They are to be killed by the guillotine.
First is the priest. The executioner says “You can go on the guillotine either face up or face down”. The priest says “I want to die face up, looking up to the heavens”. So the priest lies face up. The executioner releases the blade; the blade falls rapidly but suddenly stops just 1 inch from the priest’s neck. Given the miracle, the priest is allowed to walk free.
Next comes the alcoholic. The executioner offers him the same choice, “Do you want to lie facing up or facing down?”. The alcoholic says “I want to face up… to remember my glorious drinking days”. So the alcoholic lies face up. The executioner releases the blade, and again, it suddenly stops just 1 inch from the man’s neck. Given the miracle, the alcoholic is allowed to walk free.
Finally, it’s the engineer’s turn. Once again, the executioner offers him the same choice, “Face up or face down?”. The engineer scratches his head and says “face up I guess”. So the engineer lies face up. Just as the executioner is about to release the blade, the engineer starts shouting. “WAIT WAIT!! …. I found the problem!”.