thecrimes culprits were singled out and sacrilege was, among others, notably a crime of the young.68 Susanne Hehenberger also demonstrates how hard it often is to establish the motives for the crimes, but it is tempting to suspect such a motive in cases where women took the Host – at least in one case out of her own mouth – and cut it or stabbed it with a needle, or where they stamped on or crushed a crucifix. Such crimes, if not committed in prison or some other controlled environment, would also probably have been easy enough to hide if one tried. At least one woman reported herself.69 Between 1688 and 1731 thirty-three were sentenced to death in Vienna for blasphemy, a crime committed both in the city and its prison.70 Amotive is given for Elisabetha, executed in Vienna on 10 December 1709 for breaking a crucifix, however: according to theWiennerisches Diarium, she was weary both of life and the prison sentence she was serving.71 The last execution for this crime in Vienna, although occurring in other parts of Austria, according to Kathy Stuart, occurred in 1730 and the last sacrilege brought before the courts in 1750.72 In 1678, Dorothea Rieger in Besigheim in Württemberg appeared in court and willingly confessed to witchcraft, announcing she should be executed. In her study of the case, Laura Kounine describes Rieger as having a mental illness, and sees her confession as a way to commit suicide by execution. It was said Rieger asked for a knife to take her own life. The court never passed judgement as she died of natural causes during 68 Hehenberger 2008 p 192 sqq, 198, Stuart 2023 p 282 sqq, 319. 69 See e g Hehenberger 2008 p 190 sqq, Wiennerisches Diarium 1705 186 (May 13th) fol 1. 70 Stuart 2023 p 209 sq, 214 sq. 71 Hehenberger 2008 p 191, Wiennerisches Diarium 1709 663 (December 11th) fol 3: ”Eodem ist allhier ein verwittibte Weib-Person, namen Elisabetha, N. 31. Jahr alt, auß Ober-Oesterriech von Lintz gebürtig, um willig selbige schon vorhin offt und vielmal im Arrest gelegen, mit dem Zucht-Hauß und gantzen Schilling abgestrafft, nichtweniger dreymal des Lands Oesterreich verwiesen, nachgehends auch mit dem Schwerd hingerichtet werden sollen, von Ihro Kayserlichen Majestät aber, auß angebohrner Güte und Milde, auss eine Zeit in das allhiesige Zucht-Haus verschafft, allda gedachte Weibs-Person, wegen Uberdrüssigkeit ihres Lebens, und Länge der Straff, ein Crucifix von einem Alltärl genommen, und solches zerschlagen, mithin verunehret, andern zum Beyspeil und Abscheu, mit dem Schwerd hingericht, auch zugleich die rechte Hand abgehauen worden.” 72 Stuart 2023 p 306, 311, 316. 44
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