The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-08-17
MEDIEVAL
JUSTICE
BY ETHEL HOLMES


made. What led him 60 do this wat
that while the people could keep III,
flight OF days by cutting notch on d
stick for every day, they could have
no record OF the parts of days except
by the sun.
This man who invented the clock
his name is lost, so We VIII call him
Gustav-set 1t UP in the tower Of the
church. and the people could go to bed
and get up by its striking the hour
Some of them considered him an angel
who had been sent from heaven for
this very purpose. Straightway they
committed TO his care the town calen-
dar, throwing away the notched sticks,
and after that II was only he who
could tell them when anything that
had been appointed for certain day
was due.
One day young man-Martin Stei-
ger-went to Gustav and said to him:
Gustav, love Katrina, the daagh-
ter Of Frau Tinkhorner, and Katarina
loves me. But her mother is forcing
her to marry old Carl Oberman, who
is rich or supposed TO be. l happen to
know a man from whom 0berman
stole a valuable jewel This mans
name is Kneift, and he has since been
looking all through Germany for the
man who robbed him. Kneift is now
In Munich. If ! go there l can tell
him where Oberman is; he viii come
here; it will be known that Oberman
is a thief and Katrina will be saved
from marrying him"
well, then, why do you not go at
once?"
Katrina in order to gain time has
promised her mother that she will
marry Oberman in seven days from to-
day, binding herself before the judge
to do so. l cannot go to Munich, find
Kneift and bring him back here before
the day set for the wedding. Can you
not so disarrange the calendar so that
few days shall be gained?
''But the people trust me implicitly
in the matter of the fight of time"
what difference will a few days
make to themT
Gustav, who was good fellow, was !
persuaded and told Steiger that he |
would do what he could for him, and !
Steiger set out for Munich TO find /
Kneift and inform him concerning OBJ !
erman's present residence. While |
Martin was gone the clock became
very irregular. One morning it called
tho from thair halc Iaf hn
sun was up and the next struck the
hour for their rising when it was high
In the heavens. Gustav said that he
feared the clock was bewitched
Meanwhile Frau Tinkhorner was
keeping the passage Of the days on her
own account by cutting notch on a
stick for every day that passed. The i,
day before the one set for the wedding {
she informed her daughter that she I
must be married the next day Katrina 5
declared that the time had not yet !
passed within three days and refused
to comply, whereupon her mother sum.
moned her before the Judge, submit.
them and bringing with her the notch =
ed stick to show that the time would !
be up on the morrow. The Judge look. /
ed at It and counted the notches, but =
the evidence Of one interested In the h
case keeping the record did not coin n
eide with his great judicial ideas, and t
he sent for Gustav. t
Gustav" he said, what day Of the c
month will tomorrow beT'
1.-THE 18th, your honor"
"But Frau Tinkhorner says she has 9
kept record and tomorrow will be the y
18th" I
my record by the clock tallies with :,
that" replied Gustav, "but the clock Il
has recently been bewitched and has l.
lost two days" q
"Who has bewitched it?''
Gustav approached the judge ant Of
whispered something in his ear. Sc
Nv hat is your age. Frau Tinkhorn Il
.r?7 asked the judge. Oh
y am forty-eight" p
Tue Judge started "Are you surer Is
he asked. =.
Eyes, your honor; | am just forty a,
light"
The judge dismissed the matter be
ore him and ordered Frau Tinkhornei
nto custody on charge of having be
vitched the town clock Gustav had
whispered to him that the clock hav 81
ng gained exactly forty-eight hours
his indicated that the person who hat III
'ewitched it was forty eight years old
When Frau Tinkhorner admitted thaj u
he was that age 1t was evident she l.;
ad bewitched the clock in order tc
orce her daughter to marry old Ober fo,
lan ahead of time
So Frau Tinkhorner was thrown into SCI
rison. Two days later Martin Steiger
eturned from Munich with Kneift wi
Tho went before the judge and &C.
used Oberman of having stolen a Jew
from him. Oberman was arrested
nd the Jewel found in his effects
But there was nothing TO prove that lli'
lie jewel belonged to Kneift or that
herman had stolen it. 700
The learned judge summed up the
use thus: 1t was plain that the frau
al bewitched fhe clock for the pur-
Dse OF forcing Katrina TO wed Ober-
an. She was sentenced to be burned
the stake. and Oberman was sen s
need to be beheaded.
But Martin and Katrina. having at. =
ined their ends, got up a petition to