Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-03-16


| But a few desperate villagers had deter.
r mined either to free themselves and theil
families from their oppresors or die in
the attempt. Protected and favored by
the darkness, they scaled the sheer prec-
lpice from the river side and reached the
top at midnight. The sentinels passed
at one bound from dreams to death,
The drawbridge, portcullis and castle
were fired and the baron and his follow
ers persisted
When daylight began to whiten the
tops of the juniper trees, the castle
ruins were still smoking and through the
breaches in the walls could be seen the
figure of the "wicked caballero fully
armed, hanging to one Of the beams of
the banqueting hall.
For time the village was in peace.
Thistles began to grow in the deserted
"patios,' ivy crept over the charred
ruins and only the wailing of the wind.
the whooping of owls and the rustling of
snakes disturbed the silence of death
which reigned in that accursed spot.
Unburied bones lay white in the moon
light and still that bundle of armor of
the Senior del Segre could be seen hang
ing to the blackened rafters.
One day the village saw an extraor6li-
nary phenomenon. At twilight, from
distance, mysterious lights were seen
here and there ON the hill Of the Segre,
now following the curves of the river,
now waving in and out among the ruins
of the castle. This strange apparition
was repeated three OF four nights during
the month and the bewildered villagers
awaited new developments with anxious
hearts. They had not long to wait.
Farm houses were burnt, cattle were
"lifted," and the bodies OF unfortunate
travellers were found hanging from the
trees. Murder became frequent and the
terror OF the villagers increased each day
The " regime" appeared to have returned
and matters came to such a pass that
noone dared to stir outside his door for
fear of meeting the ghost of the old
baron. For the armOr of the wicked
caballero had disappeared from the pillar
in the banqueting hall, and it was whis-
pered about that he marched at the head
OF the freebooters, covered from head to
foot In mail with vizor closed. In the
battles which began afresh, victory was
pretty evenly divided. The prisoners
made were shortly shriven. But the con-
fession of one of the band made the peas
ants quake with fear.
II belong" he said, ''to noble fam
lily. My extravagances, vices and crimes
brought on me the anger of my father,
who cursed me when he died. Having
no means of living I persuaded other
youths in as bad condition as myself
to form band and live as freebooters.
We chose this country for the scene of
our exploits and the abandoned castle
for our shelter, because owing to its
isolated position and bad name we
thought ourselves secure from interior
ence. One night round our bonfire I'M
der the ruined arches, we were debating
who should be chief of the band. Each
asserted his claims; some were quarrel
ing among themselves: others half in
toxicated, placed their hands on their
dagger hits to emphasize their words,
when clash of arms, accompanied by q
hollow sound of footsteps, made lis turn
pale and spring to our feet. The sounds
came nearer and nearer. We drew our
swords, determined to sell our lives
dearly, when suddenly man, tremend-
GUS of stature, armed from head to foot
with vizor down and brandishing an en-
ormous broadsword, strobe toward u.s.
Placing the weapon upon a broken col
umn be said in voice like the sound of
rushing waters, IF any one wishes to be
chief on my ground while am here, let
him WELD this blade We were all
dumb with terror, but on recovering our
speech, with one voice We proclaimed
, him our captain and swore fealty to him
, by tremendous oaths. From that hour
we were one. Our mysterious chief
always led the way. Fire never touched
, him: bullets never hurt him. Never
once has he taken off his armor OF
: raised his vizor; he never Joined us in
, our revelry or shut his eyes in sleep.
) Swords pierced the joints of his mail,
but they neither wounded him nor drew
blood He despises gold and abhors
: beauty. Only when our hands were red
/ with human blood, when women
: screamed and prayed for mercy, and old
: men fell dead before our blows, only
: then did our captain exult and laugh
aloud"
Many were the prisoners who followed
: the speaker to the scaffold, but the mys-
ferrous captain was invisible, and added
daily fresh recruits to his standard.
The desperate peasants at last made UP
their minds to consult sanity man.
who lived outside the town in small
? hermitage dedicated to st. Bartholomew.
This venerable hermit, after having i'm
3 plored divine pity through his guardian
/ saint (who, as we all know, had very close
! and very frequent personal encounters
with the deviD, advised them to lie in
2 wait for the enemy at the foot of crook
5 ed path which led from the castle, and
/ to use no other arms to seize him than a
/ short prayer, which they were to commit
to memory, and with which, so the
l chronicle states, ST. Bartholomew took
7 the devil prisoner.
? The result exceeded their widest
I hopes, and another sun had not risen
| upon the village of Believer before groups
of peasants were relating to each other
: in the Plaza Mayor, with mysterious air,
: how that night the famous captain of the
Segre had been brought into the village
| on the back of the mule, and chained
4