He knew that an execution had to take place, that someone would be paid
for amputating the head of the criminal, but whether it was to be one
man's duty or another's was all the same to him. The headsman's trade was hereditary, and he (the burgomaster) had never
heard of any such innovation as that of selecting a new headsman during
the lifetime of the rightful heir; therefore, as a matter of course,
the young Scharfrichter was to decapitate his own father, and there was
an end of the matter. What to him were the feelings of the son at being forced to obey so
unnatural a dictate? He was paid for it like anyone else, and very good
pay he got, too. What to him was the additional anguish of the criminal at being executed
by his own son? He knew well enough that his son would step into his
shoes when he himself should be deprived of office, and if he didn't
like to lose his head at the hands of his own son, he ought to have
reflected before he committed the murder. Now, the burgomaster had a confidential servant, one Heinrich Göbel, a
man of heartless and revengeful nature, who cherished an ill-will
against the prisoner's son for having dared to supplant him in the
affections of a certain blue-eyed damsel, the daughter of a
tavern-keeper in the village. The father of the lady in question was not over pleased with the
attentions of either of these individuals towards his Lieschen, one of
the aspirants for his daughter's hand being a drunkard, the son of an
executioner, who besides the stigma inevitably attached to his character
for life, would be obliged to maintain his daughter by the scanty
proceeds of his loathsome profession. The other, a man of notoriously bad character, and dependent upon the
wages he received from his master for a living. Of the two, the maid
herself decidedly favoured Leo Wenzel, the young headsman, and seeing
this, Heinrich Göbel inwardly resolved to take vengeance on his rival
upon the first opportunity. Whilst plotting vengeance thus in his heart, Göbel sought his master and
shaped his conversation in this wise:

"Herr Bürgermeister, this will be a somewhat difficult business, this
execution." "How so?" inquired his master. "Why, according to law," answered his servant, "young Leo will have to
take the life of his own father." "Well, what of that?" said the burgomaster. "They say he is a young man of spirit, and he might refuse to take his
father's life." "Refuse! would he? The law will force him." "But if he is obstinate and persists? He is a young man of spirit." "Ugh! I hate these young men of spirit, they are always making trouble
and subverting order. Well, if he makes a disturbance, he will be
imprisoned, that's all." "Yes, yes, of course; but for all that, if he positively refuses to lift
his arm against his father, the law cannot force him to do it." "Well, not exactly, but--but what has put it into your head that he
_will_ refuse? He will be rewarded for his services." "But if he could not be tempted by a reward, if by chance he should
refuse at the last moment to act the part of executioner towards his
own father, and no one should be found to accept the post--why, in that
case, if _my_ services should be accepted, I should be most glad to
officiate." "What, _you_, Heinrich! _you_ turn Scharfrichter! Ha! ha!--this is
something quite new. I was not aware that that was anything in your
line." "Well, sir, knowing your dislike to a disturbance among the populace (a
thing very likely to occur if the headsman should not be found at his
post)--rather than such an old vagabond as Franz Wenzel should get off
in the confusion, why, I'll undertake the job myself." "You would? Ha! ha!--but stay, if there _should_ be a disturbance (which
Heaven forfend, as any excitement sadly upsets my digestion), I am not
so sure that I should like my servant to take upon himself the office of
Scharfrichter, for the odium of the populace that he would naturally
incur would reflect likewise upon his master, and----"

"Well, sir, if you fear that, I should then advise another line of
conduct." "Indeed! What may that be?" "To keep young Leo in ignorance that it is his father that he is called
upon to execute. Listen to me! The Scharfrichter's house is a mile
distant; our villagers have a superstitious dread of the spot, and are
not likely yet to have communicated with the young man, and I know that
he hasn't been in the township since he was last called to swear to the
identity of the murdered man, then commonly believed to be his father. You will recollect that he identified the corpse as that of his father. In his lonely dwelling, he can have heard nothing of the trial, and is
consequently still under the impression that it is his father that has
been murdered. "Now, if you will leave the matter to me I will contrive that he shall
not be undeceived until too late." "Yes; but how?" "First of all I will go there myself with the news that the murderer of
his father has been arrested, that the day has been fixed for his
execution, and that he will have the pleasure of trying his hand for the
first time in his life on his father's murderer. Everything will go
straight, provided he has as yet heard nothing from other tongues." "But if he has?" "Then our plan is frustrated; but I go to ascertain that, and if he has
not, the greatest care must be taken that no one communicates with him
from this town, to which end you should give orders for the gates of the
town to be closed for some days, under the excuse that you have been
robbed of certain valuables, and have taken this precaution to catch the
thief. It would be as well, perhaps, to hurry on the execution as
quickly as possible." "Well, but there is one point I don't understand. Supposing all to go on
smoothly, as you seem so confident that it will, won't the young man
recognise his father when led up to the scaffold in the 'poor sinner's'
cart, and afterwards takes his seat on the chair placed for him?" "There is our great difficulty, but let us hope for the best. The
prisoner, as you know, took the precaution to dye his red head black in
order to escape recognition. This will aid our project. The 'poor
sinner's' garb that he will don the morning of the execution will also
help the disguise. Young Leo is but a superficial observer, and before
he has well taken note of the criminal his head will be off." "You are very hopeful as to the success of your scheme, but if the
father, in his last moments, makes himself known to his son--should rush
into his arms to embrace him and say: 'My son, do you not know me? I am
your father--you will not have the heart to execute your own father, the
author of your existence.'" "We must prevent this. Let a handkerchief be tied round his jaw that he
cannot open his mouth to speak.