TWICE HANGED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1728, 30 December 1887, Page 3

TWICE HANGED

The Neve Freie Pi esse has published a collection of Hungarian adventures, from which we take the following amusing story: " Two Hungarian peasants were one night driving home to Makad from market at Kecskemet ; the road leads over a wide puszta district, through Szent Mlklos, and just outside the latter plaoe, past the fat il hill on which some years ago a gallows used to stand. It was twlI light, between dog and wolf, as the say , Ing la ln South Germany. The keen-eyed peasants saw soon enough that the hangman had bern at work, and dspatched a dark man of honor Into the next world. Filled with ourlcslty, they left their vehicle and walked towards the gallows. The culprit waa a gipsy, against whose being hanged the peasants would hardly have objected ; but to their astonishment they found that he not only wan quite warm, but that his heart was still Blowly beating. After holding a little conference, tbe peasants cut the man down put bim Into their oart, and drove off Before long the gipsy began to return to j consciousness, tbe color oame back Into his face, and nothing remained of his late experience but a certain feeling of discomfort. At the next publio house the peasants stopped to take a drink after their sucoesi ln doing justice out of one of her saorificeß, The Innkeeper, who was well known to be always on the side of tbe thieves, shook with loud laughter as the men told of their adventure. But the thiok end of the wedge appeared when tbe two aamarltansr after a deep draught, came back to their cart, for the ungrateful brigand bad driven away m spite of tbe " certain feeling of dlsoomfort." He had, however, not quite counted the cost. The innkeeper borrowed the peasant's two fresh horses, and so the gipsy was overtaken, to be driven baok and ouce more hanged on the aime gallows.. To tell the truth, adds the writer, the dilettauti were cleverer m this oase than the professional hangmen, for the brigand was this time quite dead, After a short time the story became public ; the peasants were imprisoned, and their case kept tbe cleverest lawyers of the day for a long time hard at work."