The Prince exclaimed in French, as he felt the
wound: "O my God, have mercy upon my soul! O my God, have mercy upon
this poor people!"
These were the last words he ever spoke, save that, when his sister,
Catherine of Schwarzburg, immediately afterward asked him if he
commended his soul to Jesus Christ, he faintly answered, "Yes." His
master of the horse, Jacob van Maldere, had caught him in his arms as
the fatal shot was fired. The Prince was then placed on the stairs for
an instant, when he immediately began to swoon. He was afterward laid
upon a couch in the dining-room, where in a few minutes he breathed his
last in the arms of his wife and sister.
The murderer succeeded in making his escape through the side door, and
sped swiftly up the narrow lane. He had almost reached the ramparts,
from which he intended to spring into the moat, when he stumbled over a
heap of rubbish. As he rose he was seized by several pages and
halberdiers, who had pursued him from the house. He had dropped his
pistols upon the spot where he had committed the crime, and upon his
person were found a couple of bladders, provided with a piece of pipe,
with which he had intended to assist himself across the moat, beyond
which a horse was waiting for him. He made no effort to deny his
identity, but boldly avowed himself and his deed.
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