Bader-Ann

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Sculpture erected in 1994 in memory of Bader-Ann who was executed as a "witch" in Veringenstadt (artist: Monika Geiselhart ( Reutlingen ))
Warning plaque to remember the "witch hunt"
First performance of the witch of Veringen by J. Straubinger, Salmendingen. December 1933 in Veringenstadt.

Bader-Ann (* 1619 in Leiße; † June 8, 1680 in Veringenstadt ) was executed as a witch. The Veringenstadt City Archives contain the minutes of the witch trial against Anna Kramer, known by the population as Bader-Ann , and Veringenstadt 's witch shirt is kept in the Veringenstadt Local History Museum. This shirt should have the power to prevent the devil's influence on the person wearing this shirt. The shirt was spun, woven and sewn by seven thirteen-year-old children from May 10 to 17, 1680, i.e. in seven days. Consecrated “magic notes” were sewn into the seams. Bader-Ann had to wear it during her interrogations.

Bader-Ann was convicted as a witch and beheaded and burned on June 8, 1680.

Anna Kramer's childhood

At the time of the Thirty Years' War , towards the end of 1619, Anna Kramer was born in Leiße, a village near Cologne that has now passed away . Her parents were the day laborer Johann Kramer and his wife Elisabet Reisthal. A few years after her birth, Anna's mother died of the plague and after a while her father had a second marriage. But the stepmother kept the child very strictly, which is why Anna was taken in the following year by her cousin , the widow Margareta Eitler, who had no children of her own, for a small fee for care and upbringing in their house. When Anna was twelve years old, her father also died. The cousin no longer received any boarding money, but still kept Anna with her. During the terrible times and the great hardship of the Thirty Years War, she grew up to be a physically beautiful young woman who was already loving the iron wire puller Johann Wortmann at the age of 14.

Anna's first marriage

In the autumn of 1634 a division of the Swabian district troops, the so-called Truchsess-Scheerische company , which was under the command of Count Christof Karl, Truchsess zu Waldburg-Scheer, moved to Leiße to take winter quarters. Three men came into the base's house: the “Schnapphau”, the “Füllehans”, both from Sigmaringen , and the field doctor or doctor of the company, Albert Kohler from Veringenstadt. After a short time Anna entered into a love affair with Albert Kohler and a quarter of a year later, on February 20, 1635, the two married on Shrove Tuesday.

After the wedding, the young couple lived with the base for a short time until the Truchsess-Scheerische company had to march back into the field at the beginning of May and moved back and forth in the country for over a year. Anna always followed her husband undaunted and was mostly in the company of the Rittmeister's wife, who she served against payment.

In autumn 1636 her husband was released from the company and 16-year-old Anna moved with him to his home town of Veringenstadt. There her husband received the bath room and some fields from his mother . The father, who died in his absence, was a barber or a bader (city doctor), and this position was now taken over by the son. The bathing room was on the Lauchert by the mill and was connected to a real bathing establishment.

Since then Anna has been called the "Bader-Ann" in Veringenstadt. For the first 21 years she lived in peace with her husband and neighbors. Her husband, the Bader Albert Kohler, was ailing for a long time and died in 1656. During their marriage, she had given birth to five children, three of whom were still alive when her father died: Albrecht (17 years old) and their younger daughters Johanna and Maria.

Anna's second marriage

In 1657, after a brief widowhood, at the age of 37, she married the 51-year-old farrier Andreas Endriß, whose third wife had died shortly before. She left the bathroom to her son Albrecht, who was to continue the business. Anna moved in with her second husband in the smithy on the market square.

In her second marriage, Bader-Ann soon felt very unhappy. She did not find the usual, good-natured Bader in her husband, but a rough, quick-tempered "evil sworn" and "curse", for whom she not only did the extensive housework, but also did a lot of arduous field business every day, for which she rarely did a friendly one Got word. That is why she secretly ran out of the smithy just five weeks after her second wedding and, after moving around a little, went back to the bathroom.

She did not like to stay at home, but preferred to move to the neighboring towns, where she often appeared as a healer and is said to have achieved success, especially with diseases of women and children. In the beginning she used various herbs, potions and other natural remedies, later she used "all kinds of hocus-pocus", which gradually aroused all kinds of suspicions against herself.

After several persuasions and on promises from her second husband, she returned to him after a few days, but the new things soon became worse than the old ones and where, according to the smith himself, he was often beaten by him: "like a garb" . Sometimes they seduced such a "hell spectacle" together, even on the public street, that many people were bothered by it and complained to the mayor about it. But neither the admonitions of the mayor, arrest and fines helped.

