Lucia Reichmann

Lucia Reichmann , b. Hoch (also called Sattlerin von Laasphe ) (* around 1564 in Laasphe ; † January 21, 1630 ibid) was a victim of the witch hunt in Laasphe.

Before 1589, Lucia married the saddler Wilhelm Reichmann (* around 1559, † before 1629). They had seven children and lived in Haus Steinweg 2 in Laasphe. She and her older sister Gottliebe Bilgen also got into a witch trial, as did Ludwig Hoch, a close relative ("suspect of sorcery"), who died of the plague in 1597.

Life

Her older sister was Gottliebe Bilgen (Billgin) geb. Hoch (* before 1549 in Laasphe, † October 29, 1613 in Laasphe an der Pest). Her marriage to the mayor or rent master Georg Bilgen took place before 1575. They had eight children and lived only in the house Steinweg 17, then Kirchplatz 8. Georg bilges was grandson of Werner Bonemilch, whose brother John Bonemilch as auxiliary bishop in 1517 in the Cathedral of Erfurt , the ordination of Martin Luther took place. Georg Bilgen died on February 22nd, 1604.

Witch Trial 1609

In 1609 Count Ludwig the Younger of Wittgenstein-Wittgenstein took over the rule. In the same year Lucia Reichmann was accused in Laasphe in a witch trial together with her now widowed sister Gottliebe Bilgen and four other women: Merge Dillmannsche, Elisabeth Scherersche (wife of Johan Scherer), Katharina Ehlich Gansen housewife (wife of Elias Ganss) and Anna, the old Hainsche (wife of Jost Hain).

The Dillmansche (Dilmansche) was the first to be sentenced to death. When she was tortured, she said the others were accomplices. The Scherersche broke out of prison and fled, but was caught and extradited again. When she was tortured, she also reported the other women. Lucia Reichmann was interrogated on July 28, 1609. She was accused of damaging the cattle of Weigand Fuchs in Breidenbach . During interrogation on August 3, she defended that she came from good, honest parents and was a good housewife. The witnesses called spoke in her favor, only Weigand Fuchs charged her with the death of seven cattle. He had to admit, however, that he had argued with Lucia over debt.

By a petition of her husband Wilhelm Reichmann to the Wittgensteiner Count Ludwig the Younger on August 11th, Lucia was released on bail with reference to the seven unserved children. Legal opinions from the law faculties in Marburg and Heidelberg criticized the proceedings because there were not enough reasons for all of the accused to apply the ordeal. A letter from Count Ludwig to the judiciary, who criticized the conduct of the litigation, contributed to the release of all women who had not yet been killed. The Scherersche had to swear primal feud and was expelled from the country. Gottliebe was probably "ransomed" by her children for a substantial sum.

Witch Trial 1611

In 1611, in a witch trial, the defendant Döppen Crein was tortured and said that some women were accomplices. a. also Gottliebe Billgin. Döppen Crein was executed, but Gottliebe Billgin was spared and died of the plague in 1613.

Witch trial 1629

In 1629 Lucia Reichmann got into a witch trial again. The files say that people “didn't want to know much about her because of her quarrelsome and stingy nature. She got on badly with her children and had an argument with her son Wilhelm Reichmann over money and property. In a foolish way she had boasted of her innocence (because of her release from the previous witch trial) and said that if she was a sorceress, her house should be on fire. ”This led to fire in her house, about which there was great turmoil in Laasphe would have. Now the people brought all sorts of suspicions of damaging magic against Lucia, e. B. would have drunk Johannes Bodenbands with her beer, had become weak and would have given off ugly matter. The pastor's wife Elsbeth had quarreled with her about a sheaf she missed. Lucia had patted her on the arm and said: God should protect her, she would rather give a sheaf than take it. Shortly thereafter, the pastor's wife suffered from a skin disease. Of course it was Lucia's “fault”. Furthermore, Lucia was accused of wanting to spoil the fruit blossom. Besides, she would not have taken part in the collection to pay for the costs of the witch trials.

On October 29, 1629 she was subjected to the first interrogation in the presence of Philipp Heiden, the second pastor of Laasphe, and Pastor Fink von Elsoff. She fought with all her might that she wasn't a sorceress. In another negotiation with her children, their son Valerius (* September 25, 1596) and their daughter Enchen (* July 24, 1605), Lucia vowed to be reconciled with her son Wilhelm (* March 1594) and his wife. She wanted to forgive them so that they could go to the Lord's table. The children should not see a legal scholar because of the cost; she wanted to fight her own right.

The defense of Dr. Reinigk in Marburg was rejected by the court and an embarrassing questioning decided on January 15th. Lucia endured all three degrees of torture and great pain without confessing. Again and again she shouted: “You torture God in heaven!” She hadn't wanted to pray with the pastors. On January 21, she was found dead in prison ("gave himself to death"). According to a report by the barber, her neck was "unnaturally broken." Of course, Satan had done that so that the truth would not come out. It was decreed that Lucia should be buried by the messenger at the courtroom without chanting or bells.

The trial files show that her son appeared in court the morning after her death with the required court fees (210 thalers) and paid the sum immediately.

Commemoration

The city council of Bad Laasphe passed a resolution on June 26, 2015 to rehabilitate the victims of the witch trials.

Sources and literature

• File C 73 Die Sattlerin von Laasphe (274 pages on both trials from 1609 and 1629/30) in the Princely Archives Bad Laasphe.
• Jochen Karl Mehldau : Old Laaspher families and their houses. House chronicles ~ 1600 - 1875. Bad Laasphe and Karlsruhe: self-published 2013
• Gustav Bauer: witch hunt and witch madness in Wittgenstein . Wittgenstein magazine, volume 20/1956, issue 1, issue 2, pp. 54–61. Issue 3, pp. 107-118. Issue 4, pp. 154-157.
• Oral information from Eberhard Bauer to Angela Löding, descendant
• Genealogical research by Angela Löding: The Bilgen family , Harmstorf
• Wittgensteiner Heimatverein e. V .: The beautiful Wittgenstein , issue 1, 1931
• Fritz Weber and Fritz Walter Dörr: Reichmanns in Laasphe in: Laaspherhütte , 2009

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Lars Peter Dickel: Controversy on witch judgments . In: Westfalenpost, Wittgensteiner Zeitung Heimatteil, June 30, 2015