die.
The hanged man swung two or three
minutes at the end of his rope, kicked,
Writhed, and then remained motonless
and stiff
They stared few minutes longer at the
sufferer, whose gilded armor glittered in
the sunshine; the spectators gradually
formed into groups, and then went their
several ways homeward, discoursing on
lhe Iate event,
Inc next morning, at break OF day
couple OF guards walked out of the chat
eau of La Piroche to take down the body
of the criminal, and to strip it Of the armor
belonging to their lord but they found
what they were very far from expecting
namely, that the gallows and the rope still
remained in their places. but that the
hanged man was nowhere to be seen
The two guards rubbed their eyes, in
doubt whether they We're dreaming or
not; but such was the fact No body, and,
as a natura! consequence, no armor
The nost extraordinary circumstance
was, that the rope was neither broken nor
cut but exactly in the state in which it
was before receiving the criminal
The guards at once went to announce
the news to the seigneur of La Pirocho.
What had become of the dead man
For the condemned thief was certainly
dead the day before, as the whole popu-
laton had beheld with their eyes.
Had another thief taken advantage Of
the night to obtain possession Of the aim0r
which covered the body?
| Perhaps so ; but, while taking the armor,
he would evidently have left the body, for
| which he had no occasion
Had the friends or relatives of the sufferer
determined to give him Christian burial?
The case was far from impossible, ex-
! cept that the sufferer had neither friends
nor relations; and people acting under re-
ligious motives would have taken the BODY
and lett the armor.
That suppositon. therefore, was not 10
be entertained What, then, were they to
suppose?
The Seigneur of La Piroche was in de-
spair. He was mad about his suit Of armor.
He offered a reward of ten golden crowns
to whoever would deliver up the criminal, |
attired as he was at the time of his death. |
They searched the house, nothing was
found. Nobody came to claim the reward |
month was spent in truitless search.
The gallows still remained in its place |
Inundated, doWncast, and despised. Never
had gibbet committed SO disgracetul
breach of confidence.
The Seigneur of La Piroche continued
to demand the restitution of his armor
Nothing came of it.
a. At last he was doubtless on the point Of
and the loss resulting from it, when one
morning, on awakening, he heard great
noise in the square where the execution
had taken place.
He was going to inquire what was the
matter. when his chaplain entered his
chamber.
''Monseigneur, y he said, .do you know
what has happened?n
"No; but | will inquire directly.
II can tell you, /"
"What is it, then p
"A miracle.'
'Really?'
| The man who was hange,--
well? ?"
! is there"
"Where p
On the gallows
Hanging
Yes, Monseigneur
/ "With his armorp"
/ with your armor."
EXACTLY so; because it belongs t. me
And he is dead?"
Perfectly dead Only
Only whatP Pn
Had he spurs on when he was hanged ?"
! No"
We'll, monseigneur, he has spurs on
now: and instead OF wearing the helmet
on his head, he carefully laid it at the foot
of the gallowS, SO as to be found hanging
uncovered"
LET us 80 and see, Messire Chaplain
let us 60 and see at once"
The Seigneur of La Proche ran into the
square, which was crowded with inquisi-
tive spectators. The neck of the hanged
man was replaced in the running moose,
the body was really at the end of the rope,
aud the armor was really on tho body. =
1t was prodigious, So they shouted, "A
miracle!"
He has repented," said one. and has
come back to re-hang himself"
He has been here all the time, said
another, "only we could not see him"
''But why has he put on spurs?' inquired
third.
doubtless because he has come from
a distance, and was anxious to get back
quick"
For my part, whether far OF near, |
should have had no occasion whatever tor
spurs, because | would have taken good
care to remain where | was
And then they laughed and then they
looked at the ugly grimace on the dead
mans countenance.
AS for the Seigneur Of La Piroche, his
only thought was to make sure that the
thief was really dead, and to take repos-
session of his suit of armor.
They took down the body and stripped
it, and then, when stripped, they hung II
up again, and the crows set to work with
such effect that in a couple Of days it was
stripped to the bone, in week j: was like
a taterdemaion, in a fortnight it had the
appearance of Il nothingatall
But how had this hanged man employed
his time during his month Of absence ?
low was it that having been hung he con-
trived to escape, and that having escaped
he rehung himself?
Our two peasants returning home by
night, and passing close to the gibbet,
heard moans, gaspings, and something
like prayer; that they devoutly crossed
themselves, and asked what it could be;
| tEat ,,ola,dzr ro,aliad l,l,t tL.at tho