The Press., 1915-02-03

were starting their day at all sorts of 1 hours. But they were no worse off in this respect than before the clock was | set up-that is, in cloudy weather. when the sundial cast no shadow and when they once got started in the i morning the clock pursued steady course for the rest of the time they were out of bed
 | The day before the execution came round stake was embedded in the ground and fagots arranged about it in such fashion that they would make hot fire. Most of the people were plunged in sorrow, for they loved Gretchen, apd even if she were witch she might have been bewitched by an other, which would not have been her own fault. But all agreed she must not be permitted to bewitch others, and the only way to prevent that was to put her out of the way.
 On the morning of the execution the people awoke, according to the clock, at the proper hour, and it was gener- ally presumed that the witch, in view of the early relinquishment of all pow. CT to harm human beings had with drawn from troubling them. Gretchen was to be burned at noon, and there was to be holiday to witness the burning. The mayor of Strassburg went to his office early to give his final or. ders concerning the execution. He found waiting for him Josef Breit who said to him:
 Most worthy mayor, I have a con fession to make. On the night follow. ing the sentence of Gretchen Borchert I, believing her to be innocent, knelt at the base of the clock tower and prayed to the clock that if she had been wrong. ly accused to tell me how to save her, whereupon the clock asked me how many days would elapse before the ex- ecution. When I replied that fourteen days must pass, the clock told me to set its hands ahead twentyfour hours during the interval, so that day would be lost. 1 did so, and know, o worthy mayor, that yesterday was the day fixed by law for the execution of the witch.''
 The mayor looked at Josef dum- founded, not speaking for some time; then he said:
 ''What right had you to tamper with the clock which regulates all our ac- tiOnS:'
 ''The authority of the clock itself. have told you prayed to it that if the girl were innocent it should tell me how to avert her execution. The clock then told me how, by moving its bands. l might lose the day fixed by law from the calendar
 The mayor at once sent for the chief citizens of the town and told them what had happened. Some of them believed Gretchen innocent and some believed her guilty. The former argued that by setting the clock ahead the day fixed for the execution had passed, the latter argued that it had simply chang ed the day from the one appointed to the one after, but no one contended that the moving of the hands had no effect on the calendar.
 So it was that these two factions argued with each other, at first peace ably, each endeavoring to convince the other; then eXcitedly and with loud voices till at last they came to blows. They fought each other the rest of the morning. Finally Josef went out and, looking at the clock, told them it was long past noon, the hour for the execu- tion. Then the mayor, who had wait ed to make the contest between the factions a trial of force, which was still in vogue in those days, to decide
  and said:
 '"There is every reason to assume that the girl is innocent. In the first place, Josef prayed that he might be instructed only if she were innocent; secondly, am convinced that if had permitted the fight to go on those who contended for her innocence would nave won; thirdly, we have no wise nan with ns to tell us what effect the clock has had on the day of execution. whether the day was yesterday, is to- day or will be tomorrow. I therefore order that the culprit be set free"
 Josef rushed to the jail to impart the good news to Gretchen, who, on receiv ing it, fell into his arms in a swoon AS soon as the order of the mayor ar rived Josef led his sweetheart out into the light of day. Citizens who had heard of the turn the affair had taken stood at the door and lined the street to congratulate their fayorite on her escape. They insisted that Josefs and Gretchen's progress be made we'd ding procession, and the couple went straight to the church and were mar ried
 AS for Gretc11en's accuser, she took to flight, fearing the vengeance of her