First complaints

That is why the mayor and council of the city of Veringen turned to the princely authority in Sigmaringen in a complaint on May 23, 1658 and reported: “What makes Andreas Endriß and his housewife Anna Kramer an angry life day and night, with angry swearing, swearing , Desecration, abuse, beating and other unreasonable things, from which manslaughter, fire or other disasters could result, and ask for a stop, since they can no longer tolerate such, in fear of divine punishment for an entire community ”. This step was followed by some calm and seclusion and in 1660 Bader-Ann gave birth to a son named Bartle. However, in the end there was no improvement in the marital relationship, rather the old arguments broke out again with great anger.

First charge of witchcraft

Now the murmur got louder and louder in Veringenstadt and the surrounding area that Bader-Ann was “nothing right”, “nothing good”, “an evil person”, “a monster”. In autumn 1668 the widow Anna Herre even accused her of witchcraft . She claimed that she had received a bewitched mousse from Bader-Ann, which made her deathly ill. After taking consecrated Theriac , she vomited and spat out a living worm similar to a lizard. From this everyone can see that the porridge came from an evil person and that Bader-Ann was a witch . There was a lot of gossip and gossip about it, which led some to believe that this or that unexplained accident was also caused by Bader-Ann.

Bader-Ann did not want to let this rest, however, and her husband filed a lawsuit with the Vice Chancellor in Sigmaringen for revocation and rescue of her honor. The Vice Chancellor made a small investigation and on November 21, 1668 interrogated nine other people in addition to the widow Herre, all of whom had previously testified against Bader-Ann. However, all only voiced the suspicion that Bader-Ann might have caused the accidents that happened to them. She is also scolded as a witch by her own husband. Since her husband protested that he knew nothing and that this speech had only escaped him in anger, they were all asked to remain silent. But the mayor was asked to collect any further evidence, because Bader-Ann was suspicious and such a person who always cursed, swore, disgraced, scolded, insulted and led a being that it was to be merciful in heaven, which is why her a revocation must also be denied. This opened the door to denunciation and gradually so many reports came that the higher authority felt compelled to initiate a larger investigation.

General Inquisition against Bader-Ann

On June 15, 1676, a general inquisition against the Bader-Ann was carried out at Veringenstadt , in which one citizen after another was interrogated. Many confessed that they know nothing but what they have to hear every day everywhere, even from the children in the street, namely that Bader-Ann is “nothing right” and “nothing good”. Others brought up void grounds for suspicion, or told of their suspicious behavior and of their incompatible ungodly behavior towards others, that they quarreled with them, threatened them, or wished evil, and as a result their body or property would have been harmed; But no one could prove that she was really the cause of such damage, but also no one stood up for her innocence, not even her husband or her own son. In this way the second investigation ended as inconclusive as the first.

Maleficent charge

Soon afterwards, a new impetus for serious legal action against Bader-Ann was given by her closest neighbor, the bricklayer Mathias Allgaier, who had always said in the past that he knew nothing wrong about her. He insisted stiffly that she had "maleficised" his wife, who died in March 1680, and his son Paule, who became seriously ill on March 29, and had bewitched them. From April 2nd he repeated his accusations against her with stormy zeal until the city council sent the mayor to Sigmaringen with a letter to Vice Chancellor and Councilor Johannes Kirsinger on April 29th, 1680. It is emphasized that the bricklayer Mathias Allgaier appears at every council meeting and denounces the Bader-Ann "rationo maleficii", and today he declared that he could not and does not want to stay next to her, either she or he had to go out of life. For the prevention of greater evil, may Mr. Chancellor order the appropriate. Allgaier did not wait for the reply, but on May 1, 1680, wrote a petition to the prince directly, arguing that Bader-Ann had attacked his son Paule in a maleficent way and made a miserable person, his wife and also Ross and He has infected cattle in his stable and has caused much other damage, which is why his most humble, heart-rending, pleading pleading goes that, for the sake of the justice and mercy of God, princely graces want to order that this harmful person should be judged and rightly recognized to be carried out on her, because otherwise he would have to worry about his complete downfall and the whole city and landscape of great evil, the spoilage of the crops and other things. He certainly knew how all evil had come upon him through this Bader-Ann, and could affirm with good and blood, with life and death that she had done such a miserable maleficence to him and others.

arrest

Torture shirt of Anna Kramerin, who was burned as a "witch" in Veringenstadt in 1680. Flax; Plain weave; hand-sewn 135 × 90 cm; 17th century.

On May 4, 1680, the Vice Chancellor investigated the matter, visited and interrogated Paule Allgaier at his sick bed and received a number of complaints at the town hall. The court took further steps on the determined allegations and urgent evidence of Mathias Allgaier and his son Paule. The Vice Chancellor referred the matter to the Prince and was charged with arresting and interrogating the accused.

