Forest Assessor von Tanne

The forest assessor von Tanne is a local novel by the Christian author Käthe Papke, set in the Harz Mountains, and published in 1924 .

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Forester Heinz Ehlers is about to have a brilliant career as head forester. He dedicates himself to his profession in Tanne in the Harz Mountains. The forest assessor, widely appreciated for his pleasant manner, fell in love with the beautiful Liesel W. The two want to get married. However, Liesel is an illegitimate child and that would affect his career. At best, he could become a forester, since civil servants in the higher administrative service pay attention to an impeccable family history. The young man is determined to give up his career and be satisfied with the post of a normal forester in order to be able to marry Liesel. The richest farmer in town also has an eye on the village's beauty. When Heinz asks his mother to agree to the marriage, she refuses because she has invested all her money in Heinzen's education and even went into debt. Hans has to become chief forester and separates from the love of his life.

On the hunt for a twelve-fender, he sees Liesel doing an errand to the neighboring town over a forest path and thinks he hears a scream shortly afterwards. But he assumes that he was wrong. Liesel was stabbed to death with a hunting knife as the victim of a brutal murder. First of all, the rich farmer, who was known to have been chasing Liesel against her will, is suspected. Before the court in Braunschweig, however, the initially arrested large farmer is acquitted because his maid Johanne gives him an alibi with an alleged love hour at the time of the murder under oath. To the great consternation of the whole village, Heinz Ehlers is now suspected. An old woman saw him cleaning his deer catcher in the lake after a deer hunt. Since no deer catcher was found with the large farmer, it is assumed that Heinz was the murderer. He is sentenced to life in prison in Wolfenbüttel. When the large farmer, who has meanwhile become an alcoholic under the tyrannical rule of his former maid, becomes seriously ill, he calls the pastor to confess. He confesses to Liesel's murder.

Heinz Ehlers is released after twelve years of innocent imprisonment and returns to the village as a physically and mentally broken man. In the penitentiary he had risen to the right hand of the director in administrative duties and had found God. Heinz can no longer find his way in normal life. Annegret, the daughter of the chief forester, who had a secret love for him all her life, tries to help Heinz. A very intimate relationship develops, but Heinz can no longer find his way in freedom. He goes back to the penitentiary, where the director has found him the job of a clerk. Here his strong Christian faith has a beneficial effect on everyone who meets him. At the side of the priest, he becomes a kind of missionary for the prisoners. He is in constant correspondence with Annegret. Two years after he started writing, he died of a heart attack.

expenditure

• The forest assessor von Tanne. A Harz story. Koezle, Wernigerode 1924, several editions. New edition: Christian publishing house, Stuttgart 1955.