Karl Ludwig Sand: Celebrated CrimesDumas, Alexandre
History
Karl Ludwig Sand: Celebrated Crimes
Dumas, Alexandre
Crime
“Thus with the end of this spring has begun the serious summer of my
life. I greeted it in a grave and melancholy mood, and you behold me
now, if not consoled, at least strengthened by religion, which, thanks
to the merits of Christ, gives me the assurance of meeting my friend in
heaven, from the heights of which he will inspire me with strength to
support the trials of this life; and now I do not desire anything more
except to know you free from all anxiety in regard to me.”
Instead of serving to unite the two groups of students in a common
grief, this accident, on the contrary, did but intensify their hatred of
each other. Among the first persons who ran up at the cries of Sand and
his companion was a member of the Landmannschaft who could swim, but
instead of going to Dittmar’s assistance he exclaimed, “It seems that we
shall get rid of one of these dogs of Burschen; thank God!”
Notwithstanding this manifestation of hatred, which, indeed, might be
that of an individual and not of the whole body, the Burschen invited
their enemies to be present at Dittmar’s funeral. A brutal refusal, and
a threat to disturb the ceremony by insults to the corpse, formed their
sole reply. The Burschen then warned the authorities, who took suitable
measures, and all Dittmar’s friends followed his coffin sword in hand.
Beholding this calm but resolute demonstration, the Landmannschaft did
not dare to carry out their threat, and contented themselves with
insulting the procession by laughs and songs.
Sand wrote in his journal:
“Dittmar is a great loss to all of us, and particularly to me; he gave
me the overflow of his strength and life; he stopped, as it were, with
an embankment, the part of my character that is irresolute and
undecided. From him it is that I have learned not to dread the
approaching storm, and to know how to fight and die.”
Some days after the funeral Sand had a quarrel about Dittmar with one of
his former friends, who had passed over from the Burschen to the
Landmannschaft, and who had made himself conspicuous at the time of the
funeral by his indecent hilarity. It was decided that they should fight
the next day, and on the same day Sand wrote in his journal.
“To-morrow I am to fight with P. G.; yet Thou knowest, O my God, what
great friends we formerly were, except for a certain mistrust with which
his coldness always inspired me; but on this occasion his odious conduct
has caused me to descend from the tenderest pity to the profoundest
hatred.
“My God, do not withdraw Thy hand either from him or from me, since we
are both fighting like men! Judge only by our two causes, and give the
victory to that which is the more just. If Thou shouldst call me before
Thy supreme tribunal, I know very well that I should appear burdened
with an eternal malediction; and indeed it is not upon myself that I
reckon but upon the merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
“Come what may, be praised and blessed, O my God!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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