The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-03-18
A GRIM INQUIsIToR, AND THE WAY he
DID HIS WORK.

Motley, in his history of "The Rise of the
Dutch Rupublic," gives the following graphic
sketch of one of the grim inquistors who raw
aged the Netherlands in the 10Th century,
Among all the irquisitors, the name of Peter
Titsfaaaun was now pre- eminent. he executed
his infamous functions throughout Flanders
Dousy, and Tourney, the most thriving and
populous portions of the NetherlaL DIS, with q
swiftness, precision, and even with jccularity
which hardly seemed human. There was q
kind of grim humor about the man. The wo
man who, according to Lear's fool, was wont
to thrust her live cells into the hot paste, trap
ping them o. the coxcombs with stick, and
crying, reproachfully, Wantons, lie DOWN." had
the spirit of true inquisitor. Even 90 dealt
Titelmann with his heretics writhing on the
rack or in the flames. Contemporary chronicles
give picture of him as of some grotesque vel
terrible goblin, careering through the country
by night or day, alone, on horseback, shifting
the trembling peasants on the head with q
great club, spreading dismsy far and wide
dragging suspected persons from their fresidee
or their beds, and thrusting them into dungeons
arresting, torturing, strapgling, burning, with
hardly the shadow of warrant, information, OF
process.
The secular sheriff, Familiarity called Red
Bod, from the color of his wand of office, meet.
ing this ipquisitor Titelmann one day upon the
high road, thus wonderingly addressed him
" How can you venture to 60 out alone, or at
most with an attendant or two, arresting people
on every side, while dare not attempt to exc.
cute my Office except at the head of strong
force, armed in proof; and then only at the
peril of my life?"
"Ahl Red Rod" answered Peter, jocosely,
j. II Al 1o1 II L.
fear, for seize only the innocent and virtuous,
taken like lambs"
Almighty WE'LL" said the other; "but if you
arrest all the coed people and all the bad, tits
difficult to say who in the world is to escape
chastisement?" The reply of the inquisitor
has not been recorded, but there is no doubt
that he proceeded like strong man to run his
days course.
He was the most active of all the agents in
the religious persecution at the epoch Of which
we are now treating, but be had been inquisi.
tor for many years. The martyrology Of the
provinces reeks with his murders. He burned
men for idle words or suspected thoughts he
rarely waited, according to his frank confession,
for deeds. Hearing once that schoolmaster,
named Geleyn de Muller, of Audenarde, soos
addicted to reading the Bible" he summoned
the culprit before him, and accused him of
herpsy. The schoolmaster claimed, if he were
guilty of any crime, to be tried before the Judges
Of his town. "You are my prisoner" said
Titelmann, and are to answer me, and none
other" The inquisitor proceeded accordingly
to catechise him, and soon satisfied himself Of
the schoolmaster's heresy. He commanded
him to make immediate recantation. The
schoolmaster refused. "Do you not love your
wife and children7" asked the demoniac Titel.
mann. "God knows" answered the hereto,
"that if the whole world were of gold, and my
own, would give it all, only to have them with
me, even had l to live on bread and water,
and in bondage" You have, them" answered
the inquistor, "only to renounce the error of
your opinions" "Neither for wife, children,
nor all the world, can renounce nv God, and
religious TRUTH" answered the prisoner. There
upon Titelmann sentenced him to the stake.
He was strangled, and then thrown into the
flames"
At about the same time, Thomas Calberg,
tapestry weaver, of Tourney, within the juris.
diction of this same irquisitor, was convicted
of having copied some hymns from book
printed in Geneva. He was burned alive. An.
other man, whose name has persisted, was hack.
ed to death with seven blows of rusty sword,
in presence of his wife, who was 80 horror
stricken that she died on the SPOT before her
husband. His crime, to be sure, was anabap-
tism, the most deadly offence in the calendar.
In the same year, one Walter Kapell was burned
at the stake for heretical opinions. He was a
man Of some property, and beloved by the poor
people Of Dixmuyde, in Flanders. where he re-
sided, for his many charities. A poor idiot,
who had been often fed by his bounty, called
out to the inquisitor's subalterns, as they bound
bis patron to the stake, "ye are bloody muir
derers; that man has done no wrong; but has
given me bread TO eat" With these words he
cast himself headlong into the flames, to perish
with his protector, but was with difficulty res
cued by the officers. A day or two Afterwards
he made his way TO the stake, where the half