The Sun.
London, England, 1824-01-20 00:00:00

ERNIAN ROBBERS.

WurcrsaunG7 JAN. 9.—(Extract ri a private
ie:ter from Erlangln, dated- December 29th.)—" On Novem-
ber 3d, a boy about 13 years of age, of a gocti family in the
Upper Palatinate, was conducted by his mother, a widow, to the
school of M. Liederskron,atEriangen. She described her son to
.the master as modest and good, but volatile, and not much at-
ached tostudy. She added, that his manners were somewhat rude,
but his heart pure and uncorrupted. A few days-afterwards
this lad ran away from school. The master received himn back
at the request of his mother, without punishing him. About a
week after he ran away e. second time, and was brought back
at the end of a fortnight. NI: Liederskron threatened him
punishment, took away from him his money
with ccrporal
and watch, and shut him up in a room by himself, where he
diaplayed alternately boldness and timidity, repentance and
obstinacy, sometimes promising to reform, and at others de-
tiering he would not remain at the school. He pretended to
be sick both in body and mind, which induced the Master
to write to his mother to take him home. By the kind--
nese of his language, however, M. Liederskron drew front
-him a confession of having committed a great ciime, before
corning to his school, after which it was impossible for him
'to live among o virtuous people., and that terrible oaths, and
donnections with the evil spirit, tied up his tongue. The
pastor of the parish being sent for to interrogate him, could
eittract nothing more from him than a similar confession
eitially vague, indicating either neglected religious instruction,
or very wicked dissimulation. At length the representations of
the master, and a letter from his mother seemed to make an
impression on him, which held out the promise of better con-
duct. He was permitted to joie the rest of the boys, but was
closely watched. For some days he behaved wall, but on
December ltith, in the evening, one of the scholars perceived
that in the bed-chamber of the master, where there were five
beds, the one nearest the door was on fire. He had presence
of mind enough to set about extinguishing it, and succeeded
with the aid of young N—, (the widow's son is thus designated
in the letter) who then came into the room.
"On the 19th at six in the morning, after prayers, it was
perceived that N-1 had disappeared. One of the masters aoon
pursued and overtook him. As they were returning together
to Erlangen, he confessed that, seduced by a corporal, he
hail incorporated and connected himself by the most ter-
rible oaths with a band of nearly CO robbers, composed, for
the most part, of soldiers, scholars, hunters, &c. They held
their meetings near the new din, between ulzbeelm end Am-
berg, and near a Ituasian's tomb ; and there he had taken the
oath on a naked sword. Time meeting seldom consisted of
more than ten or twelve members, and he knew the names
of only five. The corporal bad engaged him to rob his
mother, and to take with wax the impression of the prin-
cipal key of the house of one of his relations, to get one
manufactured by a smith, who was a member of the band.
At the request of the corporal, he had been obliged to
keep watch last autumn while the other set tire to the
house of a rope-maker. The same corporal had pressed
him -to assassinate M. Liederskron, or to set fire to his
house,. not wishing him to remain in that Institution. ee_
could not-execute the first of these crimes, but he had attempted
the second on the 16th December by setting fire to a bed, think-
ing to escape in the tumult caused by the conflagration. N_
having failed, and the Corporal having sworn, that if he did
not return on the lath he would set fire to the four corners of
Liederakron'a house, the young man had written to the corporal
that he would make all efforts to escape Qt! the 19th, but that if
he was not that day at the meeting, the corporal should, with
some other members of time baud, waylay M. de Liederskron,
on his passage through the Forest to Nuremberg, on the Sun-
day, and 'force him to let N— go. He had thrown his letter
from the window to a beggar whom he had induced to put it in
the post by giving him a cravat. After having attempted
again on Friday morning to set fire to a cupboard, he escaped
in the dark through a window of the refectory on the ground
floor. N— repeated the same account with the greatest sang
froid to M. de lieiderskron, who thought it his duty to lay the
whole affair before the proper authorities. He went imme-
diately to Nuremberg, and presented a written account of the
whole matter to Lieutenant-General Baron de Lamotte. This
led to the arrest of the parties concerned in the gang named by
N., who have been conducted under a strong escort to Amberg.
" From the last accounts we have received of the investiga-
tion,most of the desperadoes concerned in this gang are in the
hands of justice, and it is hoped that the remainder of their_
will be gas dis :timed."