General Rapp at length laid his hand on the youth's shoulder, and said:
"Sir, you must withdraw. This is no place for you."
"I have to present a petition to the emperor which cannot be delayed,"
said the young man, in a gentle voice, "pray permit me to give it to him
at once."
"I tell you it is out of place here," exclaimed the general, vehemently.
Beckoning to one of the second lieutenants, he said: "Conduct this man
away from here."
"Come, sir," said the lieutenant; "stand back, soldiers; let this man
pass." In spite of himself, he was soon hurried to the rear.
"I must attain my object--I must fulfil my oath," he muttered to
himself. "Napoleon must die to-day, and Frederick Staps shall be his
executioner. Forward!" He elbowed himself through the crowd that had
assembled behind the soldiers, and, standing on tiptoe, tried to descry
the emperor and his marshals while walking into the semicircle formed by
the troops.
No one noticed that, seeing a passage in the ranks of the soldiers,
Staps advanced, cautiously and quickly as a snake, until he was again
inside the semicircle. "Fate is favorable to me," he muttered, "and the
moment is at hand when I will deliver Germany!" He approached the
emperor, who was just coming down the front from the other side. "Sire,"
he exclaimed, stretching out his paper toward Napoleon, "take my
petition, and listen to me a few minutes."
The emperor looked for a moment on the pale countenance of the young
man. "I do not understand you," he said; "apply to General Rapp."
Staps apparently had not heard Napoleon's words; he approached still
closer, and put his right hand under his cloak. "Sire, listen to me," he
exclaimed, "I--" A strong hand grasped his arm and pushed him back.
"Did you not hear that you are to apply to General Rapp?" asked Marshal
Bessieres. "Why did you come the second time to a place where you do not
belong? Leave immediately, or you will be arrested!"
"I am going," muttered Staps, and turned to pass through the ranks of
the soldiers.
At this moment a dark suspicion arose in the mind of Bessieres, for
which he was unable to give any good reasons, but which alarmed him. He
beckoned to two soldiers, and, pointing at Staps, who was pressing his
way outside, he said, "Arrest that man, and bring him hither!" His order
was obeyed in a moment, and the soldiers, holding Staps by the arms,
dragged him to the marshal, whom the Duke de Rovigo and General Rapp had
now joined.
"Why did you have me arrested, general?" asked Staps, in a firm, calm
voice.
"Because I distrust you," replied Bessieres. "Take off your cloak!"
Staps hesitated. "Take off your cloak!" repeated Bessieres; and, not
obeying, the soldiers violently tore the cloak from his shoulders, and,
as they did so, something flashed.
It was the blade of a large knife, in a belt with which he had fastened
his black velvet coat.
"He is saved and I am lost!" muttered Staps to himself, and dropped his
head on his breast.
"What is the meaning of this knife?" asked General Rapp. "What did you
want to do with it?"
Staps slowly raised his head and lifted up his arm to point at the
emperor, who was standing but a few steps from them.
"I intended to punish him," he said, solemnly.
"An assassin! an assassin!" cried the marshals, in dismay, thronging
around him.
The emperor, perhaps, had heard these cries, for he approached.
"What is going on here?" he asked, as his eyes turned to the pale face
of the young man.
"Sire," said Bessieres, with an air of horror, "you see here a criminal
who was about to assassinate you! Here is the knife with which he
intended to perpetrate the deed."
Not a feature of the emperor's countenance changed; not a muscle
quivered or betrayed any inward emotion. "Hush," he said, in a low,
imperious voice. "Take the man into the palace! I will examine him after
the parade is over. Let Savary and Rapp accompany him.--Come, marshals!"
While Savary and Rapp, with the soldiers who surrounded Staps, hastened
into the palace, Napoleon, escorted by his marshals, walked slowly down
the front. He did not finish the parade a minute earlier than usual.
Ascending the staircase, he stood on the landing, and received again the
salutations of the military. He then stepped into the lower hall of the
palace. But there he accelerated his steps, and, hurrying through the
anterooms, entered the apartment contiguous to his cabinet.
