Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-06-12
TWICE HANGED.

The date of the tale is the year 141S,
and two men, one older thar the other and
both peasants, are going along the road,
mounted on donkeys.
"Do you think we shall get there in
timer" said the son.
"Oh, yes; it is only a quarter past 10
by the sun, and the affair doesn't come of
till 2 o'clock"
at will be a curious sight"
II believe you"
and so the man is to be hanged in ths
suit of armor which he stole?"
Yes"
"And he was caught as he was carrying
it Off"
eyes. You see, this armor made a ter
rible row while it was being carried off.
Apparently it wanted to remain with its
rightful owner"
"And they arrested the man?"
mot at first. They began by being
frightened out of their wits. These people
didn't believe that they had a thief to deal
with"
And what them"
ga ghost. This scoundrel, being a pow
erful fellow, carried the m before him,
lifting it high above his head, SO that as
he passed along the corridor he looked
like an enormous giant. Besides that
the villain made a terrible noise; so you
can imagine the fright of the servants.
Unfortunately for him, however, the noise
woke up their master, the Seigneur de la
Piroche, who, fearing neither the living
nor the dead, caught hold Of the robber
and gave him over, half %strangled, to the
arm of the law"
"And the arm of the law?"
"Was his own. He condemned the man
to be hanged, dressed in the suit of arm.
or"
"Why did he insert that clause in the
sentence?"
because the Seigneur de la Piroche is
not only q brave soldier and leader OF
men, but a sensible fellow who wished tc
turn the sentence into al example fol
others and profit for himself. Don't you
know that the last thing that touches the
body of a mar who is hanged brings good
luck to the person who possesses itp Sc
the Seigneur de la Piroche ordered the
criminal to be dressed in his armor in
order to take 1t back again after the ex
ecution as a talisman in war"
"That was a clever idea"
II believe you, my boy"
The father and SOL continued their way,
chatting thus, and half an hour after
wards they arrived at Piroche. An i'm
mense crowd of people had assembled on
the great square opposite the castle, fol
there the gallows had been set up. The
two companions drew as near to tho gal
lows as they could, SO as to lose nothing
of the show, and waited for the others.
They had not long to wait. At a quarter
to 2 O'Clock the gate of the castle opened,
and the culprit appeared, preceded BY
guards and followed by the hangman.
The robber was a%ccoutered in the stoler
and mounted on a barebacked don
key, with his face to the tail. His handI
were tied behind his back. The culpri'
was brought to the scatfold.
The hangman put the ladder against thu
gallows, and the chaplain of the castle
mounting upon a platform prepared fol
him, read the warrant of execution.
The culprit remained immovable, as l
he were going to play a trick on the spec
tators by dying before he was hanged
The people yelled, ordering him to com'
down from his donkey and give himsel
up to the hangman. He didn't stir al
inch. Then the hangman took him rount
the waist, lifted him from the donkey
back and placed him erect upon tn
ground.
BY this time the chaplain had finished
reading the sentence.
"Have you any request to maker" HI
asked the victim.
YES replied the wretohed man in
sad voice, made hollow and dull by tn
helmet.
"What is your request?'
II want to go home"
you shall 60 home," said the Seigneu
de la Piroohe, struggling his shoulders
tTo your last home" and he gave tn
signal to the hangman to go to work.
The hangman began to mount tho lad
der. The gibbet stretched forth it's hand
ready to drag soul from body, but 1t wa
not an easy task to drive the victim to hi
fate.
The executioner and his victim seeme'
to vie with each other in politeness. Mel
Their would precede the other. At last tn
hangman resorted to the same means b.
which he had forced the oulprit to com
down off his donkey. He took him by tn
middle Of the body, put his feet on tn
third rung of the ladder and began to pusl
him up from behind.
There was no help for it; he had t
climb. Then the hangman adroitly pu
the slipknot that ornamented the end Q
the o peabout the neck of his victim, and
giving the latter q vigorous kick in tn
lower part Of the Opine, he launched hir
into space and into eternity. An immens
shout greeted this anticipated ending, an
q shudder ran through the crowd.
For two or three minutes the victir
wavered at the end Of the rope. He turne
and twisted, and then remained stiff an
quiet. The people gazed a few moments a
the body clad In armor, which shone !
the sun, and then separated into groups
taking tho way to their homes and chat
ting gayly over the event.
Next morning at break Of day two me
OF arms came out of the castle to cut dow
the corpse and to strip 1t Of the armol
But they found something they did nc
at all expect, for, though the gallows an
the rope were there, the body was gont
together with the armor, and, what we
worry strange, the rope was neither broke
nor cut, but just as 1t was before 1t We
4 put round the culprit's neck The two go
dlers ran to tell this news to their mastcl