Year: 1872

stool and asked me to sit down upon IL,
In order that, as he said, he might cut
my hair little. | followed his bidding
mechanically As the shears accidently
touched my neck, drew myself together
with a shudder, as if l already felt his
deadly knife on my throat. This process
the toilette of the condemned criminal
was soon ended. In the meantime,
the minister had come again, and he
reached out his hand to me. We step
ped aside. and he offered up q prayer IN
which, with words that went straight TO
my heart, he prepared the way for my
last moments, ending with his blessing


The hand on the clock pointed ten
minutes before nine, as the prison dl-
rector stepped up to US. saw IN his
face that the time was near, when l must
90 the way of that bourne from which no
traveller ever returns.


1--WE must break off - be said in low
voice, speaking halt to the minister, hall
to me. Then be stepped toward the
door, along with the men who accom-
panied him; l followed with my spiritual
adviser, aud the officer and his soldiers
completed the sorrowful procession.


The executioner of the law of blood
lad already gone before.


AS stepped over the threshold which
led into the court yard of the Jail, the
prison bell began to ring which an
nouuced the criminals hour of death.
The weather, raw and black, harmonized
with the frightful tragedy which was to
be enacted. A thick mist spread over
everything like black cloud, and l
I.cnra


AS left my cell, / felt greater
courage than had expected, but as the
thin. shrill tone of the sinners bell
trembed through the air, and pierced my
ear like a cry OF distress, there came
over me a terror that seemed to break my
heart. After the first few steps / felt
myself almost fainting Everything
whirled before my eyes, and great drops
of cold sweat gathered upon my brow
shook, my feet would have refused to
do their service, if the priest at my side
had not noticed my condition and helped
to support me. His pious words brought
new strength to my heart aud helped me
to conquer the weakness that had nearly
overcome me.


1t was but a short distance to the
scaffold-about thirty steps. The hor-
rible structure was wrapped in thick fog,
and l could only distinguish its sur
roundiugs. While I was drawing near to
it. the horrible shadows began to take
shape. With strength which my good
friend and adviser had brought me,
advanced toward it slowly but with firm
er step. At last the short distance-the
terribly? was spanued. Convulsively |
cast one look upward, and then l cons


ed to ascend the stairs without fur
ther hesitation.


Once upon the platform there was the
last sad formality to go through. l was
led to table where three officials sat.
One of them was the judge before whom
I had been tried. Under deathlike
silence, be read to me again the sentence
that had been passed, and the governmen-
tai approval that had followed. Then he
gave me a few words OF consolation and
hope of forgiveness above, and l was
I turned over to the hands OF the la" ex-
ecutioner-.he headsman.


By the side of this fearful man, took
leave of the spiritual adviser l Ireceived
another blessing, pressed my lips to the
crucifx for the last time, and then sank
down upon the horrible block.


But two steps and the headsman
would


Hark the prison bell rang out loudly
again-not with the slow toll of the
death kneIl, but with sudden, quick,
and loud resonance as if to wake the
dead. The headsman stepped back, his
face picturing at once astonishment and
expectation.


'.Step aside moment" he said to me,
and then he turned his back and looked
around iuquiriugly.


For a third time the bell was ruDg,
quickly aud loudly as before.
The officials at the table arose, as If
hurled from their places by an alarm sig
nal. All was again in motion, and every
one directed his gaze to the prison door.
I looked, too, mechanically, without un
derstauding and almost without interest,
TO await what was coming.


In a moment, soldier sprang over
the threshold and toward the scaftold
In his right hand he held paper high
up in the air, and cried


heard-I saw no more. l lost my
senses.


When | regaiDed consciousness. l
found myself in the hospital l was
soon told that. through the influence of
some of my relatives in high position,
nv sentence had been commuted to i'm
prisonment for ten years.


Two minutes more and it would have
been too late