and, indeed, the intelligence did not appear correct, as the squire had
no servant whose house was in Brandenburg or even on the road thither.
Men from Dresden, who had been at Wilsdruf a few days after the
conflagration of the Tronkenburg, said that about the time specified a
boy had come there leading two horses by a halter, and that he had left
the animals, as they were in a very wretched plight and unable to
proceed further, in the cow-shed of a shepherd, who had wished to
restore them to good condition. For many reasons it seemed probable
enough that these were the horses in question, but the shepherd of
Wilsdruf had, according to the account of people who came thence,
already sold them to somebody--it was not known to whom; while a third
rumour, the originator of which could not be discovered, was to the
effect that the horses were dead and had been buried in the pit at
Wilsdruf. The brothers von Tronka, who, as might be supposed,
considered this turn of affairs the most desirable, seeing they would
be relieved by it from the necessity of feeding the horses in their own
stable--which they must otherwise have done, as their cousin, the
squire, had no stables of his own--nevertheless wished to be thoroughly
assured that the circumstances were correctly stated. Accordingly Herr
Wenzel von Tronka, in his capacity of feudal lord, wrote to the courts
of Wilsdruf, describing very fully the horses which, he said, had been
lent to him, and had since, unfortunately, been taken away, and
requesting them to try to discover where those animals were stationed,
and to desire the present owner, whoever he might be, to deliver them
up at the stables of the Chamberlain von Tronka, on an indemnification
for all expenses.
In a few days the man, to whom the shepherd of Wilsdruf had sold the
horses made his appearance and brought them, lean and tottering, tied
to his cart, to the market-place of the city. Unfortunately for Squire
Wenzel, and still more so for honest Kohlhaas, this man was the knacker
from Döbbeln.
As soon as Wenzel, in the presence of his cousin, the chamberlain,
heard an indistinct rumour that a man with two black horses, saved from
the flames at the Tronkenburg, had come into the city, they both set
off attended by some servants, whom they had hastily gathered together
to the castle-yard, where he was, that in case the horses should turn
out to be Kohlhaas’s they might pay the expenses and take them home.
But how surprised were they when they saw a multitude, which increased
every moment, attracted by the spectacle, and assembled about the cart
to which the horses were fastened. The people were shouting amid peals
of laughter, that the horses which had caused the state to totter had
come to the knackers. The squire, who had walked round the cart, and
saw with confusion the miserable beasts, who looked every moment as if
they longed to die, said that these were not the horses which he had
taken from Kohlhaas, when the chamberlain casting upon him a look of
speechless rage, which, had he been made of iron, would have crushed
him, stepped up to the knacker and asked him, as he flung back his
mantle and discovered his chain and order, whether these were the
horses which had been in the possession of the shepherd of Wilsdruf,
and which Squire Wenzel von Tronka, to whom they belonged, had
required. The man, who with a pail in his hand, was watering a
stout-bodied horse, that drew his cart, said: “Do you mean the black
ones?” Taking the bit out of his horse’s mouth, and setting down the
pail he said that the animals tied to the cart had been sold to him by
a swineherd of Hainichen, but where he got them, and whether they came
from the Wilsdruf shepherd--that he knew nothing about. The messenger
of the Wilsdruf court, he said, as he again took up the pail and rested
it against the pole of the cart, had told him that he was to bring them
to Dresden to the house of the von Tronkas, but the squire to whom he
had been directed was called Conrad. After these words he turned round
with the remainder of the water, which the horse had left in the pail,
and flung it upon the pavement.
The chamberlain, who amid the gaze of the scoffing multitude could not
get a look from the fellow, who continued his work with the most
insensible zeal, told him that he was the Squire Conrad von Tronka, but
that the horses he had with him belonged to the squire his cousin, that
they had come to the Wilsdruf shepherd through a servant who had run
away, taking advantage of the fire at the Tronkenburg, and that they
originally belonged to the horse-dealer Kohlhaas. He asked the fellow,
who stood with outstretched legs and hitched up his breeches, whether
he really knew nothing about the matter;--whether the swineherd of
Hainichen had not purchased them from the Wilsdruf shepherd (on which
circumstance all depended), or from some third party, who might have
obtained them from that source.
The man rudely said that he understood not a word that was said, and
that whether Peter or Paul or the Wilsdruf shepherd had the horses
before the swineherd of Hainichen--it was just the same to
him--provided they were not stolen. Upon this he went, with his whip
across his broad back, to a neighbouring pot-house to get his breakfast.