On Thursday, May 9th, he sent his clerk to Veringenstadt with an arrest warrant, where he was supposed to arrest Bader-Ann in the night from Thursday to Friday, but only at the beginning of Friday. Bader-Ann, who no longer felt safe at home, had been hanging around the neighborhood for a few days, but just came home late on Thursday evening and was then taken at 1:00 a.m. by the town servant from Veringen and the clerk from Sigmaringen Brought to prison and guarded. Notified of this "happy" event by a hurrying extra messenger, Vice Chancellor Dr. Johannes Kirsinger with the secretary and registrar Sturm immediately to Veringenstadt on Friday May 10th. Once there, he heard that the arrested woman was trapped in the lower gate tower, which is why he, for fear of being bewitched, did not dare to pass this gate. So he took his way along the left bank of the Lauchert and rode into the upper gate. At the town hall he made all the orders that were necessary for the amicable and embarrassing questioning (contra Veneficii) of witches. He had holy water, maleficent wax, designated things, a devil hostage, rods, vinegar, sulfur, black caraway seeds and other things brought to the courtroom, ordered the torture chamber and the torture tools to be in good condition, and ordered the manufacture of a witch's shirt, with it on the following Friday If necessary, the first embarrassing question or torture of what it was indispensable for could take place was to select two court assessors from the city council who were neither related nor hostile to the arrested, reminded the executioners de fidelitat et tociturnitate and gave them and others many orders.

First interrogation

Bader-Ann, who was accused of witchcraft, was first interrogated on Saturday, May 11, 1680, in the presence of the Princely Chancellor Dr. Johannes Kirsinger and his registrar Sturm, both from Sigmaringen, as well as the mayor Georg Epple and the city councilor Johannes Heberle, both from Veringenstadt. (Duration from 8 a.m. to 12 noon).

The city servant should first report suspicious facts. He said that when he was arrested he noticed a toad in front of the house and a black cat in the doorway, he had seen and heard nothing wrong with the arrested woman, she always said she was innocent and knew nothing.

Now the Bader-Ann was presented. After her personal details had been established, she was bombarded with a lot of leading questions, whether she had become faint-hearted, had impatient speeches, wishing nothing wrong, whether no one came to her and so on, to which she usually only replied with "yes" or "no". When she could not be dealt with in this way, the list of questions from Christophorus Besoldus was presented to her, about faith, religion, God, saints, sacraments, the devil, his renunciation, service, etc.

She was then questioned about the many lawsuits against her, but that did nothing either. The great suspicion that weighed on her was repeatedly held against her and she was warned to give the thorough truth in kindness so that one would not be forced to other means. She protested her innocence and complained about the injustice that was done to her by being charged with this vice. After the transcript was read to her, she was taken to the prison.

Second interrogation

Second interrogation on Wednesday, May 15, 1680 by the same people. Duration from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the afternoon. - Because the defendant Bader-Ann denied all allegations against her even today, the plaintiffs or witnesses were called, instructed in the presence of the arrested about the perjury and oathed. In response to the urgent admonition of the accused to make a confession of guilt or to refute the evidence, she offered to take an oath in order to confirm her previous statements and her innocence. This request was rejected and she was taken back to the prison. The witnesses also had to resign so that one after the other could be called up and examined individually to establish the facts.

