The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-09-26
TRIALS FOR ANIMALS.
Curious Custom That Prevailed
In the Middle Ages.
PROSECUTED FOR HOMICIDE.

IA Bull That Killed Man Found
Guilty, Sentenced 70 Death and Exc-
cuted--Fate Of Cock That Was
Charged With Having Laid sn Eco.
Among the many curious customs Of
the past is recorded q 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.
ccnth century, and the French court
records show that at least riinety-two
trials took place between i120 and
lT4i,
There Ii some Biblical precedent for
these proceedings, for In the twenty.
tirst chapter Of Exodus one finds, III
m OK gore d man or woman that
they die, then the OK shall be stoned.
aud his flesh shall not be eaten"
An early instance Of tho custom was
In 1914. when bull escaped from a
farmyard In a village 10 France 10 the
dnchy Of valois and gored man TO
death. The Count Of valoIs, being In.
formed or 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
dictcd by strangulation, after which
The carcass was suspended from o
tree by TIE hind legs.
In 1896 SOW was executed In the
square OF Ifalalse for having caused
the death OF a child. and th-sa years
inter horse was condemned 10 death
at DlJon for having killed man. ln
1867 SOW aud her Six young ones
were tried NJ I.ayegny 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 lnexperience. the
bad example of their mother and the
absence OF direct evidence Of their
having partakcn Of the atrocious feast
One Of the most grotesque Of these
trials took place In Basel when a
farmyard cock was tried on the ABB
surd charge OF having laid an egg, II
was contendcd In support Of the prose.
cution that eggs laid BY cocks were Of
lncstimablc 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 an
Involuntary act and as such wns not
punishable by law; also there was no
record Of the devil having made com
pact with nm 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 a cock
wherenpon the bird and the egg that
was attributed to II were solemnly
burned at the stake.
Even stranger than this were the
proceedings Instituted in 1445 and l4S7
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 complaint
was thereupon addressed to the vicar
general of the bishop Of Maurienne,
who named a 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 a right of way
through these fields which would be
to their detrlnlent Consequently the
case had to begin again, but how il
ended Is not known, owing to the mutt
] latlon Of tle records.--E. 9. Evans IN