LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2549, 9 June 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

THE SILVER CHAIN.

A Tale of Love and M urder, ( Concluded.)

Very few people in Gonten or Appenzelfelt any doubt as to Conrad Oborwald’e gnilt. The few who, at the outset, had contended that Maria Koch was the real culprit, ocnli not resist the arguments of those who believed in her innocence and her sweetheart's gnilt, supported as they were by several telling facts and considerations. How, it was asked, could Marla have thrown Mathilde into the Wassertobel ? It was some distance from the road and the footpath ; and though she was the stronger it was not conceivable that she could have dragged the other, In open day, through the wood, robbed of her chain, and drowned her in the pool. A strong man might do snob a deed—hard y a young girl. What more probable theory could be anggested than that Conrad, who was seen in Mathilda's company the night before, had waylaid her as she wont home from church, after parting with Marie, persuaded her to walk with him In the wood, and then accomplished bis purpose ? It was also plausibly urged that the very fact of Maria wearing the chain the very first Sunday after the festival of Corpus Christi was alone a strong proof of her Innocence, Had she herself either murdered Mathilde, or been In any way privy to the murder, ehe would hardly, being presumedly of same mind, have openly displayed her plunder within three or four days of its acquisition.

This, at least, was the popular view of the case.- It was also the view of the police and magistrates of the canton, who, on the grounds stated, assumed Conrad’s guilt from

the first. There is, however, a wide difference between assumption and proof, and the evidence against the prisoner, either direct or circumstantial, wss weak in the extreme. It rested entirely on Maria Koch’s assertion that he had given her the silver chain. But it was clearly Impossible to convict a man on the te tim my of a witness who, on a certain not impossible (however improbable) au p'sltlon, had tho strongest imaginab’e motive to swear falsely—the saving of her own life. Ur 1 a O , therefore. other evidence should be forthcoming or Conrad could be Induced to confess, the prosecution was likely to fail. Henoe the most strenuous efforts were made to extort a confession ; for of further evidence there was little hope. The prisoner was examined and questioned, time after time by the Woohenrath (policecourt), and always with tho tame result. He stubbornly refused to make any admission of guilt, saying roundly that if Maria Koch said he had given her Mathilda Weber’s silver chain, or any other chain, she lied. He was then ordered to be flogged with an ordinary whip ; and this aid to confession failing of lt« intended effect, ho was fastened to the Bookatntter, and cruelly flagellated with a piece of stiff ox-bide. Still Conrad protested his innocence The Court nest ordered him to be bound hand and foot, and clapped in the "joage,” under the roof of the Bathhans. This was the hardest trial of all; bnt nothing could shake the man’s constancy. He remained as firm as ever in his resolution—not to tell the truth, the Judge maintained—not to tell a lie, he said. This went on for several months—alternate fl ’ggings, booksfutterlngs, and imprisonments (generally with hands and feet bound together) in the “ cage j” and one way and another, Conrad, a man of fine proportions and strong constitution, was reduced to a shadow of his former self, let nothing seemed able to subdue his spirit; and the Wochenrath began to think they would have to let him go, after all, and that the murder of Mathilde Weber was one of the many crimes reserved for punishment in some other world than this.

Meanwhile Marla Koob, if her looks did not belie her, was litt'e l-ss wretched than her lover. She waxed thin ; her cheeks lost their roses ; her eyes seemed to grow larger, and, when she was suddenly greeted, they took an almost startled expression. She shunned her old companions, and c -uld never be persuaded to talk about Mathilde and Conrad. This occasioned no surprise. No wonder Maria Koch looked ill, people said. Herr Hoohzeiter was shut up in a dungeon at Appenzel, on a charge of murdering her dearest friend; and she knew, as everybody else know, that he would only leave it for the scaffold and a shameful death. How could she help feeling wretched? No wonder was It either that she wnuld never go near the Wassertobel ; that she would go & long way round to avoid it. What could be more natural ? And there were other folks besides Maria Koch that would walk a mile or two out of their way rather than pass the Wassertobel after nightfall. The place was uncanny. Had not Andreas Jud, the goatherd, one night when it was light of moon, seen a white figure sitting on the edge of the pool ; and were there not others that had seen the same ? With very few exceptions Indeed, the popular persuasion of Conrad’s guilt was as strong in October as it had been in June. Chief among the dissidents ware Hilda Yodel and Fran Fllmm, wife of the Landweibel (a sort of sheriff and keeper of the Bathhans), Hilda, who bad closely watched Maria, both at tho time of Mathilda’s disappearance and since, had drawn conclusions decidedly unfavourable to that young woman’s innocence of her friend’s death Frau Flimm, from her observation of Conrad, had arrived at precisely the same conclusion. Appenzel being a email canton, Its public officers have to fulfil divers functions; and when—as often happened—the Landweibel wss away, his wife had to look after the prisoners In the Ratbhaus, It thus cams to pass that she was broughs f equently in contact with Conrad. At first, like everybody else, she believed in his guilt; and more than once when she took him his food, she had exhorted him to confess.