  1. Mathias Allgaier, bricklayer, states: Last year his wife got a lump like a red pea on her head. This had grown bigger and bigger, sat down to the neck until Michaelis, finally took her speech four or five weeks ago; two days later she died. The Baden Hansmichel immediately asserted that this was not a natural being, it came from bad people and his wife had said that it must have been done to her by Bader-Ann. Otherwise he had also lost a lot of horses and cattle beforehand and the knacker always said that it came from bad people.
  2. Paul Allgaier (20 years old): On March 29, 1680, he brought Bader-Ann a pike on request, and she spoke to him on the stairs and breathed heavily on him. A few hours later he had a cut in his stomach that he had to go to bed. But then he was shaken by such a frost that he had no rest for three days, he also became furious, got mad and wanted to murder everyone. Afterwards he felt a strong beating around the pit of the heart and it seemed to him as if three drops of blood from both arms and sides hit the heart and wanted to repel it. With spiritual means from the Capuchins in Riedlingen he had regained his senses, but he was still very weak, miserable and powerless. He wanted to live and die on it, Bader-Ann did this to him through her breath.
  3. Maria Grüner von Veringendorf (20 years old): When she was mowing on Stetten Öhmd a year ago, Bader-Ann walked past her with a tuft of grass, talked to her and let her breath go. As a result, her neck became very rigid, her head and cheeks were swollen, she was almost unable to breathe and she had to be taken home to bed, where she suffered from it for eight days. By taking consecrated things from the clergyman from Veringenstadt, she was helped again, but she can still feel the evil in her ears in unsettled weather.
  4. Marth Roth (55 years old): 33 years ago (1647) she was hit on the left armpit with her fingers by Bader-Ann, with whom she had spoken. She then felt pain that went down through her arm and the arm turned black after three days. Jakob Abbot von Harthausen, who was consulted, blessed her arm and threw things over it, but the pain had got into all her limbs and she had to suffer from it to this day and, as the appearance shows, she became completely lame and crippled from it .
  5. Anna Maria Fritz (50 years old): Many years ago Bader-Ann threatened her in an exchange of words that she wanted to make a pile in front of her door that would have to be driven away in a cart. The very next day, her horse's jaw was cramped. It couldn't eat any more and it died after a lot of raging. The knacker found that bad people caused this. Six or seven years ago another of her horses had met the same thing.
  6. Anna Fischer (37 years old): Seven years ago Bader-Ann gave her apples. After she had eaten a bite of one, she suspected that Bader-Ann might have put something in it, and she threw them all into the water. Less than half an hour later, she then became dying. After taking Theriac, she vomited heavily, then drank Epiphany water and felt better.
  7. Martin Batzer (39 years old): 20 years ago he had a horse with a foal in front of the smithy to shoe. Bader-Ann had a keen eye on the foal through the window and when he came home the previously lively foal had cramped jaws, but the miller Marte von Hettingen helped him again.
  8. Mathäus Falchner (30 years old): Last year he had a fox shod in front of the blacksmith shop, and the blacksmith went around behind the horse next. From then on, the horse lost weight in eating, pulling and on the body and died five days later. Five weeks ago, when the blacksmith had shod another black horse, Bader-Ann let saliva fall down on the horse from the window. After that, the horse stopped eating. He was therefore rushing to the shepherd Johannes Rädle in Neufra, who knew how to help in such cases if one came to him before the end of the third day. This had given him a badge that had helped. But since he had this badge in the stable, he often heard a great commotion in it at night, and when he came down he always met black cats in it.
  9. Georg Heberle, night watchman (32 years old): Five weeks ago at 9 p.m. he saw a black woman walking out of the executioner's stable and when he came to the blacksmith's shop, two black cats jumped at him from the open front door, which he ran across frightened and gone away.
  10. Jakob Heberle says: His brother Johann, who is now in the infirmary in Laiz, served at Bader-Ann 15 years ago. One morning in the stable he saw that a black calf was sweating and steaming profusely.

Third interrogation

Third interrogation on Thursday, May 16, 1680. Occupied as before. Duration from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The husband of Malefikantin , Andreas Endriß, farrier, 75 years old, is pre-call first. After establishing his personal details, when asked about all the details of his wife's life and behavior, he says that she is an unbearably disgusting, incompatible person who has escaped from him often, always quarreled for no reason, wished him the devil and hail, him rascal, debt-maker and scolded them for trouble, which he often struck like an ox. He could never see or notice anything else wrong or suspicious in speech or gestures with her, either during the day or at night.

After he was released, the arrested woman was brought before her and all previous testimony and earlier complaints were gradually held up to her, and she was asked to respond to each point. Her replies were entirely sensible, some things she explained in the simplest, most natural way, others she simply denied, many things she said was completely unknown to her, etc. But the judge was not satisfied with that. He had the bricklayer M. Allgaier called, placed him across from her after taking a vow and asked him to tell her all of his details himself.

He did this with great zeal and brought accusations about his dead cattle. But none of this had any effect: She protested her innocence and said that illnesses and misfortune can arise through the fate of God, but certainly not through the will of an old, weak woman.

Because the judge now clearly saw that an expected confession of guilt could not be brought out in kindness, the two executioners were called. He reminded her of loyalty, secrecy and abstinence from all greed for revenge and ordered them to lead this stubborn woman, who could not be won over by persuasion, ad locum torturae (into the torture chamber), to show her all instruments suitable for torture and to use them there to explain. Horrified, she listened and looked terrified at the horrific preparations. She was trembling. The judge urged to confess. But she composed herself, she did not feel guilty of these gloomy accusations. - Now she was caught, put on the torture chair, her arms were forcibly pulled backwards, a twisted cord was looped around her wrists and wound up so tightly around both arms that bulges bulged out in between. During the binding, she screamed, begging for mercy, and pledging her innocence.

