The new terror
“As it happened, one of the gentlemen was the public prosecutor, and he
invited me to accompany him to his office. Here I explained who I was
and said that he must have received a visit from my husband the night
before. He told me that he had in fact seen him, and then as he took
refuge in silence I threw myself on my knees before him beseeching him
to have pity on me and tell me whether Herbert had confessed his crime.
He seemed surprised, helped me to rise to my feet, and questioned me.
“Slowly I told him the story of my life, such as I have told it to
you, and at last I described the awful discovery which I had made in
the little study in the chalet at Todtnau. I ended by declaring that I
should never have allowed an innocent man to be executed, and that had
not my husband given himself up, I should not have hesitated to inform
the police. And then I asked him as a final act of mercy, to be allowed
to see Herbert.
“‘Yes, you shall see him, madame,’ he returned. ‘Please come with me.’
“He took me, more dead than alive, to the prison, through the corridors
and up a staircase. Here he stood me before a small barred window which
jutted over a large hall and left me, telling me to have patience. A
number of other persons soon took up their positions at this window,
and looked into the hall without speaking.
“I did as they did. It was as though I was fastened to the bars, and I
had the feeling that I was about to witness some monstrous spectacle.
“The hall was gradually lined with a number of persons all of whom
maintained a mournful silence. Daylight now rendered the scene more
visible. In the center of the hall we could clearly discern a heavy
block of wood, and some one behind me exclaimed:
“‘That’s the headman’s block!’
“So Müller was to be executed! An icy perspiration began to trickle
down my forehead, and I cannot say even now how it was that I did not
fall into a dead faint. A door opened, and a procession appeared headed
by the condemned man, quivering in his shirt which was cut low and
showed his bare neck. His hands were bound behind his back, and he was
supported by two warders. A minister of religion was murmuring in his
ear.
“The wretched man began to speak. In a few trembling words he confessed
his crime and asked forgiveness of God and man. A civic officer took
note of the confession and read out the sentence of the Court; and then
the two warders thrust the convict on his knees and placed his head on
the block.
“Mathis Müller might have already been dead for all the sign of life
he gave, when a man with bare arms carrying an axe on his shoulder,
stepped forward from the side where he had hitherto remained in the
background.
“This man placed his hand upon the prisoner’s head, waved the two
warders aside, lifted the axe and struck a terrible blow. Nevertheless
he had to strike a second time before the head fell. Then he picked it
up by the hair and stood erect.
“How was it that I was able to watch the unspeakably horrible sight
until the end? Yet I could not remove my eyes from this scene of blood,
and it seemed as though there was still something for me to see, and
indeed my eyes did see ... they saw, when holding in his shaking hand
the abominable trophy the executioner drew himself up and raised his
eyes.
“I uttered a piercing shriek, ‘Herbert!’ and fell unconscious.
* * * * *
“Now, monsieur, you know my story. I had married the public
executioner. The axe which I had discovered in the little study was the
executioner’s axe; the blood-stained clothes were the executioner’s
clothes.
“Next day I fled to the house of an old relative, and I very nearly
lost my reason; and I don’t know how it is that I am still in this
world.
“As for my husband, who could not live without me, for he loved me more
than anything on earth, he was found two months later hanging in our
room. I received a last letter from him:
“‘Forgive me, Elizabeth. I have tried every sort of occupation. I
was dismissed as soon as it was discovered that I was the son of my
father. I was forced at an early age to make up my mind to take up the
succession of his work. You will understand now how it is that the
office of public executioner descends from father to son. I was born
an honest man, and the only crime that I have ever committed in my life
was to conceal the truth from you.... Farewell!’”
* * * * *
While I stood gazing in dumb amazement at the spot in the lake where
the lady in black had thrown the little gold axe, she disappeared in
the distance.
THE END
Transcriber’s Notes:
• Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).
• Text enclosed by pluses is in small caps (+small caps+).
• Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected.