Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1908-08-29
TRIALS FOR ANIMALS
Curious Custom That Prevailed
In the Middle Ages.
PROSECUTED FOR HOMICIDE.

A Bull That Killed Man Found
Guilty. Sentenced to Death and Exc
euted-Fate OF a Cock That Was
Charged With Having Laid an Egg.
Among the many curious customs Of
the past Is recorded singular feature
Of the Jurisprudence Of the middle
ages. when animals We're Indicted for
Injuries inflicted upon human beings.
The custom was not abolished in
France until the middle Of the eight
eenth century, and the French court
records show that at least ninety two
trials took place between ll20 and
lT4l
There is some Biblical precedent for
these proceedings. for In the twenty
first chapter OF Exodus one finds. III
an OK gore IA man or Il woman that
they die. then the TX shall he stoned
and his flesh shall not be eaten"
An early instance OF the custom was
In 1914. when Il bull escaped from II
farmyard In village IN France In the
duchy of Valois and gored man to
death The Count Of Valois being In
formed OF the ease. directed that tie
bull he captured and formally prose
cuted for homicide This was done,
and evidence was given by persons
who had seen the man attacked aud
killed The bull was thereupOn sen
fenced 60 suffer death, which was In
flicted by strnngulatlon. after which
the carcass was suspended from u
tree by the hind legs.
In 1856 SOW was executed In the
square Of Falase for having caused
the death OF Il child. and three years
later horse was condemned Ia death
at Dion for having killed II man. In
l457 sow and her six young ones
were tried at L.avegny on the charge
OF having killed and partially eaten Il
child The SOW was convicted and
condemned TO death, but the little ones
were acquitted ON the ground Of their
extreme youth and lneXperience. the
bad example Of their mother and the
absence Of direct evidence If their
having partaken OF the ntrocious feast.
One Of the most grotesque of these
trials took place In Basel when u
farmyard cock was tried on the alb
surd charge OF having laid an egg. II
was contended In support OF the prose
cution that eggs laid by cocks were OF
inestimable worth for use IN certain
magical preparations. that a sorcerer
would rather possess cocks egg than
the elixir OF life and that Satan EN-
ployed witches 10 hatch such eggs.
from which proceeded winged serpents
most dangerous to mankind
The prisoners advocate admitted the
facts OF the case. but contendcd that
no evil intention had been proved and
that no evil result had taken place
Besides. the laying OF an egg was an
Involuntary net and a. such was not
punishable ny law: also there was no
record of the devil having made com
pact with mn animal The public pros
ecutor stated In reply that the evil one
sometimes entered into animals IA In
the case OF the swine which drowned
themselves IN the sea Of Galilee
SO the poor creature WAS convicted
not as a cock. but AZ n sorcerer or per
haps the devil In the form Of cock.
whereupon the bird and the egg that
was attributed to II were solcmnly
burned Mt the stake.
Even stranger than this were the
proceedings Instituted IN | 10 and l4ST
against certain beetles which had made
havoc In the vineyards of St Julian.
Advocates were named on behalf Of
the vine growers ana the beetles re.
spectlvely but by singular coinci-
dence the Insects disappeared when
cited to answer for the mischief they
had done. and the proceedings were In
consequence abandoned
That was In las. In l4s7. how
ever. they reappeared. and n complaint
was thereupon addressed 10 the vicar
general of the bishop Of Maurienne,
who named Judge and also an advo-
cate 10 represent the beetles. A com
promise was finally agreed upon,
wherein the vine growers consented 10
cede the beetles certain fields 90 their
exclusive use Some time after the
beetles. through their attorney. pro
tested that there was a right OF way
through these fields which would be
TO their detriment. Consequently the
case had TO begin again. but how II
ended il not known. owing 10 the mutt
latlon OF the records +. c. Evans Ia
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