Frederick, Baron Trenck was born in Konigsberg, in Prussia, on the 16th
February, 1726, of one of the most ancient families of the country. His
father, who died in 1740, with the rank of major-general of cavalry,
bestowed particular care on the education of his son, and sent him, at
the age of thirteen, to the university of his native city, where he made
a rapid progress in his studies. He soon began to manifest that
impetuous disposition and those violent passions, which were probably
the source of his subsequent misfortunes. By the time he was sixteen, he
had been engaged in three duels, in each of which he wounded his
antagonist.
He went into the army at an early period, and soon obtained the notice
and favor of the king. When arrived at manhood, he was remarkable for
personal beauty and mingled grace and dignity of bearing. Being
stationed at Berlin, he became acquainted with the Princess Amelia,
sister of Frederick the Great, and a mutual attachment followed. This
became a subject of conversation, and soon reached the ears of
Frederick. He warned Trenck to break off his intercourse with the
princess; but this being unheeded, the king sent him to Glatz, under
some pretext, and caused him to be imprisoned.
His confinement soon became insupportable to his impatient temper, and
he resolved to avail himself of the first opportunity of escape. The
window of his apartment looked toward the city, and was ninety feet from
the ground, in the tower of the citadel. With a notched penknife, he
sawed through three iron bars, and with a file, procured from one of the
officers, he effected a passage through five more, which barricaded the
windows. This done, he cut his leathern portmanteau into thongs, sewed
them end to end, added the sheets of his bed, and safely descended from
the astonishing height.
The night was dark, and everything seemed to promise success; but a
circumstance he had never considered was, that he had to wade through
moats full of mud, before he could enter the city. He sunk up to the
knees, and, after long struggling and incredible efforts to extricate
himself, he was obliged to call the sentinel, and desire him to go and
tell the governor that Trenck was stuck fast in the ditch!
After the failure of several other attempts, he finally succeeded in
effecting his escape, and fled to Vienna. From thence, he went to St.
Petersburg, where he was received with the highest distinction, and the
road to honors and emoluments was laid open before him. But at this
period, the death of a wealthy cousin in Austria, induced him to return
thither. Here, an immense property slipped through his hands, in
consequence of some legal flaws.
In 1754, his mother died, from whose estate he received a considerable
sum. With a view to the settlement of her affairs, he went to Dantzic,
not permitting his name to be known. He was, however, betrayed into the
hands of Frederick's officers, and being conveyed to the castle of
Magdeburg, was immured in a dungeon, and loaded with irons.
Round his neck was a broad band of iron, to the ring of which his chains
were suspended. These were of such weight, that, when he stood up, he
was obliged to sustain them with his hands, to prevent being strangled.
Various other massive irons were riveted to his body, and the whole were
fastened to a thick staple, which was set in the stone wall. Under this
staple was a seat of bricks, and on the opposite side a water jug.
Beneath his feet was a tombstone, with the name of Trenck carved over a
death's head.
His confinement in this dreadful cell continued for nine years and five
months. In vain did he attempt to bribe the sentinels, and by other
ingenious means, to effect his escape. His furniture consisted of a
bedstead, a mattress, and a small stove. His food was a pound and a half
of mouldy bread and a jug of water a day. He was permitted to hold no
intercourse with any one except his keepers, and even these returned no
answer to his thousand questions.
Such, however, were the vigor of his constitution and the elasticity of
his spirits, that, amid the gloomy horrors of his prison, he seemed
still to seek amusement by the exertion of his talents. He composed
verses, and, having no ink, wrote them with his blood. He also carved
curious emblems upon tin cups with his knife. His great ingenuity
excited the attention of many persons of rank, particularly the Empress
Maria Theresa, who ordered her minister to employ all his influence at
the court of Berlin to obtain his enlargement.
The Baron, in his Life, relates the following curious anecdote:--"I
tamed a mouse so perfectly that the little animal was continually
playing with me, and used to eat out of my mouth. One night it skipped
about so much, that the sentinels heard a noise, and made their report
to the officer of the guard. As the garrison had been changed at the
peace, and as I had not been able to form, at once, so close a
connection with the officers of the regular troops, as I had done with
those of the militia, an officer of the former, after ascertaining the
truth of the report with his own ears, sent to inform the commanding
officer that something extraordinary was going on in my prison.
"The town major arrived, in consequence, early in the morning,
accompanied by locksmiths and masons. The floor, the walls, my chains,
my body, everything, in short, was strictly examined. Finding all in
order, they asked me the cause of last evening's bustle. I had heard the
mouse myself, and told them frankly by what the noise had been
occasioned. They desired me to call my little favorite; I whistled, and
the mouse immediately leaped on my shoulder. I solicited its pardon, but
the officer of the guard took it into his possession, promising,
however, on his word of honor, to give it to a lady who would take great
care of it. Turning it afterwards loose in his chamber, the mouse, who
knew nobody but me, soon disappeared and hid itself in a hole.
"At the usual hour of visiting my prison, when the officers were just
going away, the poor little animal darted in, climbed up my legs, seated
itself on my shoulder, and played a thousand tricks to express the joy
it felt at seeing me again. Every one was astonished and wished to have
it. The major, to terminate the dispute, carried it away and gave it to
his wife, who had a light cage made for it; but the mouse refused to
eat, and a few days afterwards was found dead."
Trenck was at length released, and soon after married an amiable lady,
by whom he had eleven children. On the death of Frederick the Great, his
successor granted him a passport to Berlin, and restored his
confiscated estates, which he had not enjoyed for forty-two years. He
soon set off for Konigsburg, where he found his brother, who was very
sick, waiting for him with impatience, and who adopted his children as
his heirs. He was also received by all his friends with testimonies of
joy. Here, it would appear, that Trenck might have spent the remainder
of his days, in peace and quiet, but his restless disposition again made
him the football of fortune. After many vicissitudes, he terminated his
career in obscurity, and died in 1797.
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