‘Tell the truth like a man,’ she said; * yon will have to tell it sooner or later, or they will find It ont in some other way, and anything is better than suffering as yon suffer. Why, you are always being either bocksfutted or shut up In the cage. I’d liefer have my bead chopped off at once if I were you. Bei dies, if you confess they may let yon off with a long term of imprisonment.’

To this suggestion Conrad simply replied that, being innocent of the crime Imputed to him, he could not admit that he was guilty. In the end Frau Fllmm believed him, and did all that lay in her power to keep up his spirits and render his imprisonment as tolerable as in the olrcnmatances was possible. Her conviction of Oberwald’s gui tlessneas was confirmed by Marla Koch’s manner, when she called at the Bathhans to inquire about him, as she always did when she came to Appenzel. Most people looked on these visits as a proof of the girl’s constancy and affection; but the Fran Landweibel and Hilda Yodel, who frequently communed with each other on the subject, held that they were a mere blind, kept np solely to sustain the belief In her innocence and incidentally in her lover’s guilt. As Fran Fllmm pointed out to Hilda, It was a suspicions circumstance that, albiet she was so particular in Inquiring after Conrad, she never cared to see him—bad, Indeed, several times refused to see him when the Landwelbel’s wife had proposed to take her to his cell. Neither was her behaviour in other respects on these occasion* that of one with conscience void of offence. Her visits were always of the shortest. She could never look Frau Fllmm In the face; and her whole bearing, besides showing that her self-imposed duty was extremely disagreeable to her, betokened a mind 111 at ease.

After long cogitation, and taking frequent counsel with Hilda Yodel—the only person who shared her belief in Oberwald’s innocence —she resolved to try the experiment of surprising Maria into an admission of the truth the very next time she called to ask after her lover. A few days afterwards the girl, as Frau Flimm expected, came to the Bathhans, and in her usual hesitating manner, and with averted gaze, inquired 1 how Conrad was doing.’ ‘Badly, very badly,’ replied Frau Flimm, looking sternly at her questioner; 1 they had him on the booksfutter again yesterday ; now ha is in the cage up there in the dark—hand and feet roped together—and you know how cold it is. How the poor fellow shivered and moaned when 1 went to see him an hour since, I think Conrad is like to die, Maria Koch.’

* To die, Frau Flimm ! ’ exclaimed the girl, trembling all over; 1 Conrad like to die.’ 1 Yes, die I ’ thundered Frau Flimm ; ‘ you are going to kill him, as you killed Mathilde Weber 1 ’

* I kill Mathilda ? No, no! Do not say go —it is not true ! ’ muttered Maria, turning deadly pale, and leaning against the wall for support. «Yea, you. Do yon think I cannot see, that I cannot read your guilt in your face ? And is there not a God in heaven ? Does not he know ? Do you want to have another murder on your conscience ? Confess, girl, and save your soul. You drowned poor Mathilde, and took her chain.’

‘I did, FBi FHmm. God forg've me, I did,’ and the girl. Bobbing convulsively and covering her face with her hands, sank down on the floor; ‘but, oh,’ starting, np, and laying her arms on Frau Fllmm’s shoulders. ‘ don’t tell, don’t say anything to the Landwelbel They will cut my bead off If you do, and I don’t want to die.’ * I hope they won’t do that,’ said the other pityingly, for her woman’s heart was deeply touched by the girl’s terrible agitstlou and wretchedness; ‘ but I shall be obliged to tell, if it la only for Conrad’s sake. Besides, It Is my duty. lam the Landweibel’s wife, you know.' •But not to-day, dear Frau FHmm, not today. please—not to-day, I want to go home to my mother. I have been buying in for her. Let me go, Frau Flimm. I will come back to-morrow and give myself up to the Lindwelbel; 1 will, Indeed. Do, please, let me go.’ As she spoke, the girl moved towards the door. Fran Filmm pushed her back. * Not so, Marla, not so, "I must tell the Landweibel, and I cannot let you leave the Bathhaus. You will have to stay here tonight. I will send word to your mother. ’ ‘Let me go, I tell you,' shouted Maris, who was now bitterly regretting having allowed herself to be surprised out of her secret, and almost wild with fear ; * let me go. I will go. Stand aside, or I shall hurt you.' And then she shook herself free from Frau FHmm’s grasp and made a second turn for the door.

