The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1908-09-01
TRIALS FOR ANIMALS.
Curious Custom That Prevailed
In the Middle Ages.
PROSECUTED FOR HOMICIDE.

- 5uh max mica man rouhe
Guilty, Sentenced to Death and Exc
euted-Fats Of q Cock That Wa.
Charged With Having Laid an Ess
Among the many curious customs OF
the past Is recorded singular feature
Of the Jurisprudence OF the middle
ages. when animals were indicted fol
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 1920 and
lT41.
There Is some Biblical precedent for
these proceedings. for in the twenty
first chapter OF Exodus one finds, ''lf
an OK gore man or a woman that
they die. then the OF shall be stoned
and his flesh shall not be eaten"
An early instance Of the custom was
in 1914, when a bull escaped from n
farmyard In village In France in the
duchy Of valois and gored man t.
death. The Count Of valois. being In
formed OF the case. directed that tie
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.
fiicted by strangulation, after Ay hich
the carcass was suspended from u
tree by the hind legs.
In 1886 a SOW was executed In thu
square Of Falaise for having caused
the death Of a child. and three years
later a horse was condemned to death
at Dion for having killed q man. In
1857 a sow and her six young ones
were tried at Lavegny on the charge
II having killed and partially eaten a
child. The sow was convicted and
Condemned to death, but the little ones
we're acquitted on the ground OF theii
extreme youth and iDexperience. the
bad example of their mother and the
lbsence Of direct evidence OF their
having partaken Of the atrocious feast
One Of the most grotesque Of these
rrials took place In 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
'utiOn that eggs laid by cocks were OF
inestimable worth for use IN certain
magical preparations. that a sorcerer
would rather possess n cocks egg than
the elixir Of life and that Satan en-
ployed witches to hatch such eggs
from which proceeded winged serpentS
most dangerous 10 mankind
The prisoners advocate admitted the
facts Of the case. huf contended thai
10 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: aIao there was no
record Il the devil having made coin.
nact with an animal. The public pros
ecutor stated IN reply that the evil onr
sometimes entered into animals. as In
The case 81 the swine which drowned
themselves IN the sea ~ Galilpe
So the poor creature was convicted
not as a cock. but as sorcerpr or per
hans the devil In the form Of a cock
whPrenpon the bird AMI the egg that
was attributed ~ II were solemnly
burned Mt the stake.
Even stranger than this were the
proceedings Instituted IN iII5 and 1887
against certain beetles which had made
havoc In the vineyards 81 81. Julian.
Advocates were named on behalf OF
the vine growers and the beetles ~,
spectlvely. but by a singular cOlncI,
iencc the Insects disappeared when
cited 10 answer for the mischief theJ
had done. and the proceedings were IN
consequence aban'loned.
That was In l+i5 In l4S7. how,
ever. they reapleared. and complaint
was thereupon addressed 20 the vicar
general Of the bishop Of Maurienne.
who named Judge and also an ndyo.
cate 10 represent the beetles. A com.
promise was finally agreed upon.
wherein the vine growers consented to
cede the beetles certain fields 10 their
exclusive use. Some time after the
beetles, through their attorney. pro.
tested that there was u right Of way
through these fields which would be
10 their detFiment. Consequently the
case had 20 begin again. but how II
ended Is not known. owing 10 the mutt.
latIon Of the recOrds.-F. c. Evans In
xa1v yart, fsust