Page - 72 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 07/01

72 | Christian Wessely www.jrfm.eu 2021, 7/1, 67–93 The Course of Events10 On 10 August 1642 after a service, the sacristan of the parish church in Haus comes across a red-leather pouch under the altar cloth. This pouch is sub- sequently opened and found to contain various substances that were com- monly used as ingredients for a magic charm, such as human amnion, linen stained with the menstrual blood of a virgin, a rope used on gallows, and specific herbs.11 A young acolyte admits to having put the pouch on the altar on behalf of the lorimer Ludwig Teschler, born in 1616. The parish priest, Albert Widman, sends the pouch to the Consistory of the Archbishop of Salz- burg on 17 August along with a report about a similar pouch found earlier. We know these details only from the rescript, as the letter sent by Widman is lost. In its session of 30 August, the Consistory discusses the case. The pouch is opened and found to contain several items used for magical purposes, as described. Widman is advised to send in the second pouch and keep the mat- ter concealed from the public until the Archbishop has been informed. On 2 September, Widman is informed that the pouch has been presented to Arch- bishop Paris Lodron, who has authorized the initiation of judicial proceedings. Widman is instructed to discuss the case with the municipal judge at Rad- stadt, to clarify Teschler’s malfeasance and from whom Teschlers knowledge about these procedures was received. On 9 September, the case is delegated to the Court Council. The judge in Radstadt is officially assigned to the inter- rogation of the accused and ordered to cooperate with Widman. The contemporary Radstadt court records are lost, but the documents in- clude two versions of the interrogation protocol – one version consists of the almost complete draft notes (#9–12), the other is a clean but incomplete copy of the version submitted to the court (#34–35). Both versions are dated 25 September 1642. The record shows that Teschler, scared by events dur- ing what would prove to be the final phase of the devastating war begun in 1618, has listened to the advice of a certain “doctor from Linz”(#12), who 10 See Knappitsch 2015. The Consistory was the relevant body for all religious concerns, but the Court Council was the responsible authority for all “worldly” cases, and prosecution always fell to the Court Council. Some individuals served on both. In both instances the Archbishop had the final word. 11 Cf. Knappitsch 2015, 47–48. Byloff 1902 describes a similar pouch that was found in Aussee in 1611. Knappitsch notes that pouches like these were relatively popular in this region in the 17th century.