In a short time she calmed down, seemed to fall asleep, and fainted after about half a quarter of an hour. Tied up, came to her senses and asked to confess the truth, she said that she had already confessed that she was not a witch, but she was not believed. At 5:00 am, the file was closed and she was taken back to prison.

Fourth interrogation

Fourth interrogation and embarrassing examination on Friday, May 17th, 1680. The same gentlemen. 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The maleficent who was brought before is admonished to confess her guilt under threat of torture. She insists in the earlier statements that she is not a witch, but honest, she asks that she should be spared the ordeal, that she would rather give up her life right away, and that she would live and die on the fact that she was innocent. One should not, through inhuman pain, force her to confess a guilt from which she knows she is free. Because she insisted, at 9:00 am, the executioners were called in and ordered to strip her, put on her consecrated shirt, and take her to the torture chamber. Here on the chair, her hands were tied behind her back as yesterday, but with a coarser rope to protect her injured hands. While she was being tied, she cried out pitifully and called on God and all the saints for assistance.

Now it should be raised. For this purpose, there was a pulley on the ceiling above the torture chair, over which a rope went. The latter ended at the drooping end with a large iron hook; while its other end was attached to a cranked roller on the wall. At the command “Pull!” , One of the executioners hung the hook between his tied hands and the other rolled the rope onto the roller by turning the crank. As a result, her arms were turned upside down and slowly pulled up. When the inquisit's hands came up over her head, the shoulders turned downward, the armpits disappeared, the joints cracked, and the body was pushed from the chair with the head bowed, her screams were truly terrifying, and before she hung completely free, she burst out : "Drain, drain, I want to be a hex as you ask, I am the greatest hex." It was immediately interrupted. The executioner straightened her limbs, put her on the chair and, as she showed weakness, sprinkled her with holy water. No sooner had she recovered than she was admonished to confess. Taking a deep breath, she said, what can I say, the pain has forced me to state that I am not a hex . "Wind up! Wind up completely! ”Was the judge's order, which was carried out immediately. Despite screaming and promises, she was now left hanging free for three Our Fathers. She was then lowered, anointed with fountain and vinegar, and then examined. The unfortunate woman's previous willpower was momentarily weakened by the tremendous pain; she was unable to resist, but answered most of the judge's questions. She confessed that she was a witch, the devil had come to her in delicious black clothes, that she had promised to serve him and that she had received money from him, which later became horse dung, and that she had also promised to go out with him.

She did not want to answer further questions as to whether the devil asks nothing else, did nothing with her, which is why she was teased for the second time. After hanging out for six Our Fathers and promising further confession, she was lowered. Now she confessed that the Devil had fornication and behaved with her, which was followed by a very shameless inquiry to investigate this fornication in every detail, so that the poor, exhausted defendant became completely confused and did not know what to answer should. The judge believed she did not want to get out with this confession and so she was pulled up for the third time and left in suspension for half a quarter of an hour . Lowered and awakened from a swoon, she asked for God's will that she should no longer be tormented, that she no longer knew anything, that one should do her the right thing, that she would like to die. Because it was very cool, the frost shook her and she passed out again. Now she was stripped of the gang, brought back to the prison with holy water and vinegar, which ended this embarrassing exam.

Fifth interrogation

Fifth interrogation on Saturday, May 18, 1680 before the same persons. In the morning from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Today the Maleficante was presented with her yesterday's confessions so that she could voluntarily confirm them. In doing so, however, she showed herself to be quite variable, in that she partly revoked, partly confessed that she was a witch, then again claimed that she had to say that because the truth was not believed. Because there was nothing to be done with her, she was taken back to prison and this act closed.

Sixth interrogation

Sixth interrogation and embarrassing exam on Wednesday, May 22nd, 1680. Same people. 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

The arrested woman is kindly reminded to confirm her confession made in the ordeal. She replies that as little as this little piece of wood that she takes from the ground has done any harm to people, just as little has it happened to her; for this truth she would give up life and limb and expose herself to the torment of hell if she did it. What she knew during the torture was forced from her through pain.

Because she did not confirm in kindness again, where was she handed over to the executioners. They are supposed to undress her first and examine whether she has any witch marks on her body, then put on the consecrated shirt and lead her into the torture chamber. The executioners report that on her secret place they found two yellowish and bluish-looking spots the size of a cruiser (which may have been taken as a new indication). Now she was put on the torture chair and tied, crying out to God for help, but not confessing and therefore being raised. After hanging out for a miserere, she promised to confess. Lowered, she repeated the old filthy nonsense of the devil and when they wanted to know more about it, she asked the executioner to tell her what she must answer now. In response to this, she was raised a second time. She shouted pitifully that she was a witch, she had bewitched everything, she should be taken away, she had the devil with her, in prison, in bed, everywhere, then again: "Come Jesus Mary, come devil, fetch me!"

