Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1916-10-13

was aHtonlshed not 10 see him al all
Moreover, there was strange stiffness
In the room, the silence Of absence OF
any living thing The man, thinking
that, after all, his prisoner might have
carried out his threat, went TO the
chimney, fearing that no might see his
body dangling there, There was moth.
Ing In the lowcr part, and, looking up,
he saw only small patch Of blue sky.
with fear aud trembling the jaller
sent word TO the count that his prison.
or had vanished, In order to shield
himself, he declared that he had heard
strange sounds overhead during the
night, lie believed that his prisoner
had carried out his threat to hang him
self and that witches had carried of
the body,
That was ant age when people, instead
Of looking for natural causes, inferred
everything TO supernatural interior.
cncc, The count so far leaned to the
i0ilcrs opinion that he did not look far
for n means Of theprlsoner's escape, He
examined the only outlet, the chimney,
and satisfied himself that Conrad could
not have climbed the nue. In those
days chlmneys were very large, and
for one to work himself up nue by
his knees on one side and his back on
the other was impossible, Conrad must
have hung himself, and there was no
accounting for the disappearance Of
the body except that the witches had
carried It or.
The jaller's suggestion saved him
from punishment, and the count was
obliged TO forcgo the ransom, lie was
becoming rcconclled to his dlsappoint-
mcnt when one day nelghbor Of Con-
RAIDS came across the border and re-
ported the suicide living at home in
comfort with his wife and children.
The count was astonished, Indeed,
he would not believe the report until
he had sent spy into the enemy's
country TO learn the truth. When the
spy returned and said that he had seen
Conrad sitting before his door, the
count was convinced that he was there.
But the spy. believing that witches had
assisted Conrad to get away, supposed
himself 10 he under the influence Of his
Imagination Conrad was sitting mo-
tiOnleSs at the time, and the spy got the
idea into his head that he was q corpse.
He reported that he had watched the
figure ten long minutes, in all Of which
time 1t made no motion.
The count dlsgruntcd mt having lost
his ransom and not satisfied with his
spy's report, sent another, who saw
Conrad chopplng wood. This disposed
Of the theory that witches had carried
back the corpse Of suicide, and the
count determined to make n raid into
n view to again carrying or the wealthy
Conrad.
Now, Conrads home was near the
border, and all the count had to do
was to send force across, kidnap Con.
rad and carry him away before any of
the baronS forces could be brought TO
protect him. But 1t happened that
Joan had been looking out Of the win.
dow when the second spy saw her hus-
band choppiEg wood and watched the
man slipping away, as he supposed,
unnoticed. Joan suspected what this
meant and straightway took precau-
tons. She sent one Oldershow, n
nclghbor, to Count Hastings domain
10 win the confidence Of the count and
agree for consideration to entice Con-
rad away from his home so that he
could he readily captured. This man
succeeded in his object. At the same
time he was instructed by Joan to re-
port that Joan was witch.
This confirmed Count Hastings be-
lief in the jailer's suggestion that
witches had been instrumental in Con.
RAIDS disappearance, but he attributed
the removal to one witch. Conrad
wife. Nevertheless, he was so averSe
to being beaten even by witch that
he accepted Oldershow's offer and,
having paid him round sum, sent a
dozen men with him to kidnap Conrad.
The expedition approached Conrad's
house In the evening cleaning, and
what was their horror to see the man
they were after hanging by the neck
to tree near his house. They at once
took to flight and never stopped run
ming till they had reached their start
ing point, having left Oldershow be-
hind them. They reported what they
had seen to the count, and Odershow,
returning entered Conrad's house and
poured heap of gold he had received
for his work in Toan's lap.
This ended Count Hastings efforts
to regain possession Of Conrad, for he
was convinced of his being managed
by a witch, that witch being Joan.
But he sent messenger to Baron Ell
Ginbrod to say that the baron had a
witch in his dominions, and II he did
not get rid Of her she would infect the
whole country.
Upon this the baron sent for Joan
and asked her what truth there was
I'm the counts charge.