The case worried the police officials. The absolute lack of reason for
Devel's confession stimulated their curiosity. He was held in custody
for weeks, and then the police gave up in despair, and, as Holz had
been arrested and had confessed to everything, the release of Devel
was ordered. The order of release proved the move that revealed the
truth. When he was told that he was free to return home, Devel broke
down and begged the police to keep him in prison, to hang him, to
poison him, but not to send him home.
In his agony he confessed that the only reason he confessed the murder
was that he desired to get hanged, and that he preferred hanging to
life with his wife.
The hard-hearted police set him free--literally threw him out of the
prison, and he returned to his wife in Lubeck. The following day he
resumed charge of his business.
An English correspondent visited Devel in his shop and made certain
inquiries of him regarding the case. As the hanging editor would say,
"the condemned man was nervous." He was afraid his wife would read
what he said, but the correspondent finally got him to tell.
"I desired to be hung," said Devel, mournfully. "Life is not worth the
living, and with my wife it is worse than death. If I had been hanged
no other man would marry my wife, and I would save them from my fate.
Many times have I planned to kill myself to escape her. That is sin,
and I lack the bravery to kill myself, besides. If they will not hang
me I must continue to live with my wife."
Devel states, among other things, that these are the chief grievances
against married life in general, and his wife in particular:
She was slender, and became fat and strong.
She was beautiful, and became ugly and coarse.
She was tender, and grew hard.
She was loving, and grew virulent.
She grew whiskers on her chin.