Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-10-09
TRIALS FOR ANIMALS IA
Curious Custom That Prevailed
In the Middle Ages.
PROSECUTED FOR HOMICIDE.
q Bull That Killed a Man Found
Guilty, Sentenced to Death and Exc
outed-Fate of Cock That Was
CHARGED With Having Laid an Egg.

q
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
l741.
There Is some Biblical precedent for
these proceedings, for in the twenty
first chapter of Exodus one finds, III
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 q
farmyard In village In France IN the
duchy of Valois and gored a min to
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 which
the carcass was suspended from a
tree by the hind legs.
In 1886 O 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
1457 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 ofNtheir
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 ab-
surd charge Of having laid an egg. II
was conterded in support OF the prose-
cution that eggs laid by cocks were OF
inestimable worth for use In certain
magical preparations, that sorcerer
would rather possess 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 an
involuntary act and as such was not
punishable by law; also there was no
record of the devil having made com
pact with an animal. The public pros
ecutor stated in reply that the evil one
sometimes entered into animals, AS In
the case Of the swine which drowned
themselves In the sea Of Galilee.
So the poor creature was convicted
not as cock, but as sorcerer or per
haps the devil In the form Of n cock,
whereupon the bird and the egg that
was attributed to 1t were solemnly
burned at the stake.
Even stranger than this were the
proceedings Instituted in 1445 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 cotnci-
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 14S7, how
ever, they reappeared, and a complaint
was thereupon addressed to the vicar
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 to
cede the beetles certain fields to their
exclusive use. Some time after the
beetles, through their attorney, pro-
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
lation of the records.-F. G. Evans In
No. Vn,Ir DDot