# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1853 08 30_S5
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

5

[illegible]er, for these disciples of Loyola, not of our Lord Jesus, shrank from no means of gaining standing and entrance. They knew whom they had for supports. Not only the Roman priesthood, but the royal court, and especially the nobles, who in Poland could do more than the king, clung to them. That made them so bold and shameless. Wherever they knew of orphan children, they stretched out their arms toward them to make them Roman Catholic. At their bosom even malefactors found protection to escape the just punishment, if only they would return home into the lap of the Church. The Jesuit pupils picked quarrels with the pupils of the Lutheran gymnasium, and when complaint was lodged with the Father Rector, he took no action. The evangelical clergy were not merely attacked in libelous writings; there even took place repeatedly physical abuse of them by Jesuit pupils, who pelted them with stones and filth. And that in the midst of an evangelical people.

Professor Arend had, on Good Friday of the year 1719, let go out a writing in which he thoroughly examined the counsels of the high priest Caiaphas against Christ. This writing may have had many a hidden allusion; the Catholics took it as aimed at their high priest in Rome, namely the Pope. They at once made an uproar. President Rösner, who would not intervene, was summoned before the court of the realm at Warsaw. But before that the Bishop of Culm, to whom the Jesuits had complained, appeared, and raged mightily. Professor Arend, however, withdrew, and was appointed at Königsberg. The matter thus found its seeming settlement, but the Papists kept on grumbling. The fire broke out only too soon, and in a horribly destructive manner.

It was on the 16th of July of the year 1724, when the Catholics were keeping the Feast of the Scapular. They held a solemn procession in the churchyard of St. James' Church, which was in the possession of the nuns. Outside, before the churchyard, there stood with bared heads some Lutheran citizens' children, and some young people besides who had come from the neighborhood, to watch the celebration. A Jesuit pupil did not find it enough that they had taken off their hats; he forced them to fall upon their knees before the so-called Most Worshipful Host. It happened amid abuse and boxes on the ear. Because he had attained his purpose, he only became bolder and more shameless. A few hours after the procession he went with some fellow pupils into the New Town and sought a quarrel. He who seeks, finds. He met some citizens' sons and servants, and fell upon them. There was a scuffle in which the Lutherans got the worst of it. When two citizens wanted to make peace, they were dragged into St. James' churchyard, thrown to the ground and abused. It would have gone still worse with them, had not another citizen with his strong arms thrown himself between. The crowd grew. At last city soldiers came and took the ringleader Lysiecki prisoner with them to the guardhouse. That was oil poured into the fire. The Jesuit pupils who had taken part in the disorder ran to the Father Rector, who referred them to President Rösner. With vehemence they demanded there the release of their comrade. That Rösner could not do, since the burgrave had to decide in such cases. Because it happened to be Sunday, the burgrave put off the investigation to the following Monday. With threats the students left the burgrave; Lysiecki, however, remained in custody overnight.

On the following day, the 17th of July, the magistrate assembled, and at the request of the burgrave took over the settlement of the matter. When the Jesuit pupils now came to the burgrave, he referred them to Rösner, who declared that the magistrate would investigate the dispute at its next session. This delay embittered them greatly, so that they gathered several of their fellow pupils and went through the streets, making a din. They demanded of the citizens who had been abused by them the day before that they intercede for the release of their comrade, or else fear their revenge. Citizens came to the help of those hard threatened. Then the Jesuit pupils reached for their sabers and withdrew only when the city watch came hurrying up and again arrested a ringleader. Provoked by this, a larger crowd of such students banded together, and it looked as though they wanted to take the guardhouse by storm in order to free the prisoner. The first of those arrested had in fact already been released by the president of the city, and concerning the other he wanted to consult with the Father Rector of the Jesuits. Since the pupils found an armed city watch, they hit upon another plan. About seven o'clock in the evening they went to the Old Town, to compel the Lutheran citizen Daublinger, who had already meddled in the quarrel the day before, to work for the release of their comrade. He had got wind of it and had withdrawn into the house of the burgrave. Instead of him they met before his house a student in a dressing gown, who had taken not the slightest part in the tumult, and dragged him, with insults and abuse, into the Jesuit college. There they put him, with threats that they would take his life, into a filthy prison. Over the retaliation, as they thought it, which they had practiced, over their victory, they were highly delighted, and blew from the windows with hunting horns. This noise drew a crowd of people. Hardly had the students noticed this when they soon threw stones at the curious, and even struck at them with their sabers. At last President Rösner had the city soldiers march, but the rioters resisted, and only with difficulty did they withdraw into their college.

Rösner sent the secretary Wedemeyer to the Father Rector, to release the imprisoned gymnasiast. The Rector, however, agreed only on the condition that the two Catholic students likewise be freed. Rösner had also called the citizens together to warn them against a tumult. But it helped nothing. The mass of the people, enraged over the refusal of the Rector, banded together in an ever greater mass. In addition, journeymen artisans, who smelled the beer, and some clerks incited the gymnasiasts to free their imprisoned schoolmate. They did not need to be told twice; they broke open the door of the college, and led the prisoner Nagorni out in triumph. Hardly was this done when the gymnasiasts went quietly home, but not so the people. The Jesuit pupils threw stones out of the college, the mass was thereby enraged and likewise threw stones at the windows. Then suddenly the hour bell of the Jesuits sounded, like an alarm bell. An ever greater crowd gathered. The city watch ordered thither, as well as royal mercenaries, were no longer able to put a stop to it. The stone-throwing, even shots from the Jesuit building, hindered their approach. The vice-president Zernecke, who lived quite near, came out before his house door, and adjured them, as he himself expresses it, "by the wounds of our best Redeemer, to desist from the crime, and not to bring the whole city into misfortune and ruin." But sooner could one have brought the floods of the sea to rest than the people, burning with rage. They forced their way into the building, into the schoolrooms, smashed there windows, tables, chairs, benches and other household furniture, even made a fire before the house, and burned the fragments of the furniture. From the college itself shots were fired continually. At the instigation of the president the whole body of citizens of the old Thorn quarter advanced with about twenty mercenaries against the mob and dispersed it. About eleven o'clock at night it was quiet in the streets of Thorn.

The assertion that the rioters had dishonored and burned images of saints and one of the Virgin Mary is an invention of hatred, just as also the charge that a chalice had been stolen has remained unproved.

The magistrate had the city gates closed at once on the following day, so that the originators and ringleaders could not escape, and appointed a committee to investigate the matter, and that by witnesses from both religious parties.

(To be continued.)

Receipt and Thanks.

From the congregation of Rev. Mr. Fricke at Indianapolis $13. toward the church building at Rochester, received, acknowledges with thanks Fleischmann, Pastor.