# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1853 09 23_S17
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Der Lutheraner.
"God's Word and Luther's doctrine pass away now and nevermore." (Rev. John, ch. 14, v. 6.)
Published by the German Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States
Edited by C. F. W. Walther.
Volume 10.  St. Louis, Mo., the 23rd of September 1853.  No. 3.
Terms: Der Lutheraner appears once every two weeks, at the yearly subscription price of One Dollar for subscribers living at a distance, who must pay it in advance and bear the postage. — In St. Louis each single number is sold for 5 cents. Only the letters which contain communications for the paper are to be sent to the editor; all others, which contain business matters, orders, cancellations, moneys, etc., are to be sent hither under the address Mr. F. W. Barthel, care of C. F. W. Walther, St. Louis, Mo.

The Bloodbath of Thorn.
A Picture from the History of the Jesuits, by K. F. Ledderhose.
(Continuation.)

He, the chaplain, declared that he appeared "as a holy person in a holy cause in this temple of holy justice, not with the intention of defending the cause of God, for that is mightily enough protected by this most honorable assembly, but only that he might ease his bitter grief by the shedding of his tears. The Catholic cause in all Christendom, the government in all Europe, the Catholic cause and the government together in this kingdom, were coming with tear-stained faces to the judgment seat of the king, upon whom the Catholic faith has set the crown." He declared the worship of images to be an article of faith, which "is confirmed by the blood of countless martyrs and by God with millions of miracles. He reminded them that St. Jacek had carried a stone image of the most holy Mother of God dry-shod across the Vistula, thus raising himself above the elements, merely to rescue the protecting image of the Poles from the disgrace of the Tartars. "O thou Mother of my God!" the hypocrite then cried out, "thou hast fallen in Thorn under a Tartar heathenism. Behold, how the godless trample thee under foot, hew thee in pieces, burn thee openly upon a pyre like a malefactress, how they drive thee, thou most innocent and most pure Virgin, out of a Polish city." He now sought to inflame the fury of the judges, and at the same time, by way of atonement, demanded the churches, as well as the extirpation of the public exercise of the sect, the banishment of its preachers, "who are fattened and clothed from the contributions and tears of the Catholics, in order that such sect may know and learn that it is only a handmaid, not free nor mistress. And would to God that through this occasion their blind eyes might be enlightened and come to the knowledge of the true light; for heathens and Jews must be called to the truth, but heretics compelled to it. If heretics are spared, that is nothing else than to sacrifice and ruin the Catholics." In this tone he goes on; it is truly outrageous how this bloodthirsty man goads them on, and yet says at the close: "I could speak here for my own house, but the wounds of my brethren, which were dealt them by the hands of the heretics, are their badges of honor, for suffering shame for the name of Jesus. I make mention of no punishment of body or life. As a clergyman I must not thirst for blood." And yet he concluded: "As truly as the Lord lives, before whose face I stand, do justice and maintain the judgment, raise up again the oppressed, so shall peace be within your borders, one shall chase a thousand." With tumultuous shouts of joy the blinded, bloodthirsty judges heard this speech. How the sentence turned out we shall show presently. The people of Thorn relied upon their good right, upon the truth, and disdained to use means by which they would soon have satisfied the Jesuits. They did not let gold speak where justice had to speak.

On the 15th of November 1724 the sentence, against which no appeal was permitted, was read out in the session of the court and handed over to the commissioners for execution. It was drawn up in Polish Latin. Its contents are truly horrifying and prove the deep blindness of the judges, which was rooted in falsehood and in a murderous spirit. The sentence rests upon the investigation, which, as we have seen, had been conducted altogether partially. Only what the enemies of the evangelical Church had said was valid