The Shasta courier., 1869-03-20

'ney iouno that the Emperor had just ex-
pred, with his head in the lap of poor
woman. la
The murderers escaped into the Swiss
mountains, expecting shelter there; but
the stout, honest men Of the cantons were
resolved not to have any connection with
assassins, and refused to protect them
Johann, himself, after long and miserable
wanderings in disguise, bitterly repented,
owned his crime to the Pope, and was
received into convent. Eschenbach
escaped, and lived fifteen years as cow
herd. The others all fell into the hands of
the sons and daughters of Albrecht, and
woful was the revenge that was taken upon
them, and upon their innocent families and
retainers.
That Leopold, who had seen his father
slain before his eyes, should have been deep
lylncensed, was not wonderful and his elder
brother Frederick, as Duke of Austria, was
charged with the execution of Justice
The brothers were horribly savage and vio-
lent in their proceedings, aud their sister
Agnes surpassed them in their attrocious
thirst for vengeance. She was the wife of
the King of Hungary, very clever and dis
eerning, and also supposed to be very re-
ligious, but all her better thoughts were
swept away by her furious passion. She
had nearly strangled Eschenbach's infant
son with her own hands, when he was
rescued from her by her own soldiers, and
when she was watching the beheading of
sixty three vassals of another of the muir
derers, she repeatedly exclaimed, /" Now
bathe in May dew Once, indeed, she
met with stern rebuke A hermit for
whom she had offered to build convent,
answered her, :" Woman, God is not served
by shedding innocent blood and by build
ing converts out of the plumber of families,
but by compassion and forgiveness of in.
juries."
Rudolf Won der Wart received the
horrible sentence of being broken on the
wheel. On his trial the Emperor's attend
ant declared that Der Wart had attacked
Albrecht with his dagger, and the cry,
" How long shall we suffer this carrion to
sit on horseback )" but he persisted to the
last that he had been taken by surprise by
the murder. However, there was no mer-
cy for him; and by the special command
OF Queen Agnes, after he had been bound
upon one wheel, and his limbs broken by
heavy blows from the executioner, he was
fastened to another wheel, where he was to
linger out the remaining hours of his life.
His young wife Gertrude, who had clung
to him through all his trial, was torn away
and carried off to the Castle of Kyburg !;
but she made her escape at dusk, and
found her way, as night came on, to the
spot where her husband hung still living
upon the wheel. That night of agony was
described in a letter ascribed to herself
The guard left to watch fed at her ap-
proach; and then, heaping some heavy logs
of wood together, was able to climb up
near enough to embrace him and stroke
back the hair from his face, while he en-
treated her to leave him, lest she should be
found there, and fall under the cruel re-
venge of the Queen, telling her that thus
it would be possible to increase his suffer
ing.
81 will die with you," she said, tits
for that | came, and no power shall force
me from you" and she prayed for the one
mercy she hoped for-speedy death of her
husband.
In Mrs. Heman's beautiful words:
90 And bid me not depart" she cried,
MY Rudolph, say not so f;
This is no time to quit thy side
Peace, peace, I cannot go!
Hath the world aught for NE to fear
When death is on thy brow?
The world +! what means 1t Mine is here
1 will not leave thee now.
have been with thee in thine hour
OF glory and of bliss
Doubt not its memory's living power
To strengthen me through THIS.
And thou, my honored love and true,
Bear on, bear nobly on:
We have the blessed heaven in view,
Whose rest shall soon be won.''
When the day began to break, the guard
returned, and Gertrude took down her stage
of wood and continued knelling at the foot
of the pole. Crowds of people come to
look, and among them was the wife of one
of the officials, whom Gertrude implored to
intercede that her husbands sufferings
might be ended but though this might
no. be some pitied her, and tried to give
her wine and confections, which she would
not touch. The priest came and exhorted
Rudolf to confess the crime, but with great
effort he repeated his former statement of
innocence.
A band of horsemen rode by. Among
them was the young Prince Leopold, and
his sister Agnes herself, clad as knight.
They 'were very angry at the compassion
shown by the crowd, and after frightfully
harsh language commanded that Gertrude
should be dragged away; but one of the
mobiles interceded for her, and when she
had been carried away little distanc ce her
entreaties were heard and she was allowed
to break away and come back to her hus-
band. The priest blessed Gertrude, gave
her his hand, and said, Be,faithful unto
death, and God will give you the crown of
life," and she was no further molested.
Night came OF, and with it a stormy
wind, whose bowling, mingled with the
voice of her prayers, whistled in the hair of
the sufferer. One of the guard brought
her cloak. She climbed on the wheel,