New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1867-06-02

| llt courts. lie WIS accompanied DIV sew
| cral other individuals, OF whom he seemed
to be the delegated spokesman. Among
| them was one in the garb of priest, who
! kept repeating L.tin phrases, expressive of
| holy horror and unmitigated detestatIon of
| Il wretch whom he denounced as the devils
own.
Heinrich. who really could not believe
| hims cl1in danger, although aware that such
| things had been, still maintained his stand,
with Bertha leaning on his arm, trembling
| with the force of her emotion. All the tel.
| riblc fOrcbodings which she had so long
struggled with, seemed about to be realized.
! Apparently defining the nature Of the tie
existing between the two, the individuals
| composing this strange party included
| Bertha in their denuuCiatlons. They de.
manded access to Heinrichs private room,
| which, with flashing eyes at their presump.
tion, he refused; but on Wihelm's repre-
sentation that the unprctending nature of
his studies, and the absence of all mystery
| in his apartment might best convince them
| of their error, he determined to allow them
to enter, and preceded them with the lamp,
accompanied by all the family, who now
| appeared fully attircd.
celestial globe, and other astronomical
| apparatus, some drawings of Saturn and
his rings, an Old book ON sorcery, which
| Heinrich had found among several belong
| ing to Madam Wisner's father, and had un.
| fortunately transferred to his own room,
constituted sufficient proof that the black
| art had, at least, one or two yOtaries in this
| room; and the cOnyulsiye Clingng of Der.
| tina to her lover convinced the party that
| Heinrich and Bertha were the guilty ones.
| They were hurried off, am;dthe shrieks of
the mother and Caroline, while Wilhelm Won
| kcpIcr vowed revenge upon those uuprin-
| Cipled scOundrcls who disturb honest pcO-
pie in their beds-not doubling that his
brother would receive full justice with the
morning light.
1t is painful to record the suIerngs of the
devoted lovers at this period. They were
denied an interview, even in the presence
| Of their aCCusers. Their frieuds were not
permitted to see them; SO that the anguish
Of the mother, and the equal misery OF the
| good yol keplcrs, who were sent for imme-
| diately, cannot be described. \ trial was
pretended, but every circumstance was
wrc,ted into evidence fguilt. Before long
others were arrested, equally the victims of
a terrible superstition-a superstition, in
fact, which destroyed the lives of more than
one hundred individuals, in the space of
two years, in WurtZburg alone; among
| whom were fourteen Wears, several Coun.
| selors children and the wife of man die.
| tlnguished for his large size, herself being
| the haudsomest woman in WurtZburg.
During Icnrich's imprisonment he found
means to communicate with Wilhelm, by "A
| note written with Il nail upon smooth
pine stick. 1t was written III II cipher which
only the brothers understood, and had
| been the amusement OF their boyhood. The
| stick was thrown to Wilhelm from win.
dow to the street, there he had been watch
ing for some sign from HciHriCh and the
| answer was given by an almost impercepti.
bic gesture on the part Of the brother
The fatal Friday on which the accused
| must confess or die, approached. Friday
! seemed to be the day ON which most OF
| them confessed. The death trial was to be
| Inv fire If n4EGpt tlrpIrtrh 1lAt f,r.
deal unsCOrchcd, they were innoccLt-so
said the Judge. 1t was H. fair way
as that which was decrccd to be passed
through by water, where the poor victim
was sure to die, guilty or not. 1t he or she
did not sink, il was WitchCrGlt that pre-
| vented. Death was certain, either way.
Meantime, Bertha, the poor girl, who
had died thousand deaths from her ter.
ribie iorebodings of evil, had settled down
into a wonderful calm, which was as
| mysterious AS her former state. 1t was not
| lusensibility-it was the composure of
resignation. Her mOther-N,a'e was the
only pang, But aside from this, there was
a serene happiness in the thought of diving
| with her beloved. The pair the agony OF such
a death-tor her accusers took good care to
| hold up its horrors before hcr-was dread
ful. perhaps, to think Of in its intensity of
suffering; but then it Was brief and if she
| could but look on Heinrich's face until she
died, il would be sweet Already her
| slender form was attenuated to almost death.
like thinness. Her face, over which her
soft fair hair hung in damp, clingng curls,
| was white and pure as alabaster: her hands
almost transparent in their whitencss, and
her lips were pale as the lily; yet an inetTa.
| Bile sweetness and beauty was still hers
which might seem TO have disarmed her
enemies.
She wore the same white robe which she
had on when taken from her home; and
zen. - aaa al. L. 4
come during that dreadful week, only con.
| WINGED the superstitious people that she
| had some marvellous agency az work which
| kept it pure and white. She uttcrrd d 10Y.
| full cry when Heinrich was brought out and
| placed near her before the awful flames
| They were the last OF many who had been
| led forth. The crowd had become almost
| stated with horrors; and the most Jealous
among them began to grow weary OF the
| hOrrid scene.
One man, who had not been noticed before,
seemed now TO take AN active part, and the
| rest fell back and allowed him to go on ms
| he chose. Approaching near the fire Just
| as the prisoners were forced toward the
| flame, he scattered into it, unseen, while all
| eyes were turned upon the victims, some
| thing which caused dense smoke to arise
sitting and binding. In the confusion that
| ensued, they who held the prisoners forsook
| their hold. Heinrich and Bertha felt them
=
away as with an irresistible force; and the
| smoke still continued to ascend in dense
| volumes between them and the crowd.
| When at length 1t cleared away, the victims
were nowhere to be seen, but the general
| impression was that they had persisted and
| their bodies had been destroyed; although
| there were some who persisted in declaring
that the evil one had appeared bodily and
| rescued his followers after throwing brim-
stone in the flames.
Wilhelm had not dared TO act this part
| himself, as he so nearly resembled his
| brother; but strong, active serving man,
who had accompanied the Won Keplers TO
| Wurtzburg, had readily undertaken to pro
| cure the material which Heinrich, in his
note, had recommended to be used, and had
fearlessly thrown it, at the exact moment,
upon the flames.
Long before the crowd dispersed, a car.
| riage and four passed unquestioned through
the gates of Wurtzburg, and within its cur
tanned hidingplaee Heinrich was holding
in his arms the death-lke figure of Bertha,
| and their brave deliverer was seated beside
| them. Homeward bound To the beloved
| home of his childhood Heinrich was bear.
| ing his halfdead bride. The rest of the
| relatives did not dare to join them, lest
| their sudden disappearance from Wurtzburg
| might awaken suspicion but one day, at
| broad noon, the elder Won Kepler and his
wife, with Wilhelm and Bertha's mother,
| all dressed In deep mourning, as if for the
| loss of their nearest and dearest, were con-
veyed out of the city. They who had
| almost doubted, were now convinced that
| the friends, at least, believed them dead.
Even.handed JUSTICE was appeased, and
| the pious detectors of witchcraft thought
| tbav Ia ah raallv dana God aarviga In riHline.