Spring and autumn were the
principal seasons of their harvest; in winter the roads were almost
impassable, and in summer the days were too long; the light of the moon,
in particular, was always avoided, and so were the betraying foot prints
in the snow. They seldom marched in a body to the place of attack, but
went thither two or three in a party, some on foot, some on horseback,
and some even in carriages. As soon as they had entered a village, their
first care was to muffle the church bell, so as to prevent an alarm
being rung; or to commence a heavy fire, to give the inhabitants an
exaggerated idea of their numbers, and impress them with the feeling
that it would be more prudent to stay at home than to venture out into
the fray.
John Buckler, _alias_ Schinderhannes, the worthy whose youthful arm
wielded with such force a power constituted in this manner, was the son
of a currier, and born at Muhlen, near Nastoeten, on the right bank of
the Rhine. The family intended to emigrate to Poland, but on the way the
father entered the Imperial service at Olmutz, in Moravia. He deserted,
and his wife and child followed him to the frontiers of Prussia, and
subsequently the travellers took up their abode again in the environs
of the Rhine.
At the age of fifteen, Schinderhannes commenced his career of crime by
spending a louis, with which he had been entrusted, in a tavern.
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