Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1912-03-06

iourfsts steuuiink up OF down the
Rhine looking ut the ruins OF medieval
castles on It's banks viii pass one es-
peciaily gloomy looking No matter
how hrigh, the day. this castle main
tains the same somber appearance
On moonlight nights 1t stands out
against the lighter sky like a black.
ragged cloud People inhabiting that
region never pass IL or see it in the
distance without mutteriug a prayer
or crossing themselves There IL a
legend connected with the old ruin
that has come down from time when
the castle was In good condition aud
regularly occupied by its last owner.
Baron Muhienberg.
The baron. runs the legend. was one
OF those feada lords who lived aud
whose retainers lived by ro2blng tray
eiers. Mnhlenberg did not descend TO
taking purses He was sort of tax
eatherer When he saw merchant
carrying load OF goods on road
which ran past the foot OF the hill on
whirh bis castle was built he would
go down and collect percentage on
the value Of his wares. He also pos
scssed large boat moored below his
castle on the Rhine. and when. be saw
cargo Of goods going either mp or
down the river be would send a force
out into the stream TO collect transit
money. But. by whatever name fie
called his collections, they were either
robbery or piracy
In Ia
domestic relations. His wife was what
10 these davs we call a naeger, and hts
children quarrelpd with their parents
and with one another. In this way
ihey finally wore him out and short
time before his death made such a
clamur, each urging him 10 leave him
or her large slice Of the property he
drove him mad Indeed. II is quite
likely that they did drive him mad
for on opening his viii after his de-
mise they read these words:
/ heeucath my csstle and all possess
20 the aevti sly s0ui commit to a rner-
eifui Providence.
This testament threw the ownership
OF the castle and the rest Of the prop
erty into confusion. Tie courts would
have divided It, as In cases where
there Is no will. but the legal heirs
fought each other 80 derceiy that the
estate WIS never settled. The court
of chapcery kept control of IL and OF
iered the castle for rent. But no one
seemed DESTROYS TO rent il. and IL re-
manned unoccnpied for long while
One day man named Siegel went
TO the court and said that he would
rent the castle on IA ninety-nlne year
lease Such leases were not in vogue
al that time. and the master In chan
Gerry asked him IL be wished to sublet
Il to newly born witch. Siegel de-
clared that he would sublet IL only to
pious people. SO the lease was made
out. aud Siegel was virtually MAGE
owner of the property As for the
money the baron had left. that bad
all disappeared In the litigation
brought about by the heirs nj law.
The tirst tenant the lessee put into
the castle was Carl Won Schomberg, a
Younger son Of a German nooieman.
Won Schomberg was an excellent man''
aud 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 Muhienberg no
one had lived there. and the place was
failing 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 II convenient
The first night young Schomberg
and his wife slept In the castle there
came a terrible storm that would have
rocked the oio pile bad II 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 be and his wife
had suffered much already from the
leak
The letter bad hardly been sent
before SIegel came up the dechvity'
and. meeting Schomberg and bis wife
in the courtyard. began TO abuse them
violently for epdeavoring to get con
cessions while they paid so small
rent. Schomberg. who had never spo
ken an unkindly word to any one In
his life. fell into q rage with the man
and spoke to him 50 violently that his
wife dragged him into the castle
Then she went ont agaia and told Sic
gel that they would themselves MAKE
ali the repairs needed and he need NOT
trouble himself about them
The landlord went away. but came
back occasionally on pretense OF a.
rurtng himself that his tenants want
I'd for nothing This was especiaiiy
irritating. because they knew that