Xaver Hohenleiter
Franz Xaver Hohenleiter , called Der Schwarze Veri , Schwarzen-Veere , Schwarzer Vere , Schwarze Vere or Swabian De Schwaaz Vere , Schwarz Vere or Vere , (* 1788 Rommelsried in what is now the Swabian district of Augsburg ; † July 20, 1819 in Biberach an der Riss ) was a German robber .
Life
Hohenleiter was the leader of a band of robbers in the area of what is now the border triangle of Austria , Switzerland and Germany ( Bavaria , Baden , Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Württemberg ).
Hohenleiter was taken prisoner together with the beautiful Fritz on April 16, 1819 near the Laubbacher Mühle on the edge of the Pfrunger Ried, by a forester belonging to the Count of Königsegg-Aulendorf . A stele (photo) commemorates this event.
Imperial Count Franz Ludwig Schenk von Castell , known as Malefizschenk , had nothing to do with the capture of Xaver Hohenleiter and his gang, in contrast to the often contrary representation. “The blatant reorganization of the legal system from the 'embarrassing' interrogation methods and the brutal deterrence through corporal punishment to a humanization of legal practice and the penal system, from which the Upper Swabian gangs of the 19th century in theirs, took place during the lifetime of the 'Malefizschenken' Interrogation and their conviction benefited. Incidentally, the 'Malefizschenk' and the Upper Swabian gangs never met. "
Hohenleiter died on July 20, 1819 in Biberach in the Ehinger Tor, also called Siechentor or Sünderturm, when lightning struck the tower and was passed on through the chains. The report prepared for this by the Biberach chief magistrate says: “According to all indications, the lightning had first touched the weather vane, smashed the roof structure, seized the chimney and overturned it. Through this he drove down in the whole tower, but without igniting the building. […] His trail was lost on the second floor. But it is probable that the lightning bolt has now jumped off the chimney, on the chain running through the wall, with which Inquisit Xaver Hohenleiter from Rommelsried was tied, penetrated into the prison and killed him here. "
Band of robbers
The band of robbers around Xaver Hohenleiter included himself and his partner Josepha Daughtermann:
- his brother Ulrich Hohenleiter with Agathe Gebhard
- Friedrich Klump with Theresia Jepler
- Fidelis Sohm with Crescentia daughter man
- Joseph Anton Jung with Crescentia Gebhard
- Sebastian Kellermann with Agnes Gebhard
- Katharina Gebhard
- and for a while Christian Maucher
The gang did not know a permanent leader. However, Xaver Hohenleiter was particularly respected in the group because of his physical superiority and his experience. The gang stayed in the forests of Spöck near Ostrach , the Pfrunger Ried , around Altshausen and in the Altdorf Forest .
The gang's approach was characterized by a low level of professionalism. Most of their actions were night break-ins into remote farmhouses. In most cases, the prey consisted of food and everyday objects, which sheds light on the predators' precarious situation. For example, the chronicle records a break-in at Lorenz Keeser's in Illwangen . The booty: 15 pounds of cheese, bread, brandy, a tablecloth and a pair of boots. A break-in in Waldbeuren brought the gang clothes worth ten guilders. A robbery is also known from the Black Veri gang, in which the robbers attacked the widow Schmid, who was alone at home, at the Argenhardt farm in what was then the Tettnang District Office. In this most serious crime of the gang, the woman was supposed to be forced to surrender cash with death threats and beatings, but this failed. In this case, too, the booty consisted only of brandy, clothing and other textiles.
It is noteworthy that the gang around the Black Veri has received so much attention to this day, although the group was only united for a few weeks in March and April of 1819.
effect
The stories about the Black Veri still have an impact in Upper Swabia today. Gustav Schwab , a well-known Swabian poet, immortalized Veri's death in the poem "Knocking the weather under storm, to Biberach am Sünderturm". In it, Xaver Hohenleiter is described as a murderer, which demonstrably he was not.
In addition, the founded in 1970 called Narrenzunft Ravensburger Black Veri guild after the robbers. Today it is one of the largest fools guilds in Upper Swabia.
The fool's association in Königseggwald also has a band of robbers around the black Vere and Zenza. History brought to light that in the Upper Swabian village of Königseggwald he was handed over to state power by the forester who arrested him. He was imprisoned there until he was taken to Biberach.
There is also a song by the music group "Gsälzbär", which is known in Upper Swabia, in which the life of Black Veris is sung about. In addition, Grachmusikoff dedicated a song to the Schwaaz Vere on the 1994 CD "Quasi lives" .
In 2008, the play "Der Schwarze Vere" was performed on the open-air stage of the Hayingen Nature Theater.
The Ostrach Puppenbühne also has the play “The legend of the robber Schwarzer Veri” in its program.
In 2018, the municipality of Ostrach will show a large open-air play “When the black club comes ...” with 5 performances. A humorous robber and love story from the Ostrachtal is played. The "black club" Xaver Hohenleiter lived with his gang from 1817 until his arrest on April 16, 1819 in the vicinity of Ostrach in the "triangle" of the sovereign dominions of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Württemberg and Baden.
literature
- Karl Lang: The black Veri and the last band of robbers in Upper Swabia. A moral picture from the end of the 18th century . Waldsee 1896
- Johann Baptist Pflug : From the robber and French times of Swabia. The memories of the Swabian painter from the years 1780–1840 . Re-edited by Max Zengerle. 3. Edition. Konrad Verlag, Weißenhorn 1974, ISBN 3-87437-113-1
- L. Zier: The Black Vere and his time . Nature conservation center Pfrunger-Burgweiler Ried. Wilhelmsdorf
Web links
- The Black Veri - robber gangs in Upper Swabia ..
- The black veri in the Pfrunger Ried (legend)
- TV report by Inge Landwehr
Individual evidence
- ↑ Machnicki, Monika: The Upper Swabian robber gangs of the 19th century, in: Harald Siebenmorgen (ed.): Schurke oder Held? Historical robbers and robber gangs, Sigmaringen 1995, p. 121.
- ^ Protocol of July 21, 1819. Duplicate. State Archive Ludwigsburg E 350 Bü 72/165, quoted. after Diemer, Kurt: The death of the "Black Veri", in: Heimatkundliche Blätter for the district of Biberach 11 (2), 1988, p. 4.
- ↑ Planck, Max: The last robber gangs in Upper Swabia in the years 1818-19. A contribution to the history of customs. According to the files and oral tradition, Stuttgart 1866., p. 81f.
- ^ Ravensburger Schwarze Veri Zunft eV
- ↑ Gsälzbär: Schwarzer Vere ; on youtube.com
- ↑ Grachmusikoff: The ballad from schwaaz Vere ; on youtube.com
- ↑ Black Vere
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hohenleiter, Xaver |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Black clubs; the black veri; Black Veri |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German robber |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1788 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rommelsried |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 20, 1819 |
| Place of death | Biberach an der Riss |