An hour had passed since he had admired, in this room, M. Malzl's
chess-player and postilion, and now he looked wonderingly at the young
man who had tried to assassinate him. "He is really but a child, and
looks very innocent," exclaimed the emperor, shrugging his shoulders; "I
do not believe that he is an assassin."
"Sire, here is the knife that was found on his person," said Savary,
handing it to the emperor.
"That is, indeed, a strong proof of his intention," replied Napoleon.
"But who tells you that this knife was designed for me? I will myself
speak to the man. Rapp, are you sufficiently familiar with the German
language to be my interpreter?"
"Yes, sire, I speak German."
"Come, then," said the emperor, quickly approaching Staps, whose hands
had been tied behind him.
"Whence do you come, and what is your name?"
"I come from Naumburg, and my name is Frederick Staps," was the calm
reply.
"What is your father?"
"He is a clergyman."
"A clergyman! and he has taught his son so little religion! For I am
told you intended to assassinate me. Is that true?"
"It was the last means that I had resolved upon to save my unfortunate
native land," replied Staps, in a gentle voice. "But before doing so, I
was determined to try another."
"What?"
"To implore you, in the name of my country, humanity, and your own
future, to give peace to the world," responded Staps, enthusiastically.
"I hoped that Heaven would impart strength to my words, so that they
would be able to move your heart; that your eyes would see the fountains
of blood your accursed hand has opened on the peaceful plains of
Germany; that the armies of the dead lying in our fields might satisfy
your desire for war. Sire, have mercy on Germany and on yourself! There
are thousands of unburied corpses accusing Napoleon as their murderer!
Our cities and villages are filled with weeping mothers, and widows, and
children, arraigning you as the destroyer of their sons, husbands, and
fathers. Sire, have mercy on your own conscience, and restore peace to
the world!"
"He is assuredly insane," murmured Napoleon to himself. At this moment
he cast his eyes on a miniature, fastened to a string, and lying on the
table.
"What locket is that?" he asked.
"Sire," replied Rapp, "we took it from the assassin; he wore it on his
neck."
Napoleon examined it. It contained the portrait of a beautiful woman.
"Whose portrait is it?"
"Sire," said Staps, in a solemn voice, "it is the portrait of my
betrothed--my dearly beloved Anna."
"What!" exclaimed the emperor. "You have a sweet-heart--you have a
mother and a father---you are in the flower of your life--and yet you
intended to commit so horrible a crime! For you will not deny that
murder is a crime."
"Murder in ordinary cases is one of the greatest crimes," said Staps, in
his calm, gentle voice. "But to take your life--to rid the world of
Napoleon--is no murder and no crime; it is an act of justice--nay, it is
a sacred duty! If I had killed you, no one would have called me an
assassin; my attempt is criminal because it did not succeed. That is
what one of our own great poets says concerning certain actions:
'Conceived and unsuccessful--there's the crime!
Accomplished, it becomes a deed immortal.
And what succeeds will surely be forgiven,
For God's own verdict lies in the result!"'[48]
[Footnote 48:
"Gedacht bloss und missgluckt--ist's nur ein Frevel,
Vollbracht, ist's ein unsterblich Unternehmen.
Und was nur gluckt, das wird dann auch verziehen,
Denn jeder Ausgang--ist ein Gottes-Urtheil!"
SCHILLER.
]
"And God, then, has decided against you," said Napoleon, quickly.
"No, God delays only the execution of the blow, and perhaps I am not the
right instrument. He will choose another, and my successors will know
better how to find your heart. Believe me, the Germans know how to do
their duty; and to rid Germany of her tyrant, and restore peace to her
people, is their duty."
"You have read a good deal, I suppose?" asked the emperor. "And it seems
books have excited your imagination. What were your favorite works?"
"Sire, historical works," said Staps, calmly. "I derived from them the
courage required for my deed."
"You know something of Brutus, then?" asked Napoleon, with a
compassionate smile.
"There were two Brutuses. The last Brutus killed the tyrant, and died
for liberty. Mankind have not ceased admiring him, as France has not
ceased admiring the Maid of Orleans. She delivered her country from its
enemies, but she was captured, and perished. I intended to do what that
heroic maid did--save my native land from oppression, but God decreed
that her destiny, and not her deed, should be mine."
