Unlike most other cases, the Church had no part in the Witchtrials at Lindheim. On the contrary,
KONRAD HÖLKER the Vicar of Lindheim offered support and comfort to all the pitiable people,
who were accused being witches. Actually, it was the deed of a couple of men, who in their acqui-
sitiviness found a way to enrich themselves with the properties of the victims, namely the Bailiff
GEORG LUDWIG GEIS,who was both prosecutor and witchjudge, the lay assessor KRIEGER and
the hangman.
The Lindheim Witchtower
Thanks to the diary of Vicar Hölker, we have not only the names of the victims, but also
informative background material, especially about his good friends, the SCHÜLER family.
The Miller JOHANNES PHILIPPE SCHÜLER was a wealthy and warmhearted man,
generally highly respected for his aid to the poor of the Lindheim Community. He was married
to MARTHA, sister of Weilburg`s Vicar FRECH. MARTHA, described as a young, educated
woman with a nice appearance, was the mother of three children, namely JOHANNES,
ELISABETH and little ADAM.
The Witchjudge GEIS had planned to get rid of the Schülers for quite some time, but could
not find any witnesses ready to accuse JOHANNES SCHÜLER to be a witchmaster.
At last, he could not control his desire for the Miller´s property and he arrested MARTHA,
who under torture of indescribable cruelty admitted to be guilty of having killed, together
with her midwife and five other woman, her newborn baby and prepared a witch-ointment
from the body. The truth was, that Martha had given birth to a dead child and her
innocence could also be established by opening the grave, where the body of the baby still was
found in the coffin. These facts were neglected by Geis and as soon as JOHANNES returned
to Lindheim after having informed the supremacy about GEIS´outrages, he was imprisoned
by KRIEGER and GEIS and thrown into the Witchtower together with his wife.
The Schüler-Mill at Lindheim
With the help of the Vicar and his friends, JOHANNES escaped from the Tower, but MARTHA,
too weak after the torture and terrible treatment was unable to follow him. JOHANNES
SCHÜLER hesitated to leave his wife behind, but he was persuaded to do so, as he might have
a chance to put an end to the cruelties by contacting higher Authorities. A.o. he appealed to the Supreme
Court at Speyer and he also received a Letter of Protection from the Authorities represented by
HEINRICH HERMANN von OYNHAUSEN.
However,before he could return to Lindheim, he received the message, that MARTHA has been
sentenced to death by GEIS and burnt inside the Witchtower, on Feb.23rd around seven o´clock*).
JOHANNES feared to return to Lindheim and found probably a hiding-place in a cave near
Steinberg, still known as "the Miller´s Home".
As practically every family of Lindheim had lost a member or suffered from one of the most cruel witch-
persecutions known at that time, the people of Lindheim began organizing resistance against GEIS
and his equals and finally the higher Authorities put an end to the "Terroryears of Lindheim".
Before GEIS could be sentenced for his cruel deeds and theft of the victims´properties, a "higher Power"
ended his life, when he was thrown from the back of his horse and broke the neck.
The Church
at Lindheim around 1650
JOHANNES SCHÜLER moved from Lindheim together with his children, which the Vicar and his wife
had taken care of. JOHANNES and Vicar HÖLKER had contact with eachother until HÖLKER died
after 36 years as Vicar in Lindheim, but some time before his end he had the pleasure in making
following entrance in the Churchbook " married Oct.17th, JOHANNES SCHÜLER (JR), son of
Lindheim´s former Miller and ANNA BARBARA, daughter of mine, Vicar of Lindheim".
*) acc.to researches made by Karl
E Demandt, Martha Schüler might have been executed
by decapitation on March 1st,1664.
by Peter Heisser,
descendant of Martha and Johannes in the 10th generation
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