After she was hung for a quarter of an hour and the rope rotten twice, she was let on the chair. After refreshing herself with a fountain and vinegar, she was supposed to go on boasting, but since she did not want to go through the details of Satan's lust, she was beaten and wounded for the third time. Despite all the lamentations and promises, three times the rope snapping, one and a half quarter of an hour hanging, subsequent confession that she had denied God and the saints, entered into a covenant with the devil, she often went to witches' dances with him, where the dances took place, who was there, etc. raised them for the fourth time. While she was hanging, a pounding could be heard and she screamed that the executioner was beating her, which was not the case. The devil must have done that. Eventually she became completely obstinate (rebellious) and it was found that the ordeal was enough for today, which is why she was lowered after half a quarter of an hour. Then she told in a quiet, broken voice of denial of God, the devil's allegiance, witch dances, making harm and the like. When she stopped, she asked Master Enderle what next? And asked for a pinch from him. Her shirt was now removed and her clothes put on, whereupon she was sent to jail and this embarrassing question ended.

Seventh interrogation

Seventh interrogation on Thursday, May 23, 1680, by the same people from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

Today the inquisitess said for the first time on amicable encouragement that she was a witch and that she confirmed all the confessions made in the ordeal; but she doesn't know any more. In response to further questions about more detailed circumstances, sleeping asleep, going out, her playmates, damage done and the like, she confessed - apparently confused and exhausted - one nonsense after the other, as suggested to her in the questions, but became involved in many contradictions. When she was made aware of this, she sighed heavily and wailed that she would like to say everything right, if she only knew. The answer to new questions is that she is a witch and has also done what other witches do, but doesn't really know. She should be put away, not left in prison for long, in the coming week, that is, during the week of the Cross, her head should be taken away, which she would rather endure than die in torture. When asked about the available evidence, she once confessed and then denied having done anything like that again. She was then taken to prison under threat of further embarrassing questions.

Because it seemed to the judges that she was completely hardened in witchcraft and did not want to confess, they decided to tease Bader-Ann with weights tomorrow, as long as the divorce of Christ was rung, and then she would have to confess.

Eighth interrogation

Eighth interrogation and embarrassing exam on Friday, May 24, 1680, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Today the maleficant was immediately undressed and put into the witch's shirt. Then yesterday's contradictions were held against her and threatened with sharper, embarrassing questions if she again showed herself to be so changeable, untruthful, obstinate and obstinate and denied all the evidence. When she responded to all questions as before, she was immediately led to the torture and bound, moaning a lot about her damaged hands and taking deep breaths. When ordered, the executioners first raised them without weight. Screaming, she assured me that she would like to confess, but the devil was preventing her. The old information was released, but it soon stopped. Meanwhile it was eleven o'clock.

A block of stone weighing 20 pounds was now tied to her big toes, and just as the divorce of Christ was rung, she was pulled up completely from the earth with the same. She snapped her head suspiciously a few times, as if beckoning someone. When she was sprinkled with holy water, she prayed the Our Father in a broken voice. All of a sudden, however, a great commotion arose, as they said inside on the arbor, but the outside town servant believed it was in the torture chamber and hurried in. In the meantime a black mouse had jumped from one corner to the torture chair with lightning speed. The executioners kept beating the mouse with sticks, the town servant with the bunch of keys he was holding in his hand, but couldn't hit it by jumping up and down between sticks and keys as if it had wings. The mayor hurried up with the sacred, and in an instant the mouse disappeared and there was silence. However, most of the keys were crooked or broken. (The comment handed down at this point is that it was probably the devil who tried to free his girlfriend! )

In the meantime the Inquisitess had fallen into a deep sleep, from which she was awakened by letting the rope snap. Lowered, she showed herself very weak, lay there for a long time with her eyes closed and took a deep breath. Finally wakes up, she begged, one doesn't want to make her so miserable after all. Now again questions and answers, but since some things were not quite as intended by the judge and she particularly did not know what she received from the devil and what she had to use it for, she was teased again with the pad. She cried out to God for help, prayed that he would not leave her, complained about wrong done, assured her that she knew nothing, etc. After a while she became quiet, closed her eyes and fell asleep while snoring. Because that was the witch's sleep imposed by the infernal seducer, she had to be awakened after being fumigated with incense and black caraway, by lit sulfur held under her nose and strong shaking of the rope. She “fluttered” her “mouth” (twisted her mouth) grayish, uttered some screams, sighed: “God help me soon!” And then became quiet again.