"Does your father know of your folly?"
"Neither he nor my betrothed, nor any one else, knew of my purpose. I
came hither alone, and alone I intended to accomplish it. Not until I
had succeeded was its revelation to be made. And the news would have
come to those I love as a pledge of peace--that the deluge of blood was
over, and Germany saved!"
"Your father and your betrothed will now receive bad tidings of you. Are
you not afraid of grieving them?"
"Both of them will weep for me--so will many other Germans, and their
tears will water the flowers upon my grave."
"You believe, then, that I shall have you executed?"
"I should consider it but natural for you."
"But it may please me to pardon you. Tell me, in that case, what you
would do?"
"Accomplish my purpose," replied Staps, calmly. "I have sworn to kill
you. I must fulfil my oath or die!"
"Ah, you have either a morbid mind or a morbid body!" exclaimed
Napoleon, vehemently.
"No, I have neither one nor the other," replied Staps, composedly; "my
mind is healthy, and so is my body."
"Send for Corvisart," ordered the emperor, turning to his suite. "But
let no one dare tell him what is transpiring here."
An adjutant hastened out, and Napoleon turned again to Staps. "Are you a
freemason or one of the Illuminati?"
"Neither."
"Did you ever hear of Moreau and Pichegru?"
"I did."
"And what do you think of these men, who tried to take my life?"
"I think that they were afraid of death."
"Did you know Schill and Dornberg?"
Staps hesitated a moment, and replied: "I knew Schill. I saw him on the
day after the battle of Jena, and we swore to devote our thoughts, our
energies, and our lives, to the German fatherland, and never to grow
weary in our struggle against the tyrant. There were three of us who
took this oath. The first was Count Puckler, who shot himself; the
second was shot, Ferdinand von Schill; the third will also be shot,
Frederick Staps!"
"He is insane," repeated Napoleon, shuddering involuntarily at the
tranquillity of the prisoner.
The door opened, and the emperor's physician, M. de Corvisart, entered.
"Corvisart, come hither," the emperor said, vehemently. "Examine this
young man, and tell me what is the matter with him." The marshals and
generals stepped aside, and the physician approached the prisoner, whose
hands had been untied a moment previously. "Examine his pulse,
Corvisart; examine him carefully and tell me whether he has a fever, or
is insane."
Staps quietly stretched out his hand; Corvisart took it and laid his
fingers on the pulse. Silence reigned in the room. The marshals and
generals in full uniform surrounded the group; in the midst stood the
emperor, whose face was sadder to-day than usual; at his side was Staps,
with his gentle countenance and radiant look turned toward heaven, his
right hand resting in that of the physician, who marked every pulsation
with profound attention.
It was a scene worthy an artist's pencil. All were looking at the
physician and waited breathlessly for his decision.
"Sire," said Corvisart, after a long pause, "this young man is in
perfectly good health; his pulse is regular; there is nothing indicative
of insanity in his eyes; his complexion is good, and in fact there is
nothing in his appearance to denote the slightest indisposition."
"Ah," exclaimed Staps, with a triumphant smile, "you see that I was
right. I am neither insane nor ill."
Napoleon stamped with anger, as his eyes flashed fire. "He is insane,
Corvisart!" he exclaimed; "examine him again."
Corvisart, did so, and in a short time said: "Sire, I cannot but repeat
my previous statement; I do not find a trace of fever or insanity. His
pulse is perfectly regular."
"Well, then," said Napoleon, frowning, "this healthy person just tried
to assassinate me!"
"Assassinate you!" ejaculated Corvisart in dismay. "Unfortunate young
man, what could induce you to attempt such a crime?"
"The misfortunes and sufferings of my country," replied Staps. "I
desired to deliver it from the tyrant who has been bringing misery,
disgrace, and degradation on Germany for the last ten years. My attempt
was vain, but some one else will succeed in what I have failed to
accomplish. I have no actual accomplices, but the heart of every German
is my accomplice, and the knife which dropped from my hand to-day will
fall into another's. All Germany is in conspiracy. You may kill me, but
thousands are ready to do what I failed to accomplish."
The emperor indeed listened to such words, but with a dark and angry
countenance. He beckoned the Duke de Rovigo to his side.
