The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-08-21
TRIALS FOR ANIMALS
Curious Custom That Prevailed
In the Middle Ages.
PROSECUTED FOR HOMICIDE.
a Bull That Killed a Man Found
Guilty, Sentenced to Death and Exc
euted-Fate of Cock That Was
CHARGED With Having Laid an Egg.

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 a singular feature
of the Jurisprudence of the middle
ages. when animals were indicted for
injuries inflicted upon human beings.
The custom was not abolished in
France until the middle of the eight
zenith century, and the French court
records show that at least ninety-two
trials took place between 112o and
1741
There is some Biblical precedent for
these proceedings, for in the twenty
first chapter of Exodus one finds, IF
an OK gore man or woman that
they die, then the OK shall be stoned
and his flesh shall not be eaten"
An early instance of the custom was
In 1914, when bull escaped from a
farmyard in village in France in the
duchy of Valois and gored a man to
death. The Count of Valois, 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 seen the man attacked and
killed. The bull was thereupon SEN
fenced to suffer death. which was in
ficted by strangulation, after which
the carcass was suspended from
tree by the hind legs.
In 1886 SOW was executed in the
square of Falaise for having caused
the death of child. and three years
later a horse was condemned to death
at Dijon for having killed a man. In
1857 a SOW and her six young ones
were tried at 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 of the most grotesque of these
trials took place In Basel when a
farmyard cock was tried on the alb.
surd charge of having laid an egg. 1t
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 a cocks egg than
the elixir of life and that Satan EN-.
ployed witches to 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 ar
involuntary act and as such was moi
punishable by law; also there was nc
record of the devil having made com
pact with an animal. The public pros
ecutor stated in reply that the evil ont
| sometimes entered into animals, as IL
the case Of the swine which drowned
themselves in the sea of Galilee.
So the poor creature was convicted
| not as a cock. but as a sorcerer or per
haps the devil in the form Of a cock
| whereupon the bird and the egg tina
was attributed to it were solemn,
| burned at the stake.
Even stranger than this were tn.
| proceedings instituted in 1445 and 14S'
against certain beetles which had mad,
havoc In the vineyards of st. Julian
! Advocates were named on behalf O
! the vine growers and the beetles re
spectively, but by a singular coinci
dence the insects disappeared whel
cited to answer for the mischief the,
had done. and the proceedings were fl
| consequence abandoned
| That was in 1445. In 14S7, how
ever, they reappeared. and a complain
was thereupon addressed to the vica
general of the bishop of Maurienne
who named judge and also an advo
cate to represent the beetles. A com
promise was finally agreed upon
wherein the vine growers consented t
cede the beetles certain fields to thei
exclusive use. Some time after tn
beetles, through their attorney, pre-
tested that there was a right of wa
through these fields which would b
to their detriment- Consequently tn
case had to begin again, but how i
ended is not known, owing to the mutt
lation of the records.-F. G. Evans il