Luigi Lucheni and his victim
Why Lucheni had happened in Switzerland? A friend had told him that in that country there was more work and less workers. They left in the spring when the snow melts, through the St. Gotthard to Andermatt, then on to the pitch of the Furka, crossing the Rhone still frozen and then through the valley of the Rhine to Geneva, all on foot, and, for the most part travel, barefoot or wrapped in rags. The trip lasted about a month. In the diary, in a moment of rest will note in the diary "Homeland ungrateful, you will not have my bones" and then "Viva Anarchy".
In Geneva Lucheni had found a job and a pension to eat with a room with no light, no water and no heating, but with a door that could be closed ... it was the first time in his life that happened to him: and he was satisfied!
In Switzerland there was a large group of Italian anarchists. Only in Zurich there were four that were well received by their contribution. In that period (August-September), from information sent by an undercover cop (on which the court had found no exact Lechet instructor feedback), it was known that between Zurich and Lausanne, there were meetings between anarchists (v. Cards in : Anarchy), among whom he had discussed the killing of a leading figure could be the emperor or empress of Austria, outside of Italy, or the King Umberto I, Italy.
It was decided then to the Empress (Umberto I will also be killed two years later). The anarchists of Lausanne indicated Lucheni who boasted of being a man of action, ready for anything. They are not respected him, considered him not very smart (they called him "the fool"), with a thirst for glory that they could use to their advantage. They had never invited to their official meetings, but he had been summoned on September 7 to entrust the task of the assassination of the Empress.
The Empress arrived in Geneva
The Empress had come to Geneva in the afternoon, going to stay at the hotel "Beau Rivage", after having been to visit Pregny to m.me de Rothschild, wife of Adolphe de Rothschild. She had stopped for lunch, served with antique porcelain and accompanied by music played by an orchestra hidden. The empress, who normally would not eat, at that time he ate with appetite.
The Empress was traveling incognito, but also with the bare minimum of a retinue of twelve people. Escort was the Countess Sztàray, which had been in and around the city, making purchases, late Friday afternoon. The next day, shortly after two o'clock, the Empress and the Sztàray out from the hotel to fetch the water.
Lucheni had spent the morning waiting for them across the street leaning against a railing. Outputs from the two women, across the street, had reached the landing. Lucheni as soon as he sees them, goes to meet them, approaches and having a good look at the Empress, who had opened the parasol ("I did not want to hit the wrong person," said later, "it was not even particularly beautiful," was the his comment, "already quite old, who says otherwise just has not ever seen, or the mind"), pretending to stumble, it strikes with such force that the Empress loses his balance and falls. The countess helped her up. Two coachmen who were across the street ran to help her. The Empress was able to get up smiling. The porter who had witnessed the scene, approached suggested returning to the hotel. "Why is that?" said the Empress, "we have to hurry if we want to take the boat" and walked after taking up the hat that had fallen, the umbrella and gloves.
The Empress was a little 'hard to walk and escort asked insistently to tell her what was wrong. "I think I hurt my chest," said the Empress, "but they are not very safe."
Just step onto the catwalk, Empress asked my arm, "soon, please", but the countess did not have time to help her percé the Empress fell to his knees. She was pale, she was a little splash 'of water on the face and perked up, but then fainted again. Someone suggested to take it on the upper deck where the air would do her back to consciousness. Two men took it and stretched out on a bench. Meanwhile, the boat was gone.
The Empress recovered and opened his eyes he asked what had happened. The countess opened her shirt and torso, to make it breathe. In easing the laces on the jersey intimate noticed a small spot the size of a dime. After moving the mesh, Countess noticed a small wound in the cardiac region. Realizing the gravity of the situation and that the Empress had been stabbed, he asked the captain to turn back, telling him that it was the Empress of Austria. The boat immediately reversed course.
After being brought to the hotel, the Empress will die within an hour, internal bleeding and without having suffered, having fainted. The death was gradual and painless. An autopsy done only to confirm the cardiac region that death had occurred as a result of stab.
Lucheni after seeing the Empress slump, he ran away, but not to escape. He will say, in fact, that the police had tried, because it was his intention form. "Why do not you stay?" he was asked. "In order not to end up Caserio" (the Italian anarchist who had killed French President Sadi Carnot on 06.25.1894 and had been lynched by the mob ed.) had responded.
"I hit her with all my strength and I heard the weapon penetrate deeply into the chest." The file had pierced the lung and heart, and had been pushing so hard fratturarle a rib.
When a Lucheni was asked if he felt remorse for having burdened his conscience so infamous action, he replied: "Consciousness, even people like me who have a conscience. Least so they say, but no one wanted to recognize dignity. Whoever lives in misery for thousands of years, who has always been plagued by the powerful and rich, or only one, who is due to die in their wars, should not regret anything. "
The Trial
The trial for the murder of Empress Elisabeth of Austria was one of the many on whose motives are not fully clarified.