"Savary," he said, "take this boy away, and subject him to a close
examination. Try to discover his accomplices. If he name them, I will
pardon him."
"Sire, you have the right to execute me, but I do not give you the right
to despise me," exclaimed Staps.
"Take him away!" repeated the emperor, "and report to me what he says."
Saluting the marshals with a wave of his hand, and, casting a last
glance on Staps, he walked by and opened the door of the cabinet, where
Minister Champagny was awaiting his return.
"Champagny," said the emperor, wearily sitting down on an easy-chair,
"did you not tell me the Prince von Lichtenstein had informed you that
frequent propositions to assassinate me had been made to him?"
"Yes, sire," replied Champagny, "and the prince told me he had
invariably rejected them with horror."
"Nevertheless, an attempt has been made. A young man, scarcely twenty
years old, with the face of a sick girl, came hither to-day to stab me
with a kitchen-knife, as he would a goose or a calf."
"Merciful Heaven, that is terrible!" exclaimed Champagny, turning pale.
"The life of your majesty was really endangered, then?"
"If the knife which an assassin aims at your breast endangers your life,
mine was endangered," said the emperor, with a gloomy smile. "It seems
my marshals were somewhat distrustful, and did not believe so
confidently in the love and admiration of the spectators as I did, and
that saved my life."
"It is, perhaps, only a false suspicion, sire; the knife, it may be, was
not intended for your majesty."
"Oh, it was! I personally examined the young man. He confesses his
purpose; he boasts of it, and says if I pardoned him he would attempt
the same thing."
"Horrible!" exclaimed Champagny.
"Yes, horrible!" repeated the emperor, musingly, "the more so as he
assures me with the utmost tranquillity that every German shares his
hatred of me; that the whole land is but a hotbed of conspiracy, and
that thousands of hands are already armed to pierce my heart. And this
young man is in perfect health, bodily and mentally, according to
Corvisart, who twice examined him; his pulse is regular, and not in the
least feverish. Ah, these Germans have gall in their veins instead of
blood! They are fanatics, and of such we ought to beware." He dropped
his head on his breast. After some time he turned toward the minister,
who was sitting opposite him in respectful silence. "Champagny," he
said, hastily, "we must make peace. I am bent on putting an end to the
war, and on leaving the country. Return to Vienna, and send immediately
for the Austrian plenipotentiaries. You have already agreed as to the
chief points; it is the war contribution alone that still prevents both
sides from coming to a definite understanding. You ask for fifty
millions more than the Austrians offer to pay; well, compromise with
them; induce the ambassadors to assent to the payment of seventy-five
millions, and make peace. I am satisfied with the stipulations of the
last draft of the treaty; add to it whatever you may deem prudent. I
rely altogether on you; but, at all events, make peace! Hasten to
Vienna. Good-by."
The Duke de Cadore left the emperor's cabinet. Napoleon was still
moodily sitting in his easy-chair, when he murmured: "Ah, these Germans!
They cannot be trusted! They are dangerous fanatics, capable of
perpetrating the foulest and most cowardly crime, and of sanctifying it
on the altar of duty."
CHAPTER LII
AN EXECUTION.
Napoleon had passed a sleepless night. The image of this pale youth,
with his determined patriotism, who frankly confessed that his object
had been assassination, and regretted that the attempt was unsuccessful,
stood as a grim sentinel by the emperor's couch, forbidding sleep to his
eyes or peace to his mind.
It was scarcely dawn when he rose, sad and weary, and called his _valet
de chambre_ to dress him. His lips scarcely touching the cup of
chocolate presented to him, he pushed it impatiently aside. Contrary to
his usual manner with the servants, he left his bedroom without a
pleasant glance or a kind word, and repaired to his cabinet. The
candelabras on the mantel-piece were lit, for it was still dark; and a
bright fire was burning, but the room was not yet warm.
"Germany is a cold, disagreeable country," exclaimed Napoleon,
shuddering, and warming his feet at the fire. "We are only in the early
part of October, but it is already like mid-winter. The sun himself
seems to put on the sheep-skin which every German pulls over his ears.
