The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-08-18
Baron Sothen, Miser.

is no doubt as far possible to alter it and
create altogether new types of mind and
heart as it is to alter the physical out
lines of the human form and give us the
short and gnarly headed Bushman of
South Africa and the colossal and we'll
proportional Pategonian giant. 1t is no
cause for special wonder, that in barbar-
Gus times, what we call the Christian
virtues should cease altogether to govern
the acts of men; but we have right in
our own day, and in one of the oldest of
civilized countries, to look with mute as
constituent and just horror upon type
of fiendish and sordid avarice that has
prospered these many years in the world,
but has now, happily, and in violent
manner, gone out of it forever.
Baron Won Sothen was an old man
who lived on handsome estate few
miles from Vienna. His fortune was so
large that, even among millionaires, he
was entitled to distinction. He began to
make it in the noble occupation of trad
ing in lottery tickets with the poor, and
even after hs retired from the lottery
business rich man, his habits of grind
ing the helpless wretches had so deeply
set themselves into his heart that he still
AOuuu u III 4ii
scolding every poor creature whose
kreutzers could add anything to his own
wealth. His Baroness, exemplary as
she may have been in her youth, got
finally to be for him quite worthy
companion. Never did servants get
from her or from her lord more than the
law set apart for them. Did an apple
fall in the orchard when the wind was
blowing, and did servant take it for
his own, the punishment inflicted was
the loss of n weeks wages. Over barns,
stables, and pens they kept personal
watch, and no pig or horse ever got
more corn or oats than the prescribed
and mean allowance-which was not al
ways so good as corn. In all these
matters there was thrift, and both Baron
and Baroness found in them one of their
chef delights. Meanwhile, they lived
in an imposing castle surrounded by
spacious park, and no decent man or
woman was ever seen within their gates.
There are, after all, degrees of baseness
which no worldly success can shut out
from general condemnation.
Both the old miser and his wife were
devoted to the Church of Rome. Near
their highland castle, at II place known
as Der Himmel," they put up hand
some chapel, and for this Papal decree
raised them to the rank. Freely, at all
times and when not grinding the poor,
abusing servants, or watching the food
that horses, cows and pigs consumed,
they both prayed with devotion which,
to strangers, might have seemed very
beautiful in its earnestness. To relig
ious corporations and to charity institu-
tons they gave of their substance large
ly, and thus, from persons i'll high places
and far away from the complaints of the
poor and the suiferings of dumb animals,
they secured rich favor and full faith in
their nobility of aim and life. Among
the Baron's servants was a game-keeper,
who had lived ten years with woman
who was not his wife. He desired to
marry her, but could not get the money
to pay the cost of ceremony
performed i'll accordance with the
law of the land he lived in. When
the Baron. after ten years of silence, re-
monstrated with his game. keeper for his
immoral life. the game-keeper promised
to marry the woman if the Baron
would pay the cost of the ceremony.
This the man of prayers and the builder
of chapel refused scornfully to do,
and forthwith dismissed the man from
his service. Within few hours the
game keeper returned and urged his
point once more, but received only de-
rision and loud denunciations for his
pains. He then shot the old miser dead
upon the spot and delivered himself up
to the police officers.
Vienna for week was in great excite
ment over this tragedy, and violence
came near resulting from it when the
Barons remains were taken to the grave.
Crowd after crowd wendell its way up
the height that leads to the castle until
it was estimated that 10000 or 1900
persons had got there. Policemen had
been ordered out in goodly numbers.
and, but for them, it is feared that the
mob would have seized the coffin, rushed
with it down the hillside, and made a
horrible spectacle OF the remains. As
it was, about one-half the mob, in
wild disorder, followed the police in the
procession and the remainder gathered
in among the trees Of the wooded park
and there uttered threatening and jeer-
ing yells. In the cemetery in which the
Baron was laid at rest money was raised
for the game keepers woman and her
four children nj an impromptu and satir-
ical fair, where old women sold ''Sothen
lottery tickets" and bakers boys peddled
"Sothen pretzen." Threats were made
in the woman's behalf to the Baron's