and each answered to with a loud " Here!" for oddly, enough should anyone fail to answer distinctly to his fictitious name, the whole affair would be declared illegal, and the court would immediately disperse. There is a legend among the peasants that there was always an extra member present on these occasions, and that was the devil himself. The roll-call being over, the culprit was commanded to come forth into the light of the lantern, and listen to the tale of his misdeeds. Knowing that there was no es cape from the ordeal, he would do so, and then the Rugmeister read out in a loud voice a doggerel composition detailing the crimes and offences of which he had been found guilty. After he had been thus publicly shamed and disgraced by the ex posure of his secret vices, he was allowed to retire; after which the crier gave the parting lines as follows: — Goodbye to you all, be honest and wise, We must go for a journey before us lies. If you dislike the music we've made, No money, remember, to hear it you've paid. Take heed to improve your deeds and ways, Or we shall return before many days, One of us must, ere this night be o'er, In the Untersberg Kaiser Karl implore To record this history without fail. Lest we should chance to forget the tale.
The young peasant I before mentioned, in describing a Haberfeldtreiben he had at tended, says it was great fun. Doubtless it was for the onlookers, but it certainly was not fun for the victim, for the disgrace of being the subject of a Haberfeldtreiben was held by the people to be indelible, and few had the courage to remain in the neighbor hood after being thus visited. Many an un just official or undesirable neighbor was got rid of in this way, and so the institution while it was to a certain extent a terror, was at the same time a benefit to the commu nity. . To quote again from my young peasant, he says : " There was no serious damage done to anyone, only at Hintermauer's farm the wall of the pigsty was pushed down and two of his goat's driven away; but early next morning the goats were brought back by a hand unseen, and money was laid down sufficient to pay for the damaged sty." I put this in to illustrate a singular and redeeming feature in these somewhat barbarous proceedings. It was invariably the case that if any damage resulted to property owing to their meetings, either for trial or punishment, such damage was promptly and liberally compensated. A morning or two afterwards the innocent suf This concluded, the trumpets were again ferer would find a neat little package of blown, the drums beaten, the guns fired, money in his coat pocket, on his table, or and after one -final and terrific burst of perhaps in some such place as his churn; noise, the lantern was suddenly extinguished, and it was this certainty of receiving ample and the Haberer dispersed and stole away remuneration for damage that prevented any hurry to appeal to the regular courts. as quietly as they had gathered.
