The Burning Pines

A poor widow of Rattenberg, who was blessed with a large family, had

been, through endless misfortunes, reduced to such a pitch of poverty

that she only had left of all her possessions a small wood in the

valley of Scheibenthal, which is close to Rattenberg. A wicked-hearted

wretch took advantage of her troubles to try and prove that the wood

was his own property, and by means of false witnesses and many failures

of justice matters were driven so far that the unfortunate widow had to

give up the wood, and died of grief soon afterwards. The children were

taken care of by good neighbours, and when they were strong enough they

were obliged to go out to service, and soon no more was heard of the

matter.

Everything would have been forgotten had there not been One in whose

remembrance all lives; and up to the present day the crime of the

forest thief is constantly recalled through the circumstance that

burning trunks often roll down through the wood, sending sparks in all

directions, sometimes assuming the terrific appearance of a forest

fire. But this dreadful phenomenon is ascribed to the fact that the

wicked man, with his vile companions who had robbed the poor widow of

her wood, have been condemned to burn in the forest which they stole,

under the form of fiery pines, and roll in their agony through the

forest, vainly seeking to release themselves from their everlasting

punishment.