The hearse riot, in 1855, proved fatal for Mayor Chappuis. Up till then, the good people of Colmar had gone to their final resting place, the Rappendantz (literally "the place where the ravens dance") with the help of local carpenters, locksmiths, sculptors and porters, who would join forces to make the final journey as fine and comfortable as possible and bring in a little extra income at the same time.

In 1854, at the height of the cholera epidemic which had a devastating effect on Colmar, the authorities, scared stiff by the deplorable hygiene conditions in certain districts and the subsequent risks of contagion, decided to turn their attention to the food the inhabitants of Colmar were eating.

Nine years later, the city council, running short of cash, decided to tax the wood which local people, especially the poorest, would, for a token payment, gather from the forests to heat their houses. The move went down badly and in June 1842, the people decided to occupy Mayor Chappuis´ town hall in protest.