Then the executioner gave her five strokes on the back with his rod, which she did not receive while sleeping, which is why he grabbed her by the sides and shook her vigorously. Now she opened her eyes and said that he repulsed her heart, pricked her with needles, made her lie, do not believe her. Then again, she was a witch, had done everything wicked witches do, she shouldn't be left to die like that, she wanted to say everything. After she was hung in this torture for over half an hour, the rope was shaken three times, it was seen that enough of the torture had happened this time, she was slowly left on the chair and the block and gang removed. After a short rest, reminded to confess again, she answered some nonsensical and shameless questions quite ad formam, confessed to having received things from the devil in order to cause damage, but did not want to know the name and application of these things. Because she finally did not want to or could no longer speak, she was dressed and taken to prison.

Since the judges had not been satisfied with the course of the Inquisition so far, they decided to obtain an opinion from one of the foreign legal scholars who knew about these matters. The choice fell on the recently appointed Truchsess-Waldburg official, Dr. Heinrich Ludwig von Holzingen, to whom the entire file material was immediately sent, which he returned with his glaborate (expert opinion) on July 1st.

This report, which should be very thorough and extensive, but in our terms a very poor document, says that the Bader-Ann, after her confession of witchcraft, the sleep of the devil, going to dance, the denial of God and his saints and after the Effects and specialties flowing from this, with which she also weighed down the sworn testimony, then according to the sign of the devil found on her body and the circumstances that occurred during the torture, apparently a true and quite hardened witch, which no doubt only because of all kinds of special pacts and promises with which the devil provided them, almost despised the previous ordeal and not known the details of their crimes.

Therefore, according to general practice, even more severe tortures are to be applied to her, either by depriving her of sleep during one night and then pulling it up with heavy weights, or by tensioning the buck, which does not dislocate the limbs and yet causes unbelievable pain, or by using the thumb stick, the leg screws or other instruments that attack the flesh. Before using such torture means, you should give her Epiphany water, Easter and Pentecost baptism, also incense mixed with maleficent wax, or give her other designated things, attach a devil hostage, an Agnusdei or the like, and also ask her beforehand to refuse the devil, because such potions and procedures To his knowledge, many hardened witches would have confessed before the ordeal. But even after three such tortures she should only generally confess that she is a witch, done all crimes like other witches, often mixed up with the evil enemy, surrendered to them by pact, denied God and the saints, by driving them out Attending witch dances and the like, according to old practice, regardless of the unknown special circumstances, the final process must still be made safely.

He has backed up these pompous statements with a lot of quotes from the writings of various witch tasters and regrets that he does not yet have his criminalists at hand.

Ninth interrogation

The ninth interrogation on Monday, June 3, 1680 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. After taking consecrated things, the arrested woman had to refuse the devil and promise to live and die in a Christian way. Then she was supposed to confess voluntarily, but said the earlier was not all right, in the pain she had often stated what had just got into her mouth, that she was not a witch. As a result of this fickleness, the executioners had to examine their witch's mark and found, by sticking the needle in, that it was insensitive, i.e. a real stigma of the devil. With the threat of torture, they would finally be brought back to some statements. Then interstitium until 2 p.m. After serious admonitions and threats, several confessions were made again in the afternoon. Among them new: she has been a witch for 35 years, the devil has impressed the mark on her with his whip stick, he gave her witch's ointment, with which she has made cattle and people lame and sick and spoiled a lot, also names a lot of people whom she has thus harmed. The witches' dances, to which they usually went on a head of cattle in the devil's name, were mostly held on Sundays and public holidays under some witch tree at Gammertingen, Inneringen, Riedlingen, Hohentengen or Veringen, with great pleasure and all sorts of mischief at Pfeife and Violin danced and feasted and drunk hard. Wine, meat and other things were taken from the people in their homes and cellars. In earlier years the Witch King had loved her very much, she had often been with him, kissed him, adored him and kneeled before him, but recently he hadn't wanted her anymore. Most of the time she had to shine during the dances and the candle was put in partibus posterioribus. The old women would be despised by devils and men. The interrogation ended at 7:00 p.m.

Since the judges were not yet satisfied that day because of the fickleness, the maleficent had to be watched by three guards the following night to prevent sleep.

Tenth interrogation

Tenth interrogation on Tuesday, June 4, 1680, from 7.30 a.m. and from 2.00 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.

Today the Maleficante showed herself to be very weak; Hunger, fear and frost during a four-week strict imprisonment, the burning pain of the twisted limbs and overstretched tendons, the agonizing violence of the restrained need for sleep, the certainty of an imminent dishonorable, shameful death had to break all strength of a 61-year-old woman and that of a dying woman do the same. Now came the interrogation: she was no longer able to resist, she had to endure everything, she confirmed all previous confessions, she made a lot of new ones, she confessed everything that was held against her, she had instigated and caused all misfortune and misfortune , of which she had previously been accused or suspected, she had even caused a lot of damage that the injured did not even suspect or even knew. - Now the judges finally had what they wanted, and the protocol said: because this confession showed that one can proceed with the execution without hesitation, so the exam is to be ended.

