Page:Early Reminiscences.djvu/95

Rh Fritzsche and his wife had both seen and heard much that was mysterious. Often in the passages strange shadows had glided by them, and lights had appeared in places where no earthly illumination could have taken place. During the night terrible sounds were heard; doors flew open, and shut with a bang, untouched by human hands. Worse than this, one evening, as Frau Fritzsche was at her window, she saw a man issue from the tower, who bowed thrice to her, and bade her bring a sack and follow him, as he would lead her to where the treasure would be found. She was so frightened that she fainted, and was found insensible on the floor by her husband. Fritzsche himself did not feel equal to prosecuting the search, but, having heard of Hänel as a friend of the spirits, he not only consulted him, but invited him and his wife to come and live in his house. To this the ghost-seer agreed, and accordingly the Hänel family, with the poor children they had adopted, moved into the castle. For six months Hänel prayed up to one o'clock in the morning, that God would reveal to him the hidden treasure. One night, about nine o'clock, the Grey Man stood at his side and promised to show him the hidden gold on Ascension Day. And now the Grey Man was accompanied by three, sometimes by five other spirits, who attended Hänel as he prayed. He had erected a little private altar, on which stood a crucifix, a pair of iron candlesticks and burning wax tapers.

By order of the spirits Fritzsche gave up his business as baker and dismissed his attendant man and maid.

And now began a most extraordinary course of procedure. Hänel professed that at the appointed time he had been shown and had examined the treasure, and he declared that he had been ordered to arrange a room in the castle with hangings, paintings, ribbons and flower vases for its reception, the day for which was named. But, to decorate the apartment demanded money, and Hänel had to borrow right and left, and he spent the loans in decorations, mostly out of gold paper and tinsel.

On the very day, however, on which the treasure was to be removed, he was arrested as a rogue, and transported to prison.

There he was subjected to several and protracted examinations, and numerous witnesses were called up to testify as to his