The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-10-19
By EVANGELINE c. ROBERTS

Tourists steaming up or down tn.
Rhine looking at the ruins Of medieval
castles on Its banks will pass one es
pecially gloomy looking. No matter
how bright the day. this castle main
tains the same somber appearance.
On moonlight nights 1t stands out
against the Aghter sky like black,
ragged cloud. People inhabiting that
region never pass II or see 1t In the
distance without muttering a prayer
or crossing themselves. There is a
legend connected with the old ruin
that has come down from time when
the castle was In good condition and
regularly occupied by Its last owner.
Baron Muhlenberg.
The baron. runs the legend, was one
of those feudal lords who lived and
whose retainers lived by robbing trav-
elers. Muhlenberg did not descend to
taking purses He was a sort of tax
gatherer. When he saw a merchant
carrying a load OF goods on a road
which ran past the foot OF the Hill on
which his castle was built he would
go down and collect a percentage on
the value of his wares. He also pos
sessed large boat moored below his
castle on the Rhine. and when he sa y
a cargo of goods going either up or
down the river he would send force
out into the stream to collect transit
money. But, by whatever name he
called his collections. they were either
robbery or piracy.
The baron was unfortunate in his
domestic relations His wife was what
In these days we call n nagger, and his
children quarreled with their parents
and with one another. In this way
they finally wore him out and a short
time before his death made such a
clamor. each urging him to leave him
or her large slice of the property he
had accumulated. that they nearly
drove him mad. Indeed. 1t is quite
likely that they did drive him mad,
for on opening his will after his de-
mise they read these words:
| bequeath my castle and all possess
to the devil. My soul commit to a mer-
cful Providence.
This testament threw the ownership
of the castle and the rest of the prop
erty into confusion. The courts would
have divided 1t, as in cases where
there is no will. but the legal heirs
fought each other so fercely that the
estate was never settled. The court
of chancery kept control of it and Of
fered the castle for rent. But no one
seemed DESTROYS to rent it. and 1t re
manned unoccupied for a long while.
One day a man named Siegel went
to the court and said that be would
rent the castle on a ninety-nln year
lease. Such leases were not in vogue
at that time. and the master in chan
Gerry asked him If he wished to sublet
1t to a newly born witch. Siegel de-
clared that he would sublet 1t only to
pious people So the lease was made
out, and Segel was virtually made
owner OF the property. AS for the
money the baron had left that had
all disappeared In the litigation
brought about by the heirs at law.
The first tenant the lessee put into
the castle was Carl Won Schomberg. a
Younger son OF q German nobleman.
Won Schomberg was an excellent man,
and his wife, Hildegarde. was Il saint.
Their landlord promised to make them
perfectly comfortable by putting the
castle In prime order. A great many
repairs were necessary. because since
the death of Baron Muhlenberg no
one had lived there. and the place was
falling into decay. The Schombergs,
who were very honorable persons. did
not doubt that their landlord would
keep his promise and, like many other
tenants nowadays. signed the lease
and took possession. trusting him to
make the repairs at his convenience
He never found 1t convenient
The first night young Schomberg
and his wife slept in the castle there
came terrible storm that would have
rocked the old pile had 1t not been so
solid. But the roof leaked badly. and
a stream OF water came pouring down
on the bed In which the couple lay
The next day Schomberg wrote his
landlord. begging him to attend TO
repairs at once. since he and his wife
had suffered much already from the
leak.
The letter had hardly been sent
before Siegel came up the declivity,
and. meeting Schomberg and his wife
in the courtyard. began to abuse them
violently for endeavoring TO get con
ressions while they paid so small
rent. Schomberg, who had never spo-
ken an unklndly word to any one In
his life, fell into a rage with the man
and spoke to him so violently that his
wife dragged him into the castle
Then she went out again and told Sic
gel that they would themselves make
all the repairs needed and he need not
trouble himself about them.
The landlord went away. but came
back occasionally on pretense OF as
surfing himself that his tenants want
ed for nothing This was especially
irritating. because they knew that II
they should ask him to make any re-
pairs they would call down upon
themselves q torrent of abuse. He
had q very bad effect on the husband.
and after awhile when the wife saw
their landlord coming up the hill she
would try to get Carl out of the way
and receive Siegel herself.