[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] -The Scharfrichter sumup-

[Otto]

Thank you, John, for the thought provoking question regarding  
"Scharfrichterknecht".
It was a stimulating discovery process.

"Scharfrichter" is a medieval German term (from the middle ages)  
applied to a legally authorized position by the powers that be.  That  
of executioner.  The legally designated executioner would receive a  
warrant (defined as a judicial writ authorizing an officer to make a  
search, seizure, or arrest or to execute a judgment.) to execute a  
judgement.  That warrant issued by the powers that be protected the  
legally designated executioner from being tried and convicted for  
murder under the same law system.

The Scharfrichter was licensed to kill, but not with the freedom to  
act or judge on his own. He carried out the orders of the Judge  
issuing the warrant. And more.  In medieval times killing was a final  
punishment. Exquisite forms of torture and torture devices existed.  
These undoubtedly created need for assistance (assistants/knechts),  
all that screaming could be unnerving. And the cleanup afterward...

The Scharfrichter was licensed to kill, be it with his sword by  
beheading , ax and bench, stake and burning faggots, hanging,  
strangulation or guillotine. This was his legally protected  
occupation or trade and still is today.  This right did not prevent  
ostracism by his fellowmen.  With the passing of time scharfrichter  
became a synonym for hangman or Henker.  Today we can well add the  
firing squad, the electric chair, the gas chamber, lethal injection...

The occupation had spinoff jobs. . . what to do with those cadavers.   
One of which is a modern day abdecker or animal body utilizer.  The  
animal body utilizer dealt with more than just horses as time  
progressed. (horses. sheep, beef cattle, pigs and goats, etc.   
(deutschen Tierkoerpenbeseitigunsgesetz- one of those composite words)

Here are a few URLS as reference.  More can be obtained with a few  
moments of googling or wikipedia.

http://www.lexikon-definition.de/Scharfrichter.html

http://content-kiosk.de/Abdecker

They are written in German- for those that can read it or need the  
practice.



...  Otto

   " The Zen moment..." wk. of September 4, 2005-
        ________________________________
"The past, as the present...Always under construction."