Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1856-07-02


mind of the stolid Judge, with his fixed
idea of their guilt. He proceeded stoi-
cally to witness the application of the
torture to the remaining three, against
whom there was nothing but suspicion
When it came to the turn ofthe last, WHO
was Ulrich Beckvert, the Judge appear
ed anxious. Not one word of confession
had been wrung from the previous six.
This was the last chance for justice to
Justify her course; and accordingly this
poor Ulrich was subjected to more Sc
we're handling than any of the rest, but
to all questions he returned an invinci-
bic Mol 1t had now became a trial of
strength between him and his Judge, and
the Judge was foiled. Out OF the whole
seven, not one confessed. But their con-
stancy did them no good. These three
poor wretches who were only suspected
had their sentence confirmed; they were
sent to the galleys for life-for as much
of life at least as was left in them. This
was not the worst; according to the ex-
isting laws, the crimes Of the accused
were to be visited upon every member
of their families amounting TO somewhere
near forty souls in all. These unfortu-
nate persons, in the depth of winter, had
TO abandon their homes, and, utterly des.
titute, for everything they possessed
was confscated, } they were sent for
to beg their bread, wherever they could
find it, in a strange land; for to their
own village they might never return
again under pain of death. Great sym
pathy was felt for them-none of the
people belived the seven men were gull
ty: it was only the judges who had no
doubts.
The memory of this terrible tragedy
had died away. The Three Houses of
Lutzelboung had become legend of the
country side; eighteen years passed,
and no further light was thrown upon
the robbery.
A troop of Bohemians had their head
quarters in the forests round Mittelbron.
They were the terror of the country,
and committed the most fiightful out
RACES far and wide. The band was so
well organized that the combined efforts
of all the authorities of the Duchies of
Wmtemberg and of Deux Points had
long pursued them in vain, but al last
many of the gang were arrested, among
the rest were two brothers, named Han.
nickel and Vinceslas. They were i'm
prisoned at Slultz, in Wurtemberg. where
they were induced to IN ke a confession
of the crimes committed by the band, Of
which they had been the captains
Amongst many robberies they mention
ed incidentally that one night they had
broken into the house of two rich Jews
at Mittlebron, and carried off all they
could find. They were examined sepa-
rately and their stories agreed in every
particular. They stated that on the
twenty fourth or twenty-ffth of Septem-
Der, in seventeen hundred and sixty
eight, their band to the number of twen-
tv four, entered the house of Moses Cert
and Solomon Cert, and carried off prop.
erty to the amount of forty thousand
francs. They named all the robbers
who took a share in the expedition, and
said it was undertaken at the instigation
of one Tangen Henerle, who was the
only German in their band, and had
pointed out to them the house of these
two Jews, as being well worth plunder-
ing. When pressed to declare if any of
the seven Germans who had been con-
demned for this crime had taken any
part in it, they solemuly declared up
on oath, that none of these seven men
had ever belonged to their band, and |
that they were entirely unknown to them.
When these two robber chiefs were
told the history of the death and tortures
of the seven innocent men, and the dis
Persion and Punishment of their families,
stepped in crime as they were, their hor-
ror knew no bounds. Two other mem
bers of the band, confirmed the deposi-
tons of Hannickel and Vinceslas. The
chief magistrates Of Stultz sent to the
Judge of Phalbourg, for the proces-ver-
bal of the trial, and also the declaration
of the two Jews, hut the conscience.
stricken Judge refused. Nevertheless,
the bailli of Stultz obtained the proof of
The innocence Of the seven men who had
been condemned, and lost no time in lay
ng them before the Duke of Wurtem-
burg The Duke gave orders that search
should be made to see if any of the rela.
ives of the unfortunate victims survived;
but eighteen years of sorrow and misery
had done their work--of the forty or
fifty who had been driven from their
homes, no more than eight remained
The Duke sent the proces-verbaux which
lttested tn e innocence of their unhappy
relatives, to his minister at the court of
France, and desired him to take every
nea rs to obtain from the king, rehab-
litation Of their name, as the phrase was,
when innocent people who had suffered
we're to have the ignominy cleared from
heir memory. An act was passed on