Pictures of German Life in the XVth, XVIth, and XVIIth Centuries, Vol. II.Freytag, Gustav
History
Pictures of German Life in the XVth, XVIth, and XVIIth Centuries, Vol. II.
Freytag, Gustav
Germany -- Civilization; Germany -- Social life and customs
"Hardly had George crossed the threshold, when Katherina Kanderowa, a
lodger, came from the country into her lodging-room, which was close to
Simon's hiding-place, and saw the boy in his little Jewish coat, which
he had again been obliged to put on. As therefore the said Katherina
understood from the Jews who were standing round the house-door that
they were seeking for the son of a Jew, who had fled from his father,
and as she did not know that Simon was a disciple of the Christian
faith, she drew him out of his corner, and dragged him down to the front
part of the house. When the father saw his son, he presented to this
woman thirty silver groschen, that she might thrust the boy, who was not
strong enough to free himself from her hands, over the threshold. The
boy called upon the Christians to support him against such violence, but
in vain, for two robust Jews seized upon him each by an arm, and bore
him along as if he floated through the air, to the Jew town and his
father's house. But the father went craftily step by step slowly behind,
in order to chat with the Christians, and make them believe that his son
had only fled to the Christians, in order to escape lawful and deserved
punishment. He easily persuaded the populace of this.
"But George Kawka betook himself after the end of this tragedy to me,
and related the lamentable kidnapping of Simon with many light worthless
excuses. But I spoke sharply to him, put clearly before his eyes, how
evident it was that he had played with the Jews under the rose, and
sternly charged him if he would not be made answerable before the
tribunal, for the treacherous betrayal of Simon, to use all means
without delay, and on the requisition of a Christian judge to recover
him from the hand, of the Jews, and deliver him up to the college. And
truly it appeared as if he obeyed the command faithfully and
assiduously. Ha searched the whole Jew town many days, and examined
almost all the houses, as was testified of him by the person who
accompanied and was associated with him. He thereby turned almost all
the suspicion of treachery from him; and as Simon was nowhere to be
found, he confirmed the report that he had secretly been removed to
Poland. At a later period, George Kawka himself was driven, by a bad
conscience to take refuge in Poland, and has remained invisible to this
day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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