The Portland daily press., 1898-11-14
SUPERSTITION IN GERM NY.
A Farmers Family Pays Dowry for Mar
riage in Heaven and Gets Celestial
Gifts.
(From the London News J

|
A trial which has just taken place at
the Bayarian country town of Kempton,
the centre OF an almost purely Roman
Catholic population, reveals the existence
of such extraordinary ignorance and SUI
perstition that the details are worth no
ticing. A married couple at Kaufbeuen,
Alois and Rosine Wohlfahrt, lived in ex-
treme poverty, shared by the ilIegitlmate
daughter of the wife. girl OF eighteen,
named Agnes, who suffered from an In
durable disease. The family had lived
for years on aims obtained by touching
letters written by the invalid. In 1898 an
old schoolfellow OF the girl, Cecilia Kot
trich, began to visit her, and, moved to
pity by the poverty of the sick girl, pre-
vailed upon her parents, who are well-to-
do farmers, to give their assistance. Shs
was thenceforth allowed to take Agnes
her dinner every day and q mark or two
every week for little extras. After some
time Agnes confided to her young friend
Cecilia that the Virgin Mary often ap-
peared to her, and thatEshe was In cores
pondence with her. and also with Cres-
cqncs, Cecilia's sister, who had died year
eviously, and who had also been their
schoolfellow. Agnes whispered the secret
that Crescence was not In heaven, but in
purgatory.
These mystic communications affected
Ceoilia's health, and she began to suffer
from hysterical attacks. Agnes, no doubt
| inspired by her needy mother, always
on the lookout for crooked ways BY which
she could obtain money, proposed that
when the Virgin Mary next appeared to
her she would ask her to let her take Ce-
cilia's suffering upon herself. By the
time Cecilia came again the Virgin had
consented, but Cecilia's parents must
make sacrifice and pay 200 marks They
did this willingly, and from that time
forward during three years the ines
sages from Heaven" never ceased. The
Virgin herself proposed that Crescence
should be delive ed from purgatory. Three
/ hundred marks were all that was needed.
| Farmer Kottrich paid the sum. little
later the news came from Heaven that
Crescence had married an angel-she
wished to have her dowry sent, and 1,OOt
MARKS for furnishing her new home
Than after time came the news that
Crescence. who WAS very happy, had CIV
en- birth to child. Would they send
money for the wants Of the babys BY
this time Cecilia had no more attacks,
| and farmer kottrich and his wife firmly
believed it was s'ali right. Their young
est daughter, four.yenr old Josep q. now
also declared she could see the Virgin
Mary on hns days when she was in the
woods by herself. Agnes, or her mother
| for her, maue more preposterous demands
every day--the Kottriohs had to borrow
loans and pay. high interest for them:
for the loan of Z, 500 marks. promising to
pay good interest to decorate the heaven.
| " rooms, erect nav alrars, etc.
| At the trial tine Kottrich's produced
fifty-two letters, which Agnes had trans
mitted from heaven, and these were not
cane from the Virgin Mary direct were
written in Latin letters. those from Sister
Crescence in German letters; every sheet
Of letter paper had the picture of saint
upon 1t. Those ON the Virgin Mary
had gilt edge. Imagine the sensation
read receipt from the Mother of
Christ for l5O marks; request for a
higher amount signed: 'sIn heavenly
glory. Joseph and Mary letter ex.
pressing thanks tor money received and
for excellent potatoes; another announc-
Ing enc recolpt OF SsouU MARKS, signed,
daughter, son-in. law, and little baby, "
with the remark added that when the
| money arrived "all the angels in heaven
blew their trumpets. One letter ex.
pressed thanks for very good cheesecakes,
| and yet another for money and bed linen
In one OF the latest letters the Virgin
Mary said that she would soon take away
the old grandmother (who still had prop
erty Of her own). When Agnes asked for
10 marks for those in heaven, ana Ce-
ella doubted whether her parents had any
more money to give, Agnes's mother, no.
sine Wohlfahrt, who is the chief accused IN
this trial, said: s'It is not so dimcuit 70
get money. They need only give the oio
grandmother wine and put somtning IN
it." ;s.
| offered tve pounds of WAX candles as
sacrifice in church for the speedy death OF
the grandmother. The sums OF LOCO,
eoo and q 500 marks were given into the
hands Of Agnes by the farmer and his
vile. and numberless smaller sums BY
Csciiis and her brothers or little sister.
| perhaps the most remarkable fact Of all
is that 'tOur Lady" and SISTER Cres.