Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-10-02

pecially gloomy looking. No matter
how bright the day. this castle main
tains the same somber appearance.
/ On moonlight nights it stands out
against the lighter sky like a black,
ragged cloud. People inhabiting that
region never pass it or see it in the
distance without muttering a prayer
or crossing themselves. There is g
legend connected with the old ruin
that has come down from a 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 n 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 a large boat moored below lis
castle on the Rhine, and when he saw
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 a nagger, and his
children quarreled with their parents
and with one another. In this way
him and n short
time before his death made such a
clamor. each urging him to leave him
or her q large slice of the property he
had accumulated, that they nearly
drove him mad. Indeed, it is quite
likely that they did drive him mad.
for on opening his will after his de-
mise they read these words:
I bequeath my castle and all possess
10 the devil My zoul I commit to mer-
ciful Providence.
This testament threw the ownership
Of the castle and the rest of the prop
erty into confusion. The courts would
have divided it, 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 n long while.
One day n man named Siegel went
to the court and said that he would
rent the castle on a ninety-nine year
lease. Such leases were not in vogue
at that time, and the master in chan
Gerry asked him if he wished to sublet
it to a newly born witch. SieSel de
clared that he would sublet it only TO
pious people. SO the lease was made
out, and Siegel 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,
younger son of a German nobleman.
Won Schomberg was an excellent man,
and his wife, Hildegarde. was 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 NIuhlenberg no
one had lived there, and the place was
falling into decay. The SchomberSs,
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 it convenient
The first night young SchomberS
and his wife slept in the castle there
came terrible storm that would have
rocked the old pile had it not been so
solid But the roof leaked badly, and
Il stream Of water came pouring down
on the bed in which the compile lay.
The next day Schonberg 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
cessions while they paid so small a
rent. SchOmberg, who had never spo-
ken an unkindly 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 moi
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 |
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 1
had a very bad effect on the husband, |
and after awhile when the wife saw |
their landlord coming ~ the. pin she /
would try to get Carl out Of Tie way |
aud receive Siegel herself
The ScbDmbergs had signed long /
Tease. for when they went into the
castle they expected to make It theiI
home. They proposed to Siegel Il