Much blood is shed in God’s name – like “Saint Gret” who allows himself to be crucified

The Peter family was considered strange. It consisted of farmer Johannes, a single father since 1806, with his five daughters Elisabetha, Margaretha, Susanna, Barbara and Magdalena and a son. The head of the family is described as orderly and hardworking, but also as quarrelsome, dishonest and very superstitious. Because of his fear of the devil, he became a religious fanatic and joined the ‘Awakened One’. This was a foundational Christian group that based its legitimacy on personally experienced divine experiences.

Belief in God determined the lives of the Peter family, their servants and their few friends. The youngest daughter Margaretha was an enthusiastic religious student. Lively and smart, she quickly knew how to win people over. And not only that: the young woman attracted attention early on with her visions. Believers from far and wide made a pilgrimage to her in Wildensbuch (ZH). “Saint Gret” And “divine being” she got a call. Contact with the revival community became closer.

The charismatic Margaretha gathered around her an ever-growing group of enthusiastic believers. Among them is the married Jacob Morf from Illnau (ZH). Prone to melancholy, he found a spiritual home in the community around Margaretha Peter. And a lover. Margaretha and her sister Elisabetha lived in Illnau for a long time, despite constant arguments with Morf’s wife. There they spent the day praying and “lazing around”. And then Margaret became pregnant by Jacob Morf and gave birth to a girl in 1822. You can imagine how Morf’s wife reacted.

Nevertheless, the latter took over the care of the child and even passed it off as her own. However, only on the condition that the Peter sisters left immediately. This served both parties, as Margaretha had no interest in becoming a mother and returned to Wildensbuch with her sister. The girl was baptized a short time later as a child of the Morf family.

In 1823 an incredible tragedy occurred in Wildensbuch. On March 12, Margaretha announced to her family, the two servants Heinrich Ernst von Feldi and Margaretha Jäggli and some guests present that she had received a divine mission: they all had to fight the devil together. “You villain” And “you murderer of souls” Screaming, Margaretha started knocking on the walls with her fists. After she had calmed down a bit, she asked those present to go to her room together.

There the young woman asked her followers to prostrate or kneel and pray with her. In the evening, all windows were covered with cloths and blocks of wood, wedges and hammers were brought into the room. As a symbol of killing the devil, the pieces of wood were then continuously pounded. What’s amazing is that between praying and fighting the devil, the actors took time to have dinner together.

The noise did not go unnoticed in the village. However, when the neighbors shouted and knocked, no one in the house answered and the door remained locked. Inside, however, the ritual increasingly escalated. Housemaid Margaretha Jäggli, who previously showed attacks of obsession, was so affected by the matter that she constantly talked about the devil in her head.

Meanwhile, “Saint Gret” called for the final battle against the Horned One. She promised herself help by letting her followers crush everything. It was no longer just wooden blocks that were hit; walls and floors were also covered with powerful blows and kicks, destroying them.

However, Margaret Peter went further and emphasized that great sacrifices were expected. «He who loses his life in Christ will gain it. Whoever wants to keep it will lose it », the young woman explained. Meanwhile, a large number of spectators gathered in front of the house. However, they remained inactive. It wasn’t until evening that a Landjäger came by and demanded access. He was rejected citing house rules. He subsequently reported this. A group of land hunters who arrived with the chief bailiff found a quiet house and decided to do nothing for the time being.

After the house had been quiet for a while, the fanatics gathered back in the room. There Margaretha began to beat her sister Elisabetha to knock the evil spirit out of her. Margaretha Jäggli also wanted to be hit, but the leader refused and instead told her to hit herself. She hit her father Holy Greetings but also, and violent.

Those present who glimpsed through the windows saw a strange scene. Everyone beat everyone. Eventually the land hunters forced open both the room door and the front door. The group was separated. The subsequent interrogations turned up nothing. The officials heard fanatical mumbling or apologies.

The father – John Peter, one of the biggest religious fanatics – was told to make sure the shouting stopped. However, the Landjäger do not follow their first impulse to institutionalize Elisabetha and Margaretha. A mistake, as it soon became apparent.

On March 15, 1823, Margaretha declared that ‘blood must be shed’. She sent for her sister Magdalena, her brother-in-law Johannes Moser and his brother Conrad. Once the group got together, the madness continued. On fanatical orders from their leader, those present killed their slave Elisabetha, who was nine years older than them, with a wooden and iron hammer.

During the entire time, those present also hurt each other, believing they were doing it right. Margaretha also hit herself with a metal object and asked her friend Ursula Kühn to beat her bloody too. Ultimately, Margaret Peter insisted on being crucified, firmly believing that she would be resurrected after three days. Her wish was granted and she was nailed to a wooden plank. Conrad Moser killed them Holy Greetings finally with a chisel. According to the autopsy report of March 22, 1823, she was pregnant again at that time.

After three days neither sister was in good spirits. Only then did the father report to the responsible priest that two of his children had died. The survivors of the tragedy were sentenced to prison and the Peter family home was demolished. The court had decided that “No human habitation should ever be built on this site.”.