Year: 1872

1t has sometimes happened that when
man has baen hanged he has, either
through the carelessness or unskillful-
ness of the hangman, or some other
unforeseen cause, escaped death. Some
people may imagine that in such case
there is not so much disgrace in being
hanged. Let them not indulge in this
belief any longer, for /, who speak fIuul
my own personal experience, have found
the situation very unpleasant one.


Those whose fate has led them to the
scaffold, and who have had the misfor-
tune to be cut down too soon, have my
sincere pity. There are many persons
who, on such an occasion, would be very
happy to be cut down before life was
extinct, and they will think that have
very strange opinions. But 1 reason
from experience. Erperto creder Roberto.
That is to say, / have been hanged, al
though my name is not Robert. You
shall know why, and what was the
result of it. AS for those capricious
minds who think it strange that should
write my history in my last will and
testament, I would simply ask them
where they expect me to write it. Do
they inns CINE that one who has been
hanged ought to write book about it.


1t is now twenty years since the event
of which l write took place, but the
stigma of having been hanged, which
follows me in spite of myself, is none
the less bad recommendation among
scrupulous people.


/ was an honest grocer of Lausanne,
my birthplace. l had a hourishing
business, and every day added some
thing to my fortune. It was my custom,
in common with my brother grocers, to
add mutton tallow to the salted butter,
-four to the powdered sugar, sage leaves
to the tea, cider to the cognac, water to
the tobacco, sawdust to the ground
pepper, and roasted beans to the coffee.
These little auxiliaries were not noticed
from the fact that their composition was
more or less general.


l had clerk who was an excellent
hand at that business, and he mixed
the different articles so skillfully to-
gether that no one found any fault with
my merchandise. Proud Of his success,
he wished to do better. He imagined
that with jalap, flour, the juice of white
prunes, and do not know what other
drug besides, but something less inno-
cent, perhaps, he could make the honey
go further; but his composition pro-
duced an effect he certainly did not
foresee. About a dozen of our GUS
toners who used that honey were taken
sick, and some of them died. Twas the
first to suspect the truth. 1 placed a
jar of pure honey in the shop, and car
ried the adulterated honey into my
wife's room, for | was married. | gave
as a reason that could not sell it, as tt
had an unpleasant taste. My wife was
very economical, and not wishing to
waste the honey, she determined to
had no children, or she would have
feasted them likewise. During the
night she was taken go i'll that [ was
obliged to send for a physician. He
Immediately recognized symptoms of
poisoning. He asked her what she had
eaten, and very naturally she answered
that she had supped on some honey
that had taken out of the shop because
my customers did not like it. The
physician appeared struck by the cir
cumstance, and, giving some prescrip-
tions, he retired, saying that he would
return in an hour. / awoke my clerk
to send him to the apothecary with the
prescriptions, and when he learned what
had passed he became pale and trem-
bling. He went out Immediately on my
errand, but did not return, and it was
the apothecary himself who brought
the medicine.


This incident increased my trouble.
At the end of an hour the physician re-
turned, bringing nurse with him, and,
telling me that the patient must be
kept quiet, he advised me to go into the
shop. 1 there found two bailiffs to
arrest me as prisoner. What shall
tell your They accused me of having
poisoned four persons in the city, besides
my wife,-among them being the sister
of the Judge, who was a stern old
Lutheran. They searched my shop,
and from the many adulterated articles
there they drew bad inferences against
me. The disappearan se of my clerk,
who did not return, was taken as an
other proof of my guilt. In short, was
condemned to be hanged, and the sem
tence was quickly carried into execu-
ton. By privilege which is not rare,
l had a fault of conformation of which
| had never boasted, and you may call
it fortunate or unfortunate, as you
choose. My throat was ossiied, and
the rope did not entirely stop respira-
tion ; and that evening, when they had