A few months ago the imperial alum-mines at Komotau 

 suddenly began to yield scanty returns and the precious 

 alum -stone diminished also in quality ; this was evidently the 

 work of a malign witch, and suspicion being directed to a 

 poor, aged and infirm woman of low estate, she was duly 

 examined and properly executed at the stake. It is believed 

 that the alum-mines will now be more productive; if how- 

 ever they do not improve, your Majesty can rely on his 

 servant to discover other witches and to deal legally with 

 them. 



At Chrudim another event of interest required the energy 

 of your indefatigable servant. Frau Dorothea Wanura, being 

 left a widow in her youth, took for a second husband an 

 aged nobleman of great wealth, but in wretched health and 

 of ungovernable temper. Before long, the gay young wife, 

 tired of her nuptial chains, sought release and consulted three 

 old wise-women who advised her how to get rid of her old 

 husband. She placed a piece of fresh bread in the bolster- 

 case of her husband's bed and left it there until it was dry 

 and brittle, but it failed to absorb the man's vitality as had 

 been promised; having been unsuccessful in this and other 

 magical practices, and being urged by a wicked lover to 

 hasten, she resorted to active poison, her husband dying after 

 a few hours' suffering. The affair soon became known and 

 Dorothea was put to the question; confessing all, she was 

 buried alive, and her three companions in witchcraft were 

 burned at the stake; thus bringing the affair to a most 

 satisfactory conclusion. 



Instances in which the witches exercise merely malignant 

 mischief, such as drying up a neighbor's cows, preventing 

 fruit trees from bearing, blasting corn-fields, and afflicting 

 cattle with barrenness, are of common occurrence; but the 

 vigilance of your servant never fails to bring the guilty to 



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