hamburg , october 14 , 1401 :
the "freebooter" klaus stoertebeker and his compatriots today were put to death by sword while the good burghers of the city looked on approvingly .
stortebeker and his men had been rather disruptive to the seafaring trade of the city and the burghers wer relieved to see him and his men dispatched .
(the story was still incorporated into the history lessons when i went to school - it was being taught as if this event had taken place just yesterday ! as boys we would sometimes play out the roles of the freebooters and the burghers - sort of "cowboys and indians" - hamburg style !)
hbg
)