The chamberlain, who did not know what in the world he should do with
the horses, which the swineherd of Hainichen had, as it seemed, sold to
the knacker of Döbbeln, unless indeed they were the horses on which the
devil rode through Saxony, asked the squire to put in a word, and when
his kinsman, with pale trembling lips, answered that the most advisable
plan would be to buy them, whether they belonged to Kohlhaas or not, he
wrapped his mantle round him, and not knowing what to do, retired from
the crowd, cursing the father and mother who had given him birth. He
then called to him Baron von Wenk, one of his acquaintance, who was
riding along the street, and resolving not to leave the spot, because
the rabble looked at him scoffingly, and with their handkerchiefs
before their mouths only seemed to wait for his departure to burst out,
he bade him call on Count von Wrede and by his means make Kohlhaas come
to inspect the horses.
Now it happened that Kohlhaas, who had been summoned by an officer of
the court to give certain explanations as to the surrender of property
at Lützen, was present in the chancellor’s room when the baron entered,
and while the chancellor with a fretful countenance rose from his chair
and motioned the horse-dealer aside, the baron, to whom the person of
Kohlhaas was unknown, represented the difficulty in which the von
Tronkas were placed. The knacker had come from Döbbeln in accordance
with a defective requisition of the Wilsdruf courts, with horses
certainly; but their condition was so hopeless that Squire Wenzel could
not help feeling a doubt as to their belonging to Kohlhaas. Hence, if
they were to be taken from the knacker, in order that their recovery
might be attempted, an ocular inspection by Kohlhaas would be necessary
in the first instance to clear up the doubt that existed. “Have then
the goodness,” he concluded, “to fetch the horse-dealer out of his
house with a guard, and let him be taken to the market-place where the
horses now are.”
The chancellor, taking his spectacles from his nose, said that he found
himself in a dilemma, since, on the one hand, he did not think the
affair could be settled otherwise than by the ocular inspection of
Kohlhaas; and, on the other hand, he did not conceive that he, as
chancellor, had any right to send Kohlhaas about guarded, wherever the
squire’s fancy might dictate. He therefore introduced to the baron the
horse-dealer, who was standing, behind him; and while he sat down and
again put on his spectacles, told him to apply to the man himself.
Kohlhaas, who allowed no gesture to show what was passing in his mind,
declared that he was quite ready to follow the baron to the market, and
inspect the horses, which the knacker had brought to the city. He
then, while the baron turned round, confused, again approached the
chancellor’s table, and took leave of him, having given him from his
pocket-book several papers relative to the surrender at Lützen. The
baron, who, with a face red as fire, had retired to the window,
likewise took leave of the chancellor, and the two, accompanied by the
guards appointed by the Prince of Misnia, proceeded to the palace-yard,
accompanied by a multitude of people. Herr Conrad, the chamberlain,
who, in spite of the solicitation of several friends on the spot, had
maintained his ground among the people against the knacker of Döbbeln,
no sooner saw the baron and the horse-dealer, than he approached the
latter, and, holding his sword proudly under his arm, asked him if the
horses which stood behind the cart were his. The horse-dealer, after
modestly turning to the gentleman who questioned him, and whom he did
not know, and touching his hat, went up to the knacker’s cart, followed
by the train of knights. At about twelve paces distance he glanced
hastily at the animals, who stood on tottering legs, with their heads
bent to the ground, and did not eat the hay which the knacker put
before them, and then returning to the chamberlain, exclaimed:
“Gracious sir, the man is quite right; the horses which are bound to
the cart belong to me.” Then looking at the circle around him, he
touched his hat once more, and, attended by his guard, again left the
spot. The chamberlain had no sooner heard what Kohlhaas said, than he
approached the knacker with a hurried step, that made the plume on his
helmet shake, flung him a purse full of gold; and while the man, with
the purse in his hand, was staring at his money, and was combing back
his hair with a leaden comb, he ordered his servant to detach the
horses and lead them home. This servant, who, at his master’s call,
had left a circle of friends and relatives in the crowd, went up to the
horses over a large puddle, with a face somewhat crimson. Scarcely,
however, had {202} he touched the halter, than his cousin, Master
Himboldt, with the words, “You shall not touch that carrion,” seized
his arm and flung him from the cart. He added, picking his way over
the puddle to the chamberlain, who stood dumb with astonishment, that
he must get a knacker’s boy to perform such an office for him. The