In truth, it is a wretched country; I wish I could turn my back on it
to-morrow, and bid adieu to these wild dreamers. When so slow and
cold-blooded a nation gets excited, it resembles a bull in the arena,
whose fury is kindled by a red handkerchief. Such is Germany at this
time, and I must step out of the way if I do not wish to be pierced or
trampled to death. That would be inglorious!"
A low rapping at the door was heard. The emperor started. "Come in!" he
shouted, in an imperious voice.
The door opened immediately, and Constant appeared. "Pardon me, sire,
but it is so early that none of the chamberlains are yet in the
anteroom."
"Well, what is it?" asked Napoleon, impatiently. "Quick, what is the
matter?"
"Sire, the Duke de Cadore has just arrived from Vienna and desires to be
admitted."
"Show him in immediately," ordered the emperor, who, in his impatience,
hurried to the door to receive the minister.
Champagny entered, carrying under his arm a large portfolio.
"Well, Champagny, what brings you hither at so early an hour? What has
occurred? What did you do last night?"
"Sire," said Champagny, composedly, "I have made peace."
"What? Peace!" exclaimed Napoleon, and his countenance brightened, as if
the morning had suddenly cast on him its earliest golden beams. "Peace!
And the treaty has already been signed?"
"Yes, sire, and I bring it to your majesty."
"Signed! But how did you do that?"
"Sire, as soon as I reached Vienna last night, I sent for the Prince von
Lichtenstein and Count Bubna, and locked myself with them in my room. We
had a long and exciting discussion; but I saw that the plenipotentiaries
had received fresh instructions from their emperor, and that he had
ordered them to make peace. I extorted million by million from them; at
one o'clock in the morning I had already made them consent to the
payment of seventy-five millions, the sum demanded by your majesty; but
I saw that I could go farther, and I did. At two o'clock I succeeded in
a war contribution of eighty-five millions, and with that I was
satisfied."
"What!" exclaimed the emperor, gayly; "you have obtained eighty-five
millions when I told you I would be content with seventy-five millions!
That was well done, Champagny, and I am highly pleased with your
conduct. Give me the treaty. I wish to read it."
Champagny handed the emperor the papers, and he read them attentively.
"Very well," he said, when he had finished, and with a smile--"we have
accomplished, indeed, a very favorable peace. Austria has concluded four
treaties with me within the last twelve years, but I must confess that
this is the most advantageous to us--more so than the treaties of Campo
Formio, Luneville, and Presburg. Austria loses two thousand square
leagues, with three millions and a half of inhabitants, and pays us a
war contribution of eighty-five millions of francs. I think France may
be thankful, for, from this campaign, we bring her territory, money, and
glory. We have done with Austria; and the insurgents of the Tyrol,
headed by their peasant-prince, Andrew Hofer, will likewise have to
submit. Their own emperor will command the insurgents to lay down their
arms. But I will make an example, and show the world how such people
ought to be chastised. Andrew Hofer must be delivered to me; he must be
punished as a demagogue! Come, Champagny, let us lose no time. I will
sign the treaty. It is very good. I am content with it." He stepped to
his desk and hastily affixed his signature. He then cast the pen aside,
and his features assumed an expression of proud scorn. "Henceforth
Austria is nothing but a vassal of France, and I can annihilate her
whenever I please. Her frontiers are open and unprotected on all sides;
she is weakened within and without, and hemmed in everywhere by French
territories. She dares no longer breathe freely, or raise her arm
against us. If, however, she should, we shall crush her, and reconstruct
the throne of Charlemagne on the ruins of Austria. His crown belongs to
me already; I have it at Aix-la-Chapelle, and I do not see what should
prevent me from placing it on my brow in Vienna."
"Sire," said Champagny, smilingly, "it would, perhaps, be more desirable
for your majesty to allow the throne of the Hapsburgs to exist, and to
render Austria harmless, not by destroying her, but by attaching the
imperial family to your majesty by intimate and sacred ties. A
vanquished enemy is always dangerous; but an ally, even though weak,
will strengthen your own power, and Austria is able to give to the
throne of your majesty the last and only jewel that, to the infinite
regret of your subjects, it still lacks."