The glil was tall, and strong and desperate ; she straggled fiercely togain her end; and, had they been left to thenselves, would have been much more than a match for her opponent, rut the latter shotted for help ; and as she fell exhausted oa the floor, her husband ran into the room.

■ Seize her, hold her,’ she exdaimed, point ing to Marla; * she is a mrrderess. f-he killed Mathilde Weber; she has told me herself. Seize her.’

Then there was another stnggla ; for the girl refused to yield even to tin Landweibel; and she made so determine! a resistance that, before she could be seemed and placed in a cell be bad to call for fartier help. When Marla was brought before the examining Judge the next day, she retracted her confession, or, rather, cbnied having made any ; but a night in tbecage loosened her tongue, and she made a full avowal of her guilt. The story was soon told. Greed and jealousy were her motives, Sle was afraid Mathilde would rob her of herlover, and she coveted her silver chain. On Corpus Christ! day, as they were going home from church, she contrived to get her friaid near the Waasertobel by pretending thv she had lost her paternoster in the wood a short time previously. When they reacted the brink she pushed the poor girl in, at iho same time tearing the tempting ornameit from her breast. She thought the bod; would sink to the bottom and never be seat again. In saying Conrad Onerwald had gvea her the chain, she had no idea, she said of bringing him into the trouble ; but whet the murder came out, she dared not tell thtt it was her doing, and so kept sile ce and et her lover bear the blame.

On the 27th of Novembet 1849, the Wochenrath held an Assizs of Bood, and declared Anna Marla Koch guilty, on her own confession, of having murdertd Mathilde Weber. In anticipation o? sentence of death being passed on her by the Geat Council, she was diligently visited by several priests and exhorted to repentance ; bit she stubbornly refused their ministratiors, saying she could not, and would not, die. On the 3rd of December the Great Council met In the Bathhaus to decide whether shi should live or die. After the case for the prosecution had been stated by the Beirhsvogt, the Armenpileger said what ho c mid in extenna tlon of her offence, for to ’gainsar It In face of her own confession was clearly impossible. Then the Landammann asked if any of the prisoner's kinsfolk had anght to rrge on her bebalf. On this her father anc her sister made a piteous appeal for mere;, and the Council proceeded to judgmat. By a majority of ninety-two to six they condemned Marla Koch to death, and ordered her to be taken forthwith the {lace of execution, and there beheaded.

When the wretched girl saw tin Landammann break his staff, and heard the dread sound of the knell which told her Joint, she uttered shriek after shriek, and it required the utmost tfftrts of four strong men to bind her and carry her to the scaffold. There she had a desperate struggle with the headsman and his helpers, and it was long before she could be forced down and faaiened to the block. And even when that wai done she managed to thrust her neck between her shoulders in such a way that the executioner was unable to perform his office. All the time she uttered the most heartrending cries, and the Keicbsvogt (who was superintending the execution), completely bewildered and unmanned, sent a message to the Great Council asking what mast be lone. The answer was short and stern—‘Let the doomster do his duty.’ On this the condemned, who had drawn from the delay hopes that her life might even yet bo spared, renewed her struggles, and her cries were more terrible than before. She broke her bonds, and bad to be fastened a second time to the blook. Then a gray old man, who had served in foreign were, stepped from the crowd and told the headsman to wind the girl’s long hair round a pole in such a way, that, being stretched to her full length by bis helpers, she could be firmly held, and thereby hindered from shifting about and contracting her neck. This was done. With a single stroke Maria Koch’s head was severed from her body ; and thus the agonising scene, which had lasted two hours, earns to an end. This execution made a great sensation in Switzerland, and was probably one of the causes that led to the abolition of capital punishment by Federal enactment in 1874, True, the right of life and death has since been restored to the cantons, bat the privilege Is not one of which they are likely to make extensive use. Oonrsd Obarwald never quite recovered from the effects of his confinement in the cage and his flagellations on the bockefntter. The canton refusing to make him any pecuniary compensation for his sufferings, a public subscription was got np for him in Appenzel and St. Gall, which produced a sum sufficient to enable him to bay a piece of land, settle in life, and marry Hilda Yodel, who had believed in Conrad’s innocence, and spoken a good word for him, when all the world was against him.