21. Witchcraft accusations wiped out another entire family, the Pappenheimers, including a 10-year-old boy
The Pappenheimer family scraped a living through begging and odd jobs in Bavaria. They also had to move around a lot, making them extra suspicious. In 1600, a thief was arrested, and accused the whole Pappenheimer family of witchcraft and murder. Perhaps he was trying to save his own skin, or just didn’t like them. Either way, the Pappenheimers were arrested immediately, and imprisoned. The authorities tortured them until they gave a lurid enough confession. Their execution was unspeakably horrible, and involved dismemberment and broken limbs. Thousands of people happily watched a 10-year-old member of the family burn alive.
