Murder tales

Jan Kempeneers was murdered.

An article appeared in the newspaper 'Het Belang van Limburg' of Sunday, March 15 1925 page 3, 5th column under the region of St-Truiden. Due to current regulations we are only allowed to publish three lines from the article:

"Verleden Zaterdag, in den morgend, was de echtgenoote Jan Kempeneers, wonend in het huis genaamd "Pannenhuis", te Metsteren
naar de markt te St-Truiden getrokken terwijl hare eenige dochter naar school was gegaan. De man, Jan Kempeneers, ongeveer 70 jaar oud
was alleen thuisgebleven. (...) Bij de terugkomst der vrouw van de markt, vond zij haren man, badend in zijn bloed , in de gelagkamer der herberg."

About the murder a song was made and that was sung in market places. We have been able to find the text of the song.

* Pannenhuis means the house with rooftiles, the house was one of the first in the region to have rooftiles. It was also a widely known pub.

Lambert Baldewijns was murdered.

"Op 21 september 1703 werd op jammerlijke wijze door een geweerschot gedood, Lambertus BALDEWIJNS, door een nachtelijke rover die de koeien van de wagenmaker Winand KNAPEN wilde stelen.
Op het luide hulpgeroep van de vrouw van Winand achtervolgde de genoemde Lambertus de dief tot in Horpmaal nabij een riviertje, waar hij door een geweerschot vermoord werd."

Click here to have a look at the original Latin text and the document written by the priest of Heks after finding Lambert.

Translation : Last Saturday, in the morning, the wife of Jan Kempeneers, resident of the house named "Pannenhuis"*, in the village of Metsteren, had gone to the market in Sint-Truiden whilst her only daughter had gone to school. The man, Jan Kempeneers, about 70 years old, has stayed at home. (...) Upon her return from the market, she found her husband, covered in blood, in the tap room of the pub.

Translation : On the 21rst of September 1703 Lambert Baldewijns was killed, hit by the gunshot of a cattle thief who tried to steal the cows from the coachbuilder Winand Knapen. Hearing the wife of Winand calling for help, said Lambert took persuit of the thief up to the villlage of Horpmael where he was shot near the river.