chamberlain, who, foaming with rage, gazed for a moment at Himboldt,
turned round, and called after the guard over the heads of the knights
who were about him. As soon as, by the order of Baron von Wenk, an
officer with some electoral troopers had made his appearance from the
castle, he desired him, after briefly setting forth the shameful acts
of rebellion which the burghers of the city ventured on, instantly to
take the ringleader, Master Himboldt, into custody. Then seizing
Himboldt by the collar, he accused him of flinging away from the cart
the servant who, by his orders, was unbinding the horses, and otherwise
ill-using him. Master Himboldt, throwing off the chamberlain with a
dexterous twist, said: “Gracious sir, telling a fellow of twenty what
he ought to do, is not inciting him to rebellion. Ask him whether,
against all usage and propriety, he will meddle with those horses that
are tied up to the cart. If he will, after what I have told him--why,
be it so! For all that I care, he may flay them on the spot if he
pleases.” Upon this the chamberlain turned round to the servant, and
asked him whether he had any objection to fulfil his commands; namely,
to untie Kohlhaas’s horses, and take them home. The lad, timidly
slinking among the burghers, answered that the horses must be made
decent before he could do any thing of the sort; whereupon the
chamberlain darted after him, tore off his hat, which bore the badge of
his house, trampled it under foot, drew his sword, and hunting the
fellow about with furious strokes of the blade, made him at once quit
the spot and his service together. “Strike the ruffian to the ground!”
shouted Master Himboldt, and while the burghers indignant at the
spectacle, combined together and forced away the guard, he knocked down
the chamberlain from behind, tore off his mantle, collar, and helmet,
twisted the sword out of his hand, and furiously flung it to a
distance. In vain did Squire Wenzel, saving himself from the tumult,
call on the knights to assist his cousin; before they could advance a
step they were dispersed by the pressure of the people, so that the
chamberlain, who had hurt his head by the fall, was exposed to all the
fury of the mob. Nothing could have saved him but the appearance of a
troop of soldiers who happened to be riding by, and whom the officer of
the electoral troopers called to his assistance. This officer, after
repelling the multitude, seized the enraged Himboldt, who was conducted
to prison by some knights, while two friends picked up from the ground
the unfortunate chamberlain all covered with blood, and took him home.
Such was the unlucky termination of the really well-meant and honest
attempt to repair the wrong which had been done to the horse-dealer.
The knacker of Döbbeln, whose business was over, and who did not want
to stop any longer, tied the horses to a lamp-post as soon as the
people began to disperse, and there they stood all day, without any one
to care about them--a jest for the loiterers in the street. Indeed,
for the want of all other attendance, the police was obliged to take
them in hand, and towards night called upon the knacker of Dresden to
keep them in the yard before the town till further directions.
This occurrence, though the horse-dealer had really nothing to do with
it, awakened among the better and more temperate sort of people, a
feeling which was highly unfavourable to his cause. The relation in
which he stood to the state was considered quite unsufferable, and both
in private houses and in public places, the opinion was expressed, that
it would be better to do him a manifest injustice, and again annul the
whole affair, than show him justice in such a small matter merely to
gratify his mad obstinacy, especially as such justice would only be the
reward of his deeds of violence. Even the chancellor himself, to
complete the destruction of poor Kohlhaas, with his over-strained
notions of justice, and his obvious hatred of the Von Tronka family,
contributed to the propagation and confirmation of this view. It was
highly improbable that the horses, which were now in the custody of the
knacker of Dresden, could be restored to that condition in which they
left the stable at Kohlhaasenbrück, but even suppose art and constant
attention could effect as much, the disgrace which under the
circumstances fell upon the squire’s family was so great, that
considering its political importance as one of the first and noblest
families in the land, nothing appeared more suitable than to propose a
compensation for the horses in money. The chancellor having some days
afterwards received a letter from the president Kallheim, who made this
proposition in the name of the disabled chamberlain, wrote to Kohlhaas,
advising him not to refuse such an offer in case it should be made to
him. Nevertheless he returned a short and not very civil answer to the
president, in which he requested him to spare him all private
commissions of the kind, advising the chamberlain to apply to the
horse-dealer himself, whom he described a very honest and modest man.
