Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-29

cause he d1SpleaSed at seeing so many
churches in Hideshem. He did not throw it
with sufficient force, however, and it thus fell
short of his aim
His displeasure with churches displayed
in yet another way. One of the stones on the
outside wall of the cathedral bears the figure
of a horn apparently burnt into its surface.
This is due to the devils listening to sermon
at this particular point. 1t seems that he
was told of a monk who was preaching zeal
ously against him and bringing all his malicious
tricks to public notice. Wishing to convince
himself of this, he went to the wall directly
outside of the spot where the preacher stood
and leaned his ear against it. Like all caves
troopers, he heard good of himself and
went away in i'll humor, leaving behind the
imprint of a redhOt horn evidence of his
irritation.
The Merchants Undoing
On the north side of the old Rathaus,
~ sharp eye can decipher the following inscrp-
ton in old German, carved in stone: Dat 1I
de Gdren Mdthe" Chat is the yarn measure).
These words refer to an avaricious yarn
merchant who cheated all his customers.
When he bought he used a measure larger
than the law allowed, and when he sold he
took one as much smaller After his death
he appeared one night at the bedside of his
wife and complained bitterly of the pains he
suffered in hell because of his dishonest prac
tees. Throwing an iron yardstlck on the
table, he exclaimed, Dat ist de Gdren MdtreE'
woman to avoid his dreadful fate by using the
rightful measure.
In the morning her first glance fell on the
table where he had thrown the yardstick; but
nothing was there. She saw a assure an ell
long, however, which had the appearance of
being burned through the wood and not only
did the table show this crack. but it to
be seen the floor, as well as on the ceilings
and floors of all the rooms below, even in the
cellar, where it was SO deep that the longest
pole failed to touch bottom.
The unhappy widow was in such anguish
over the frightful doom of her husband that
she could not keep the story to herself, and
thus it reached the of the chief magistrate.
He had the cleft in the table measured by one
of his officials, who found that it correspondent
exactly to the legal measure; and for warn
ing to future generations the words spoken
by the repentant merchant were carved on the
RathauS wall
The Burgomasters Son
TWO districts of the city bear the name of
Freihett (Freedom) These the pre-
cincts of the cathedral (DomtreilteiD and of
the Church of the Cross (KreusfreiheiD, which
formerly lay without the jurisdiction of the
magistracy Criminals who took refuge in
these districts could not be arrested, since they
were under the holy protection of the church.
On the foundation wall of house near the
north gate of the churchyard OF Saint Andreas
may be seen carving representing two daggers
crossed. This was made many years ago, when
the law of the Freiheits was still in force, and
commentaries duel fought on that spot.
The of the burgomaster and another youth
of noble family fell into quarrel before this
house, and after bitter dispute they drew
swords 1t was not long before the former dealt
his opponent a fatal blow, and forthwith fled
through the churchyard and thence through
a maze of narrow streets to reach the kreuz-
freiheit. Breathless, he succeeded in gaining the
"Neuen Schdden," which belonged to the
Freiheit The inn was carefully guarded by
the authorities in order to seize him should
he ever leave the precinct; but this he never
attempted. His father was rich and bought
the house for him. He carried it on as host
and never left it.
Always watched as a criminal through life,
he lived to old age; but when he died Christian
burial was denied him as having been one
who had shed blood. The Capuchin monks,
however, to whom he had been exceedingly
generous took his body secretly by night and
walled it up so skilfully in of their cloisters
that no search was ever able to discover the
place Thus he rested in consecrated ground
in spite of the law.