THE VEHMGERICHTE.
THE absence of established laws, or of plundered his neighbor as much as he could. competent authority to enforce them, Such, indeed, was the misery that it was said has at times given rise to anomalous institu openly that Christ and his saints slept." This state of affairs gave rise in several tions, which have sought to secure the public tranquillity by means themselves scarcely re countries of Europe to popular confederacies, concilable with sound ideas of civil subor and even to secret tribunals, formed expressly dination. The Corsican Vendetta and the to check such unbounded license, and to American Vigilance Societies alike derived secure the ends of justice when its legitimate their origin from social anarchy and from administrators were feeble or corrupt. The the inability of the recognized authority to most terrible of those secret tribunals were maintain order or to exact retribution for the well-known "Vehmgerichte,"— or "Feh mgerichte," as the word is sometimes written, crime. During the Middle Ages most of the — which existed in some parts of Germany, countries of Europe passed through a crisis and especially in Westphalia. The exact when the authority of the monarch and of significance of the title is disputed, but it is his judges fell into such contempt that the usually supposed to be derived from "fehm," law was entirely without force, and no better punishment, and " gericht," court, meaning a protection was afforded by the city than by court of justice. Others imagine, on inferior the open country. Every man's hand was grounds, the term is obtained from the Latin raised against his fellow-man, the most holy "fama," as the tribunals too frequently acted sanctuaries were profaned, property was on common fame or report. The origin of plundered, persons were violated, and the the courts has been ascribed to the age of various fortresses scattered throughout the Charlemagne; but there is no authentic country, so far from sheltering the weak, record ot their existence prior to the middle were converted into dens of robbers, where of the thirteenth century. It is certain that knightly freebooters levied blackmail from at that time a number of individuals were the territories around their strongholds. secretly associated together in Germany to England passed through such a period of punish crimes and offenders; to put an internal chaos in the troubled reign of efficient check upon the lawlessness of the Stephen, when during nineteen years, ac powerful barons, who defied the authority of cording to the "Saxon Chronicle," "the rich the sovereign; and to redress cases of griev men generally oppressed the wretched people ous wrong perpetrated by any member of the by making them work at their castles; and community. when the castles were finished, they filled The tribunals were divided into local them with devils and evil men. Then they sections, but recognized a central authority. took those whom they suspected to have Nominally, the Emperor was the chief officer; any goods, putting both men and women in but in Westphalia the actual President was prison for their gold and silver, and torturing the Archbishop of Cologne. A person of them with pains unspeakable; for never were position presided over each branch of the any martyrs tormented as they were. Many central court, and was known as a " free were starved; many lived on alms who had count." The other members were divided previously been rich; others fled from the into the two classes of " schoppen," or igno country. Neither church nor churchyard rant, and " wissende," or knowing, the latter was spared by the plunderers; they robbed class including all those who were initiated in the monks and the clergy; and every man to the hidden secrets of the Order. The most