The judges had condemned Louis Lucheni as confessed, however, convinced that it was a criminal on the basis of the theory of Lombroso (1), which own about him had written an article in which, describing the physical features, it did fall within the its classification of "delinquent predisposition" (rising markedly low, superciliary arches prominent, protruding cheekbones, strong jaws).
Lucheni was sentenced to life in prison and give death, after spending twelve years in prison, by hanging herself with the belt of his trousers on 10/19/1900 (the Empress had been murdered in the month of October), in circumstances remained unknown but who were supposed to have been hanged.
Lucheni had no peace even after death because the research that is intended to do on his brain, always on the basis of Lombroso's theories, his head had been cut to extract the brain. Another mystery, the autopsy report had not found any more!
The enigma of what was behind Lucheni, which would have been the executor operated by a group of anarchists, on the contacts he had had with them during the five days preceding the murder, has not heard anything, or at least on what they had learned, they had not found evidence not being evidence was found.
The investigating judge Charles Lechet had to leave this way to not get stuck in research that did not lead to anything. He was strongly convinced that there was a conspiracy behind Lucheni. But the long talks with Lucheni, before the trial, was not able to get any confirmation of his suspicions.
Lucheni had started writing in notebooks, his memoirs (v. In review). These notebooks were gone. Following the disappearance, held by peaceful and quiet, devoted to reading (during the twelve years in prison had read about five books), had become a prisoner harassing, yelling, railed against the warden and against society. In short, it was not him, so as to suggest that it was out of his mind. The director who was not so much for the spicce, the constant punishment inflicted, in a punishment cell or segregation "cachot" bread and water, which did nothing but worsen his mental condition. And in "cachot" was found hanged.
from the site: http://ienaridensnexus.blogspot.it/2010/08/lassassino-dellimperatrice-sissivita.html
September 10, 2011.
This is a note I had written to September 10, the anniversary of the death of Sisi
This note:
On this night before this day so painful for us admirers of Sisi, my mind ran to her and I looked deeper into the night, while listening to the musical performers with those that I love so much .........: The seagull today in a few hours will explain the wings horizons happier ............ to that blue sky that unites his adopted homeland, the land where she was born and Hungary so loved! Now you can fly to that happy sunshine without fear of being blinded and now nothing of this miserable life can touch it now, because you in a bit 'no longer belong to the world of the living desperate ..................... Death will come fast, without fuss sweet and gentle as a kiss of a lover longed ............. and "the last dance" the dance just with Death who came to "dance it alone with her" painful to us ................ we the souls of the future as you want, love before we were, so called because she gave us her most secret thoughts, will only have to remember it for what it really was, because I'm sure she wants to be remembered first and foremost as a woman and not as a Empress That September 10, 1898 "a beautiful day .......... einen sonnertag (a sunny day)," she walked quickly with her lady in waiting, hidden dall'ombrellino and the veil ........ now his was a wander aimlessly from one place to another .......... now that happiness, the peace he craved knew that he would never in this world because she "had become like stone" too much pain, grief, disappointment ...... too much of everything and the gull which had been locked up even though it was able to open the cage by dint of fighting the world that he wanted a slave, to his status as a woman and even more of the Empress, the ' had killed her in before the body ................. Now the Empress locomotive lived closed tight, almost invisible to many, because it could be defended and not to be touched by anything or anyone! In fact it was in his mind that harbored the struggle continues that gave her no peace. He even bent his body to his will to get what he wanted, had made him the brightest possible that he might have charm and then power ........... now that body slowly was cheating obeying the inevitable law of the time. Those eyes had seen too much of everything and they were tired of examining a horizon that is no longer reserved to nothing "sweet Death Death Death .......... damn" in the musical as well as how many times have exhausted the thought, the invoked ............ life for her by now had become a conviction to be served and especially in recent times, life was only made only with memories, regrets .................. She who was born in the beautiful Bavaria, when he returned to his hometown liked to drink a mug of beer in one of the most famous breweries say Monaco, who had lived for most of the time in the castle of Possi, where he had spent time, perhaps the only carefree. Nobody would have thought that the girl would be called reckless to become a of the largest and most beautiful women before and then also one of the most famous and unforgettable Empresses of his time "what can serve a very clever plan though ............ but not always become reality as you wanted" And so a twist of destiny, right next door to where they are on vacation a little less than 20 km, was accomplished the fate of a girl that you do not give any importance and it was thought that he would have an anonymous life and totally uninteresting. We'll never know, only she could tell him to, if it was love at first sight or love at first sight ......... or, as our dear Henry that then Emperor of Austria could not say no: the facts are that on April 24, 1854 at 6:30 pm in the church of the Augustinians that little girl became insignificant in a moment the wife of one of the most powerful men of the time and at the same empress of Austria. And so his life changed the day and the night, and went from a life of freedom and carefree in a state of life in which he felt with his hands and feet tied ......... you are my dear liberty was taken; Sisi wrote just a few days by marriage. The world of the golden palace, which in the eyes of those who lived outside looked like a paradise, it really was not a prison, in the midst of luxury and comfort, but still a prison. with strong chains that left bruises indelible which had its own rules and laws to which they were not allowed to transgress which all subjugating without question, when it was not allowed to express their feelings, where the intimacy between spouses did not exist and for There she was also a denial of the joy of being a mother! Should exist only his duty to be a broodmare and give all children 'Austria, the heir to the throne "An Empress must shine must be well aware of his duties must procreate the heir to the dynasty" And I think that last stanza of " gehor nur ich mir "(Elisabeth das Musical) translated unpretentious to me to express the state of mind of Sisi" If you want me you can find But I can not hold by force I can not give my freedom if I want to submit I will leave And I tufferò your nest like a bird in the sea I'm waiting for love and are in search of refuge and I will share with you the joy and the sadness But do not ask me to change my life I can give Why do not you I belong to myself and ONLY ONLY ONLY and ONLY to myself, "This state of mind cozzerà sharply with the world in which she found herself living Sisi ............ you will learn, you will refine, hang art female seduction and charm, will undergo grueling diets and beauty treatments to make the only thing that still belongs to the body, a nice thing to see that he uses to captivate and then to get to get what she wants "I have discovered how to assert myself and get what I want from now on will use my beauty" And so it becomes the beautiful swan royal we all know by the beautiful portraits and photographs of the period ............ but all this cost and also expensive, a high price, because in addition to neurosis and anxiety, fears and obsessions, rituals to be observed to make that body more beautiful, his life will be punctuated by disappointments: a husband too busy the war, to lose the war (from Ludwig Luchino Visconti), also the beloved daughter of the leave to be married; mourning the death of the heir to a throne that it was destined to disappear ....... loved that child so bad and only now realizes in the darkness of Kaisergruft than that son was fragile and in need of love, the discovery of venereal disease probably attacked by her husband for his various escapades, with an impossible love called out of a love for the land as she felt in chains, Hungary, and convert it to a 'lasting friendship to get to at least give this country the long-awaited freedom and so many other things that will make it more and more bitter, lonely and even cynical eh ................ the soul is called BLACK Sisi! We admirers must have the courage to look into this dark side black and Elisabeth! "What I can tell you Sisi was actually a miserable selfish person she was fighting for her son, just to prove to Sophia that she was the stronger But once you get the full power of his son got rid of him and interested only talk about his fight for freedom. She lived away from the monarchy but had a Swiss bank account but what I'm talking about?, But people hear only what they want to hear, despite what I'm saying then what remains of beauty and filth The dream and the reality is ... Kitsch ...... "And so with this burden, crushed under the weight of its 61 years that weigh a ton starts on this day 113 years ago to the last important meeting for his mortal life ............. . and unconsciously in his madness to do justice to the poorer classes and unfortunate as he was, Lucheni, Italian and more coming from my own region, release from this earthly prison a woman who let her live and die without realizing with eyes perhaps the view could be seen from the bridge of Geneva on a sunny day, "Now let me feel free and safe Erase all my memories of my soul gives shelter" His soul will leak from a small hole, little is certain, but is enough to be lethal ........ Maybe freed from earthly chains will smile and have thought that he had now found the freedom he had lost, enjoyed the peace that has long had forgotten ......... Of course she still managed to survive and live forever in our hearts and therefore deserve eternal life in spite of those who tried in every way to suppress it and confine it in a planned schedules that were too tight for her and unbearable. She was born on Christmas Eve will die in a day Anonymous September but forever remain engraved in the soul of those who have loved and continue to love it all 'hours .............. I want to be considered alive, certainly in differently, but alive! She also won the Death ........ And finally an excerpt from a song called "Nichts, Nichs, Gar Nichts" always Elisabeth das musical that I like very much: So I finish my tribute to this September 10, 2011 to Elisabeth the day of his death, still flies free in our hearts now do not have to be afraid of anything or anyone, because nothing can touch you.
"EJEN Erzebet" By Angela Baranzoni
* Quotes between "are taken from Elisabeth das Musical, translated by me without any claim of course
"I fought tenaciously and always got what I wanted and for what?
For nothing, just nothing, just nothing
I think the only solution would be going crazy
And the only salvation would let fall
Draws me into the abyss
I would like to let me fall, but because I am afraid of the jump?
If you were not sentenced to be Elisabeth
I would certainly Titania
And I will laugh when they say:
this is crazy
I am on a tight rope, I feel fear and trembling "