"Ah!" exclaimed the emperor. "You do not mean to say that Austria,
bleeding from a thousand wounds that I have inflicted upon her, could
make up her mind to put an end to her hatred by concluding an alliance
of love with me?"
"Sire," said Champagny, "I do not believe that your majesty is hated by
all the members of the imperial family of the Hapsburgs."
"What do you mean?" asked Napoleon, casting a quick glance on the
smiling countenance of the minister.
"I suppose your majesty still remembers that, during the bombardment of
Vienna last May, a flag of truce was sent with the request that no more
bombshells be fired at the palace, because one of the archduchesses had
remained there, having been prevented by sickness from leaving the
capital with the imperial family?"
"I remember the incident," said Napoleon. "A few shells had already
struck the palace, and I gave orders that it should be spared. One of
the little daughters of the emperor, the Archduchess Maria Louisa, then
a mere child, had been left there with her nurse."
"Sire, this child is seventeen years old, and, as everybody assures me,
she is very beautiful, with light hair, blue eyes, and charming figure.
She was deeply moved at the generosity manifested by your majesty; she
is filled with admiration for the hero to whom indeed the whole world is
doing homage, and before whose power the mightiest princes pass away;
she is possessed of sufficient energy and courage to give utterance to
her sentiments, even in presence of her father the emperor."
"Indeed!" exclaimed Napoleon, joyfully. "But who told you so,
Champagny?"
"Sire, the Prince von Lichtenstein, during our confidential interview
yesterday; and he added that the Emperor Francis, notwithstanding the
short time that has elapsed since the conclusion of the recent bloody
war, and the many fresh humiliations he has had to undergo, seemed
himself to be an admirer of your majesty, for he listened to the eulogy
of the archduchess with smiling tranquillity."
"That is strange," said Napoleon, slowly pacing the room; "but the
Austrian marriages were always pernicious to France."
"Sire, it was, however, an Austrian princess, Queen Anne, who gave to
France one of her greatest kings, Louis XIV."
"That is true," said Napoleon; "and I should be happy if my son
resembled the great Louis."
"Sire, he will resemble his great father," said Champagny.
"A son--an heir to my throne," said the emperor, passionately--"a
legitimate inheritor of my glory, and a descendant of an ancient and
imperial house, who would dare doubt the purity of his blood, and his
right to reign? His throne I would have established; and he would
confirm by the highest title the fourth dynasty of France. Champagny, I
must have such a son, and--poor Josephine!"
He paced the apartment with rapid steps, and, halting in front of his
minister, he said: "I shall set out to-morrow; this air is oppressive. I
can hardly breathe it; and besides I have no longer any business here.
You will remain for the purpose of exchanging the treaties of peace.
Immediately after the arrival of the Austrian plenipotentiary, bringing
the copy of the treaty signed by the Emperor Francis, you will attend to
the exchange of the ratifications, and inform me that it has been
carried into effect. I shall go from here to Munich, and reach
Fontainebleau in the course of a week. You may tell the Prince von
Lichtenstein, in the same confidential manner in which he spoke to you
of the archduchess, that I am now firmly determined to separate from
the Empress Josephine; that a divorce from her had been irrevocably
resolved upon, and that it would be publicly proclaimed in the course of
the present year. That is all that you will tell him for the present.
Champagny, I am determined to make this sacrifice for the sake of
France, however painful it may be to my heart. The welfare of my country
and the stability of my throne render it incumbent. After the divorce
has taken place, I shall demand a final and categorical reply from
Russia, and if Alexander is unable to give it--if his mother still
refuse to place her daughter on the most powerful throne in the
world--well, then, I shall break off the negotiations, and remember that
the Archduchess Maria Louisa has some respect and sympathy for me. For
the present we may be content with Austria, and I think the treaty of
Vienna is a work of which we may well be proud. The genius of France
will give it a glorious place on the tablets of history!"
Two days afterward the emperor's travelling-carriage was in front of the
palace gate of Schonbrunn. Every thing was in readiness for his
departure, and he was about to leave his cabinet. He only wished to see
Grand-Marshal Duroc, who had just arrived from Vienna.
The door opened, and Duroc entered. Napoleon quickly met him. "Well,
Duroc," he asked, "did you see him? Did he name his companions in this
crime?"
