Blandford Weekly News. — 1886-10-16 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

HORRORS OF A PEASANT RISING. On Easter morning, 1525, a black wave of peasants appeared rolling down the hill sides upon the town of Weinsberg and speedily surrounded it. They were under the winmand of two men, Florian Geyer and Little Jack (Jaeklein Rohsbacher). As theirstandard, they carried a pole with a shoe on top of it. 13,•fore the host hovered a black-draped hag, screaming, her incantations, to make the rebels invulnerable. This was the "Black Hoffmann," a witch possessing great influence over the minds of the peasants. When they surrounded the walls they summoned the place to surrender. "Open your gates," they shouted, "or you shall all be put to the edge of the sword. Every person and thing will be burnt or killed." A shower of bullets was the reply. Soon, however, the peasants swarmed over the walls, and the count and the soldiers retired to the castle, whilst the citizens fled to the church. They were unable to hold out. The garrison offered to surrender if their lives were spared, and promised to pay a ransom. "A ton of gold would not suffice," was the answer, "we want your flesh." The soldiers were butchered. One was ordered to jump from the top of the tower on to the lances and pitchforks below. "I would rather jump up than down," he answered. This elicited a roar of laughter and his life seas spared. The insurgents stood in two rows, armed with scythes,swords, and pitchforks, forming a lane, and the prisoners were ordered to run down this lane, to be hacked to pieces by the weapons. "Count Louis of Helfenstem," said Little Jack, "you shall open the dance." At this moment the countess, with her babe in her arms,burst through the crowd and flung herself at the feet of the captain. imploring pardon for her husband. "Friends," shouted Little Jack, "look at me, how I treat the daughter of an emperor." He threw her down and knelt on her breast. Then a peasant, standing by. threw his sword at her, and wounded the babe, whose blood spirted over its mother's face. Then Little Jack ordered the men to raise and hold up the countess, and force her to see the murder of her husband. He also commanded a fiddler to strike up a dance tune and go before the count, capering down the lane. Count Helfenstein had not gonefarbeforehe fell: then the Black Hoffmann, the witch, rushed after him, and' literally tore him to pieces with her hands. Then a cart was heaped with dung, and the poor countess, hugging her bleeding babe, was mounted on it, and so driven away, among the jeers and yells of the insurgents. The peasants, finding that the princes were arming against them, gave the command of their host to a notorious robber—Knight Goetz with the Iron Hand; but the host was quite undisciplined, and when they had plundered a castle or a town, or an abbey, hastened home with their booty. The Truchsess (steward)of Waldburg marched at the head of an army against the rebels and succeeded in defeating them. Other princes also met them and routed them, and at last the insurrection was put down.—The SY,ory of the Nations : Germany. By S. Baring Gould, M.A.  A Hibernian gentleman, when told by his nephew that he had just entered college with a view to the church. said: " I hope that I may live to hear you uraseh rev funeral sermon."