Kohlhaas’s resolution was already weakened by the occurrence in the
market-place, and following the advice of the chancellor, he only
waited for overtures on the part of the squire or his connections
readily to meet them with a full pardon for all that had past. But the
knights’ pride was too sensitive to allow them to make such overtures,
and highly indignant at the answer they had received from the
chancellor, they showed the letter to the elector, who on the following
morning visited the chamberlain as he still lay ill of his wounds in
his room. With a weak and plaintive voice, the invalid asked him
whether, when he had already risked his life to settle this matter
according to his wishes, he should now expose his honour to the censure
of the world, and appear with a request for indulgence before a man,
who had brought all imaginable shame upon him and his family. The
elector having read through the letter, asked Count Kallheim, with some
confusion, whether the tribunal would not be justified in taking its
ground with Kohlhaas on the circumstance that the horses could not be
restored, and then in decreeing a mere compensation in money as if they
were dead. The count replied, “Gracious sir, they are dead!--dead in
the legal sense of the word, because they have no value, and they will
be physically dead before they can be removed from the flayer’s yard to
the knight’s stables.”
Upon this the elector putting up the letter, said that he would speak
about it to the chancellor, consoled the chamberlain, who arose in his
bed and thankfully seized his hand, and after he had told him to take
every care of his health, rose very graciously from his chair, and took
his leave.
Thus stood matters in Dresden, while another storm still more
formidable was gathering over poor Kohlhaas from Lützen, and the
spiteful knights had tact enough to draw down its flashes upon his
unlucky head. John Nagelschmidt, one of the men collected by Kohlhaas,
and dismissed after the appearance of the amnesty, had thought fit a
few weeks afterwards to assemble anew a portion of the rabble who were
disposed for any outrage, and to carry on the trade into which Kohlhaas
had initiated him on his own account. This worthless fellow, partly to
frighten the officers by whom he was pursued, partly to induce the
peasantry after the ordinary fashion to take part in his misdeeds,
called himself vicegerent to Kohlhaas, and spread a report with the
cunning he had learned from his master, that the amnesty had not been
kept with many men, who had returned quietly to their homes--nay that
Kohlhaas himself, by a shameful violation of faith, had been imprisoned
immediately on his arrival at Dresden, and had been consigned to the
care of a guard. In placards, quite similar to those of Kohlhaas, he
made his band of incendiaries appear as a warlike force, raised solely
for the honour of God, with the mission of seeing that the amnesty
granted by the elector was properly carried out. The whole affair, as
we have already said, had nothing to do with the honour of God, nor
with any attachment to Kohlhaas, about whose fate the fellow was
totally indifferent, but he merely intended under the protection of
devices to burn and plunder with greater impunity. The knights, as
soon as the news of this occurrence reached Dresden, could scarcely
conceal their joy at the entirely new turn which it gave to the whole
affair. With sagacious and dissatisfied side-glances they alluded to
the mistake that had been made in granting Kohlhaas the amnesty in
spite of all their warnings, just as if for the sake of encouraging
rascals of every kind to follow in his steps. Not contented with
giving credence to Nagelschmidt’s pretext, that he had taken up arms
solely for the support and defence of his oppressed master, they
plainly expressed their opinion that the whole enterprise was devised
by Kohlhaas to intimidate the government, and thus to hurry on the
decree and render it completely conformable to his obstinate will.
Nay, the cupbearer went so far as to say to a party of hunting squires
and courtiers, who, after their meal, had assembled in the elector’s
anteroom, that the disbanding of the gang of robbers at Lützen was a
mere feint; and while he laughed much at the chancellor’s love of
justice, he showed from many circumstances clearly combined, that the
troop existed now just as much as before, in the woods of the
electorate, and merely waited for a signal from the horse-dealer to
break out anew with fire and sword. Prince Christian of Misnia, very
much displeased at this new turn of affairs, which threatened seriously
to sully the fame of his sovereign, immediately went to the castle to
see him, and clearly perceiving that it was the interest of the knights
to crush Kohlhaas if possible on the ground of new misdeeds, he asked
leave to examine him at once. The horse-dealer somewhat surprised, was
conducted to the seat of government (_Gubernium_) by an officer, with
his two little boys, Henry and Leopold in his arms, for his man
Sternbald had returned the day before with his five children from
Mecklenburg, where they had been staying, and thoughts of various
kinds, which it would be tedious to unravel, determined him to take
with him to the examination the two boys, who, in tears begged to
accompany him, as they saw him depart. The prince, after looking
kindly at the children, whom Kohlhaas had seated beside him, and asking
their names and ages in a friendly manner, disclosed to him the
liberties which Nagelschmidt, his former servant, had allowed himself
in the valleys of the Erzgebirg, and while he showed him what the
fellow called his mandates, requested him to state what he could in his
own justification.