"Sire, I have, and conversed with him," said Duroc, gravely. "He refuses
to confess any thing, and talks like a madman."
"What does he say?" exclaimed Napoleon. "Conceal nothing from me. This
young man interests me. I desire to know all."
"Sire, he affirms that your majesty is his only accomplice; the misery
brought by you on Germany, he contends, instigated him to attempt the
deed, and you ought to blame none but yourself."
"He does not repent, then? He does not ask for mercy?"
"He regrets only that he did not succeed, and he asks merely the favor
of being permitted to keep the portrait of his Anna, which he
contemplates continually; and he implores her in touching words to
forgive him the grief he has brought upon her."
"What a strange mixture of ferocity and gentleness!" said the emperor,
thoughtfully. "Has he been closely watched during these two days?"
"Two gendarmes were locked up with him all the time, and they speak with
astonishment of the unruffled tranquillity of the young man. For the
most part he paces the cell with slow steps; at times he kneels down and
prays in silence. Not a word of despair has escaped his lips, not a tear
dropped from his eyes. Yesterday, when his dinner was brought, he took
the knife and looked at it musingly. One of the gendarmes intended to
take it from him, but Staps handed it at once, and said, smilingly,
'Fear nothing, I will not hurt myself with it; I will not waste my
blood; it is reserved for the altar of my country, and must be shed by
my enemies.'"
"Did he take any food?" asked the emperor.
"No, sire, he has not eaten or drunk any thing these two days. He says
he has done with life, and will have strength enough left to meet his
death with a firm step."
"He knows, then, that he is to be shot?"
"Yes, sire, he knows that the court-martial passed sentence of death
upon him last night."
"But I hope you told him, Duroc, that I had sent you to him, and that I
wished to pardon him, as soon as he repents of his deeds, implores my
forgiveness, and takes an oath to give up his evil designs? Did you tell
him all that, Duroc?"
"I did, sire."
"And what did he reply? Tell me every thing!"
"Sire, he replied, that if he could repent of the deed, he would not
have attempted it; that if he accepted pardon, all Germany would curse
him, while he now descends into the grave, accompanied by the blessings
and tears of his country; in fine, that his death will arouse the
Germans, and urge them to renewed efforts for liberty."
The emperor made no reply. His whole frame shuddered, and if Corvisart
had felt his pulse then, he would not have said that it was quite
regular. The large drops of perspiration on the emperor's brow might
have alarmed the physician.
"I am sure he is insane," said Napoleon, after a pause. "I want him to
be looked upon as a lunatic. I hope that the whole affair will remain a
secret, and that the world will hear nothing of it; but if it should be
talked about, we must insist that the man was insane."
Duroc bowed in silence.
"When is Staps to be shot?" asked the emperor, after a pause.
"Sire, this morning, at seven o'clock."
Napoleon glanced at the clock. "It is half-past six," he said; "I will
set out. Well, the Viennese will not hear the report of the muskets, for
the cannon that is to announce to them the conclusion of peace will
render inaudible the volley at the execution. Come, Duroc! I am tired of
this fantastic Germany! Let us return to France!"
Quickly crossing the room and approaching the door, he stood on the
threshold and glanced again at the clock. "It is a quarter to seven," he
said; "in fifteen minutes there will be one lunatic less in Germany!" A
few minutes afterward a carriage rolled down the avenue of the palace of
Schonbrunn. The emperor had departed.
At the same time the room opened in which Staps had been confined for
three days, under the close surveillance of two gendarmes. An officer
entered; eight soldiers, shouldering their muskets, drew up in front of
the door. Frederick Staps met the officer with a serene smile. He still
wore the short black velvet coat, fastened around his slender waist by a
broad leather belt, his neck surrounded by a white collar, on which his
long hair fell in dense masses. During the three days of his captivity
he had not undressed, taken no food, and even abstained from sleep. His
time was occupied in preparing for death, and in writing letters to his
beloved Anna and his old father. These letters, folded and carefully
directed, he placed in the belt which the fatal knife had adorned three
days before.
"Sir," said Staps, offering his hand to the officer, "I suppose you come
for me?"