Final hearing on Wednesday June 5, 1680

First, all of her confessions were read out to the maleficent. After she had confirmed all of these and recently committed herself to them, the witnesses appointed for today, seven honorable, impartial citizens, had to stand up. In their presence the arrested man who had been freed from all gangs became the original gout , i. H. a summary of all their confessions, but without naming the persons concerned, clearly read out and voluntarily confirmed as correct word for word. Accordingly, she confesses:

  1. 35 years ago she surrendered body and soul to the evil enemy, denied God and all saints, and promised the devil to do whatever evil he commanded her.
  2. She had let herself be used by her fanatical spirit, the single Satan, as he pleased, to the hideous vice of fornication.
  3. She had received witch's ointment from him, with which she damaged people and cattle, had taken him to night dances with other witches, had a lot of amusement, went to different cellars to get the wine and had many other adventures.
  4. With the help of the devil they made some hailstorms and spoiled the crops.
  5. She had caused illnesses to many people, partly because they suspected her badly, partly because they had fallen out with her; so she had made two women crooked and lame by touching them, given two other bewitched things, made a man-person very sick and in pain by breathing on them, and so bewitched two children that they died.
  6. By breathing on, hitting and touching, she bewitched and executed a lot of cattle, namely a white horse for one man, a black horse for another, and eight horses for several others, two poultry, three calves and several pigs, eleven of them herself, and one of them The cow took the milk and went out on the witches' dances on some cattle.

The witnesses confirm the voluntary nature of these confessions by signing their names.

After this act, the judgment was passed and the maleficent announced the death, which she had to expect after three days, i.e. on Whit Saturday, June 8th. Then they were taken to a special room in the town hall and the clergy were called to exhort them to repent and prepare them properly. The files were handed over to Prince Maximilian (Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen) , who pardoned the condemned to be burned alive to the sword if she showed herself to be completely penitent until the end, but the dead body should be thrown into the fire and burned to powder and ashes.

The execution

The execution took place on the Saturday before Pentecost, June 8th, 1680.

In the morning at 8.00 a.m. the staff holder, the twelve judges and the town clerk all gathered in black coats on the open arbor of the town hall in Veringenstadt to publicly hold judgment on the poor sinner. The rent master Franz Wilhelm Schneider brought the indictment as a stately fiscal and lawyer and the court had to proceed according to K. Karl's maleficent court order. After the right was recognized, the maleficent was read again her original gout, then the verdict and the pardon to the sword, then the broken judicial staff was thrown at her feet and she was then thrown with the ringing of the big bell and accompanied by the clergy, the court, the guards , Riflemen and a large crowd to the ordinary court. There she was brought to an opened scaffold, blindfolded on a chair and, with loud adoration of the Our Father, when she asked: “Deliver us from evil”, the executioner Enderle beheaded her. The corpse was placed on the pyre, where it was burned to ashes, and it is said that after the pile of wood was set alight, a hideous fat toad crawled out of the heap and soon crawled back in, and that several large ravens were several times very close to the flame and then flew away with screams what Jakob Heberle, Johann Eggstein and many others claim to have seen.

Aftermath

The historical template was created by the Fastnachtsverein Kräuterhexen Veringenstadt e. V. picked up. The figure of the carnival witch , here referred to as the "herb witch", makes direct reference to Anna Kramer, whereby a critical examination of the torture and murder of an innocent is omitted. The costume was based on the historical witch's shirt from Veringenstadt, together with a witch's broom. Most recently, in 2013, the central single figure of the "devil's hex" was introduced. The costume is worn by the First Board of Directors.

literature

  • Josef Halm: The Bader-Ann von Veringenstadt . In: Association for history, culture and regional studies Hohenzollern (Hrsg.): Hohenzollerische Heimat . (PDF) 4, Volume, No. 4, October 1954, p. 52.

Individual evidence

  1. See lecture by Sebastian Locher on July 10, 1876
  2. maleficent . In: Heidelberg Academy of Sciences (Hrsg.): German legal dictionary . tape 9 , issue 1/2 (edited by Heino Speer and others). Hermann Böhlaus successor, Weimar 1992, ISBN 3-7400-0167-4 ( adw.uni-heidelberg.de ).
  3. See herbal witches Veringenstadt e. V .; accessed on March 5, 2015