Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 10.pdf/384

 A Strange Tribunal of Bavaria. cording to right and custom a Haberfeldtreiben is to take place in our district. In the emperor's name I charge you to send forth messengers between this day and the day of the new moon, in order that all evil deeds done in secret, which are a disgrace to the district, may be duly censured and punished. Let none know the names of the victims, for, according to the ancient saying, ' Justice shall come like fire at mid night.' Do ye therefore keep sign and watchword according to your oath. And now I proclaim my summons to the four winds of Heaven. Whosoever has a com plaint to lay before the Emperor and the Habergericht, let him appear, lodge his complaint, and bring his evidence ere I strike the ground three times with my staff." The accuser then stepped forward and cried : " Herr Richter, I accuse! I accuse!" whereupon the Meister inquired his name and that of the subject of his complaint. Having learned these things he demanded proof of the truth of the accusation, and when this was given, all the Haberer rose, and the Meister said : — "Once more I ask of thee, before our Lord God, and in the name of the emperor, complainant, dost thou abide by thine ac cusation?" "I do abide!" "Should it be false, wilt thou be answer able with flesh and blood, with honor and property?" "I will!" "Then do I demand for the third time, Is there any one in this court who can plead for the accused?" If no voice was raised to defend the ab sent one, the Meister then turned to one of the elders and said : " Rugmeister, I deliver him over to thee, even as I reject these ears of corn and cast them on the ground. Do thou see that he escapes not punishment. Now away with all to the four winds. Lead the complainant forth and then disperse. The judgment is given." Immediately the

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lantern was extinguished and the Haberer went their various ways. Next morning some potter in the vicinity, on going to his work, would find chalked on a board an order for ten or a dozen gigantic earthenware trumpets, five or six feet long. Then he would know that a Haberfeldtreiben was at hand. These trum pets he would be directed to deposit at a certain spot on a certain night; and on his carrying out his instructions he would in due time find his payment money placed mysteriously somewhere on his premises, or perhaps in his pocket. In the depth of night the people of the village would be startled from their slumber by a sudden and tremendous uproar, a per fect pandemonium, an acoustic chaos from tin pans, trumpets, cow-horns, bells, whistles, drums, and firearms, and rising hastily they would find one of the houses surrounded by the Haberer. To add to the confusion all was dark, save for the light given by one small and solitary lantern. The people inside the house around which this demon stration was made, would await develop ments with fear and trembling. They would fain light the lamps, but they dare not. Presently a shrill whistle sounded over the din, and instantly all became silent. Then the crier of the tribunal stepped forward and proclaimed — This is the Haberfeldtreiben; To all of every station, we hereby state — And Kaiser Karl must sign the declaration! The Haberfeldtreiben now are here Keep silence all within and hear; Give heed to every fire and light Lest harm should come to you this night; But first we'll read aloud the list, To see that none of us is missed.

Every member had a fictitious name, derived from some old celebrity, and these names were now read over: Prince Eugene, Joseph the Second, the Bishop of Brixen, the Magistrate of Tolz, Napoleon, Andreas Hofer, King Max, the Forester of Bayre| brunn, and names of such sort were called,