Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1908-01-23
The Town Clock.


ket place of Schramberg In the Black
forest. looking up at the clock IN the
church tower.
ut has stopped" said one.
mo, but the hands move at snaifss
pace, said another. - ~
II have been standing here fully ten
minutes" said third, s'and can't de
tect the slightest change" 49,
"And I have watched It for an hour"
said a fourth, THE long hand shows
gain Of two and half minutes"
when was the change noticedT
AT II O'Clock midnight. 1t has not
struck the hour since"
Let me see-two and half minutes
to the hour. At that rate the minute
hand would sweep the dial In twenty
four hours. The clock registers but
an hour day"
From little shop near by old Roth
holz. the matchmaker, glanced out Of
his window at the group, shook his
head at them, then turned and resumed
come to him, wringing his hands.
s'0h, father" he exclaimed, ''Cicily
has been condemned Old Mother
Gault swore that she had seen her
with her own eyes vomiting crooked
pins"
+whati That innocent girl con-
demned for witchcraft on the testi-
mony Of that hagT'
yes, and she Is to be burned at the
stake in three days. oh, father, helpi
We are betrothedr'
The youngster, still in his teens, had
not ceased to rely on his father for
everything The old man scratched
his head and gave himself up to deep
thought. Presently he said, Il cannot
prevent this tragedy. but may delay
It."
"How?" asked the boy eagerly.
''You know, my son. that the clock
IN the church tower, which / made
and about which no one except my
self knows anything, is the legal time
In the village-that ], the town clerk
as well as matchmaker, keep the legal
calendar and keep it by the clock. If
1 stop the clock l stop the village time,
but In that case they would adopt an
other standard. l win make the hands
go very slowly. This viii delay the
execution, and something may happen
to save the girl
In the middle of the night the old
man went up into the tower and chang
ed the clocks rate to one hour in twes-
ty-four Cicily could not be legally
burned for more than two months.
The group standing in the market
place after further discussion moved
together TO old Rothholz's shop, told
him that the clock had nearly stopped
and be must fix it. Don't bother your
heads about the clock" he said; at
win go well enough in time" ''WhenT'
.After the girl who was condemned
yesterday has been burned" What
has that TO do with itF' Il don't
know only know that the clock,
which has kept perfect time ever since
1t was set up in the tower. has sud
denly gone wrong" "Nonsenseg ex-
claimed most of the party. and they
went away.
The old man insisted that he could
not fix the clock. though, to satisfy the
authorities, he pretended to try. In 8
few days the burghers. finding new
subject of interest, ceased to talk
about the clock. A week later Antoine
Hecker presented a note that was due
to Kari Becker for payment. Becker
declared that he would pay it when
the town clock should say the time
Tor payment had expired. Hecker
went 20 Rothholz and asked for GER
tfficate to that effect Hecker declared
that by the village time the note was
not due. The result was a quarrel be-
tween the debtor and the creditor
Then came a widow who wished to
marry again. By the terms Of her late
husbands win she would lose every
thing he had left her If she married
before a certain date. The date had
expired, but the legal town time said
that 1t had not. The clerk said 1t was
his duty to keep the calendar by the
clock He could do nothing. The
Judge ordered him before the court
and 10 fix the clock or keep the calen-
der by another timepiece. The town
clerk refused to break the law. and
the judge had no power to compel him
to do so.
AS the days and weeks elapsed the
condition Of the people Of TIE village
became more irritating. They quar-
relied about the time TO go to bed, TO
get up, for meals. The children would
not go to school till the clock struck
the hour. Nobody would go to church
because there was no knowing when
they should go. Those who had
watches tyrranized over those who had
not and quarreled among themselves
as to whose watch was right At last
the hubbub was SO great that it be-
came intoIerable. A committee wait
ed on the town clerk and begged him
to tx the clock or break the law, prom
tsing him immunity.
"Not l." he said II believe that
heaven shows its displeasure through
the clock for the contemplation Of
pure young girl for witcheraft."
When this was repeated to the judge
be called the court together and re-
opened the trial Of the condemned
Cicily. Antoine Hecker. who was anx-
ious to get his money from bis cred
ftor, having heard that the clock would
not go properly TIL Cicily was acquit
ted, swore that the night before be had
seen her aecuser sailing by moonlight
on the river In sieve. All the dis
satisfied people IN the village support
ed his testimony. Ciciiy was acquit-
ted, and the Old woman was condemn
ed to be burned In Der stead
That night at midnight the old clock
struck the hour and thenceforth ~