(8 
Kaspar Hauser. 
was a crime, called it a well calculated and successful stroke of 
State policy, and congratulated himself upon having enjoyed the 
confidence of his royal master in so delicate and difficult a 
matter. 
On being warned that his position was a very dangerous one, 
and that he was only making it worse by his impudent defiance, 
he retorted that he was not afraid for himself, and the Privy 
Council might be thankful if they could get out of the scrape as 
well as he could. In order to convict him they would be 
obliged to institute a suit against the corpse of the Grand-Duke, 
and bury it under the gallows, instead of in the cathedral, then 
send a deputation to Nuremberg and bring from thence and set 
upon the throne a, Prince crippled in body and mind, and, mean- 
lime, run the risk of throwing the country into the hands of its 
enemies by delaying the proclamation of Ludwig’s successor. It 
was not likely that such extreme measures would be resorted to 
merely for the purpose of punishing him, and it was certain that 
if he should be attacked he would not spare anybody in trying to 
defend himself. 
The silence which succeeded this challenge was broken by 
Prince I.ecpold, who advanced towards Hennenhofer, called him 
a miserable wretch, and told him that although it was necessary 
‘0 shield the memory of the deceased Grand-Duke and avoid the 
threatened dangers to the royal family and the whole country, 
still his own punishment would not on that account be remitted. 
In the case of so exceptioral a crime the law of the land would 
surely be suspended, and instead of being allowed a public hear- 
‘ng, he would simply be carried from the council chamber to 
prison, where his mouth would be effectually closed for the rest 
of his life. 
But Hennenhofer was not frightened by this threat. He 
replied that he did not think there was the least danger of 
such a programme being carried out. He was well aware 
that when royal personages did wrong the blame was always 
aid upon their surroundings; they themselves were at the 
worst only weak, and their advisers and their tools were 
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