Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1908-09-16
TRIALS FOR ANIHl......
Curious Custom That PreYliit
In the Middle Ages.
PROSECUTED FOR HOMlClOE
a Bull That Killed a Man Found
Guilty, Sentenced TO Death and Exc.
euted-Fste CT n Cock That Was
Charged With Having Laid an EGG.


euted-Fste CT a Cock That Was
Charged With Having Laid an Egg
Among tie rlany curious customs OF
the past is recorded a. singular feature
OF the Jurisprudence OF the iI.dde
ages. wheu animals were indic.va for
injuries inflicted upon human beings.
The custom was not abolished in
France u2til thu middle OF the eight.
zenith century. and the French court
records shuW that ut least niaety-two
trials took place between 1120 and
1Tll
There Is some Biblical precedent for
these proceedings. for IN the twenty
first chapter of Exodus one finds. III
IN OK gore a man or woman that
they die. then the OK shall be stoned
and his flesh shall not Toe eaten
An early instance OF the custom was
In 1914. when n bull escaped from
farmyard In "a village In France in the
duchy OF Nalois and gored man TO
death. The Count of NaloIs. being In
formed OF the case directed that the
bull be captured and formally prose.
cuted for homicide. This was done
and evidence was given by persons
who had srcn the man attacked aud
killed. The bull was thereupom sen.
fenced TO suffer death. which was In
hicted by strangulation. after which
the carcass was suspended from n
tree by the hind legs.
In 1856 SOW was executed I'm the
square OF Falaise for having caused
the death OF child. and three years
later horse was condemned TO death
at DIXON for having killed man In
l45T sow and her six young ones
were tried NJ Lavegny on the charge
OF having killed and partially eaten a
child. The sow was convicted and
condemned to death. but the little ones
were acquitted on the ground OF their
extreme youth and inexperience. the
bad example OF their mother and the
absence Of direct evidence OF their
having partaken of the atrocious feast.
One or the most grotesque OF these
trials took place I'm Basel when n
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 n sorcerer
would rather possess n 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 contended that
no evil intention had been proved and
that no evil result had taken place
Besides. the laying of an egg was an
Involuntary act and as such was not
punishable by law; also there was no
record or the devil having made n com
pact with m animal. The public pros
ecutor stated in reply that the evil one
sometimes entered into animals. as i'm
the case OF the swine which drowned
themselves In the sea OF Galilee.
SO the poor creature was convicted
not as cock. but as a sorcerer or per-
haps the devil in the form of cock.
whereupon the bird and the egg that
was attributed to II were solemnlv
burned at the stake.
Even stranger than this were the
proceedings instituted in l445 and 1887
against certain beetles which had made
havoc In the vineyards OF St. Julian
Advocates were named on behalf OF
the vine growers and the beetles re.
spectively. 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 1445. In 1887. how
ever. they reappeared. and a complaint
was thereupon addressed TO the vicar
general OF the bishop of Maurienne.
who named a judge and also an adyo-
cate 10 represent the beetles. A COM
promise was finally agreed upon.
wherein the vine growers consented to
cede the beetles certain fields to their
exclusive use. Some time after the
beetles through their attorney. pro
7 tested that there was right OF way
through these fields which would be
to their detriment Consequently the
case had TO begin again. but how II
ended Is not known, owing to the mutt
iation of the records.-F c. Evans In
New York Pest.