"It will soon be seven o'clock," replied the officer, in a sad,
compassionate tone.
"Oh, sir," exclaimed Staps, "do not pity me! I shall die joyfully. But I
have a favor to ask of you. I should like to send my last love-greetings
to my father, and the young lady to whom I was engaged. Will you be kind
enough to send my letters to them? You hesitate? Reply to me, and
consider that a dying man always should be told the truth."
"Well, sir," replied the officer, "I am not permitted to forward these
letters to them. Not a word is to be said about your fate; it must
remain a secret."
"Ah, the tyrant is afraid lest my destiny should become generally known.
He wishes to hide it in obscurity; but my name, and that for which I
die, will not sink into oblivion. The day of freedom will dawn yet on my
native land, and my grave will be known and visited by my German
brethren. You will not forward my letters?"
"I am not allowed to do so, sir."
"Well, then I will forward them myself," exclaimed Staps, drawing the
letters from his belt and tearing them into small pieces, which he threw
away. "Go! my greetings and adieus!" he said; "let the winds bear ye
into the quiet parsonage of my old father, and the chamber of my
faithful Anna! Tell my countrymen of poor Frederick Staps, who wished to
save Germany, and could only die for it!--Now come, sir, let us go!"
"You have no other wish?" asked the officer. "There is nothing that you
desire, and that I could grant you?"
"Yes, sir, there is. I do not wish to be tied like a wild beast, but
conducted to the place of execution with my arms free; I do not wish to
be blindfolded. I would like to see the soil and the sky of my country
in the last moment!"
"That wish will be granted. You shall be executed with your eyes open,
and your arms unfettered."
"Thank you," said Staps, cordially grasping the officer's hand. "I
suppose it is time for us to go?"
"Yes," said the officer, mournfully, "we must go!"
"I am ready," responded Staps, and he walked with firm steps toward the
door.
The soldiers stepped aside, and then surrounded him and the officer. The
procession moved slowly and silently through the long and gloomy
corridors. Emerging into the open air, they came to a square inside the
bastions. High ramparts surrounded it on three sides; on the fourth rose
the rear wall of the barracks in which the condemned had spent the three
days of his imprisonment. A few French soldiers were standing here and
there at the open windows, gazing with indifferent face on the young
stranger led to execution, and of whose crime they knew nothing. He was
conducted across the square to the opposite rampart, and placed in front
of the newly-dug grave which was to receive his body.
A detachment of French soldiers marched from the gate of the barracks
and formed in line, just as the sun cast his first rays over the
rampart, and shone upon the head of the pale youth. At this moment the
earth seemed to tremble as beneath a peal of thunder.
"What is that?" asked Staps of the officer who was standing by his side.
"It is the salute announcing that peace has been concluded."
"Peace!" exclaimed the dying youth, joyfully. "Oh, tell me the truth,
sir, do not deceive me? Has peace really been concluded?"
"Yes, a treaty has been signed. The Emperor Napoleon leaves Schonbrunn
this very day to return to France. Three months hence there will not be
a single French soldier to be seen in all Austria."
"Peace restored to Germany!" cried Staps, and, sinking on his knees, he
raised his arms toward heaven; joy beamed from his countenance, and his
eyes filled with tears. "I thank Thee, my God, I thank Thee!" he
exclaimed aloud.
"Thou allowest me to depart amid the booming of cannon proclaiming peace
to Germany! I die happy!"
"Attention! Aim!" ordered the officer.
The young man rose from his knees. "Give me another minute," he cried;
"let me sing my death-hymn!"
The officer nodded assent. Staps, stretching his arms upward, sang in a
joyous voice:
"Tod du susser fur das Vaterland,
Susser als der Brautgruss, als das Lallen
Auf dem Mutterschooss des ersten Kindes,
Sei mir willkommen!
Was das Lied nicht loset, lost---"
"Fire!" said the commanding officer, and twelve soldiers discharged
their muskets.
Frederick Staps immediately fell dead, and the blood streaming from his
breast reddened his native soil. While Napoleon's cannon was proclaiming
the conclusion of peace, this youthful martyr breathed his last sigh! |
|
댓글 없음:
댓글 쓰기