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.