Goat riders in the border area

After the armies of the Sun King and those of his English and Dutch opponents had left our regions at the beginning of the 18th century, there was a period of peace. But in the middle of the century, that peace was violently disrupted when the French once again occupied the Austrian Netherlands by force for several years. Moreover, failed harvests and an epidemic of dysentery ravaged the population. Not everyone endured this poverty and misery passively. Men and women organized themselves into armed gangs and violently seized the money where it was to be found. In the countryside, these were the wealthier farmers and millers. But even lords and the clergy did not escape their attention. In Dutch Brabant and Limburg and here in our Liège Land of Loon, these gangs were called 'bokkenrijders' (goat riders). The name was invented by people. Previously, it was thought that the devil looked like a goat. The frightened population believed that the members of the robber gangs were servants of the devil and rode through the air on goats. The gangs struck in a short time at various widely scattered locations, leading to the myth that the robbers and murderers could fly. In reality, there were several large gangs active. But they had one thing in common: the members did not hesitate to use uncontrolled violence.

Such was the case in 1753 at the Grazenmolen. On June 4 of that year, Ascension Day, a handful of gang members dressed in blue gowns and with a ‘boeckzak’ (a type of bag) on their backs made their way to the mill as night fell. It would later turn out that Sus van Leewe from the nearby Rummen was in charge. The dog barely had time to bark. A few gang members broke into the mill house. They pressed the miller Jacobus Van der Bempt with a pistol to his chest and demanded money: “Do hoendt, op den oegenblick u geldt." The miller had no intention of giving in. But defense was futile; Jacobus was thrown to the ground and tied up. The maid Catharina Hardy, alarmed by the noise, rushed to help and struck one of the robbers over the head with a "snel1." It took three men to overwhelm, beat, and tie her up. The confusion and tumult were total. Housewife Catharina Croes called for help but was silenced with the words: "Slaat die alde hex doet" and with blows from a stick. She too was bound. The scoundrels found the other maid, Catharina Van Tilt, in her room. She was tied to her bed with strands of thread due to the lack of ropes. Meanwhile, the dog was going wild. This furious barking woke the servant P. Moreau, who had been sleeping in the horse stable. He rushed to help but was immediately seized by two robbers on guard, dragged inside, thrown to the ground, and bound hand and foot. Finally, the other servant Jan Celis was caught and tied up as well. The goat riders were known for doing little harm to innocents. So it shouldn’t surprise us that the leader ordered to leave the girls and servants unhurt.

Now that the situation was under control, the robbers focused on the matter for which they had come: money. With the keys of the miller and his wife, they searched every nook and cranny of the house. They found money and other valuables, tore the wedding ring off the miller's wife, and when they found nothing more, they asked the miller if there was any more money. The miller denied it, but when the bandits discovered some coins in his pants pocket, there was enough reason to beat him brutally again. The only effect was a dying miller.

You must be extraordinarily heartless and cynical to then, amidst the groaning victims and a flickering sacred candle, eat and drink with satisfaction. Some time later, they blew out the candle, left the premises calmly after a successful evening, and left the victims helpless. The miller would die from his injuries a few days later.

When they were found by chance the next day, the Count of Duras immediately ordered an investigation. This investigation was conducted thoroughly and remarkably accurately. All witnesses were questioned based on an extensive list of 35 questions. These questions aimed to describe the circumstances very concretely, and the various witness statements were scrutinized to create a coherent and truthful account. Furthermore, not only was the course of events reconstructed, but the questions also contained the facts that were criminal.

During the witness hearing, it was revealed that Sus van Leeuwe and Gerard Vanrusselt from Rummen were recognized.

But the law is patient; it does not forget and will uncover the truth. Not long after, fifty members of the gang were arrested and hanged in Wellen, Stevoort, and Herk-de-Stad. The punishments were extraordinarily cruel. Decapitation was probably the most humane, but strangulation, burning alive, breaking on the wheel, or hacking to pieces were generally part of a gruesome spectacle.

Jan Rymenams