»You devils! 'Av a good look at me, so that you'll have enough.«

About the Crime and Death Penalty of the Gypsy Simon Held Executed in Novo Mesto

Abstract

The author deals with the murder trial against Simon Held, which took place between 1899 and 1900. Convicted of having carried out a brutal killing, Held was sentenced to death by hanging and the sentence was carried out on 3rd March, 1900. The hanging of Held caused a great sensation, yet the case of the criminal Held had another aspect to it as well. The guilt of the "dangerous and bloodthirsty criminal" was characterised also by his having been of the Gypsy people - a people to whom the worst qualities were ascribed at that time, due to their failure and/or refusal to adapt to the standard and generally accepted lifestyle and their lack of respect for the social norms and rules of the time. Held's trial and punishment were shadowed constantly by the feeling of extreme dislike towards the "troublesome" Gypsies hedged by the rest of the population. His death penalty was also to serve as an example to the "Gypsy rabble", which "scared the poor farmers with its thieving and robberies" - in order to keep them on the straight and narrow.