Part 43 (1/2)

87. In no case is any one allowed to disturb the proceedings. He who does this for a fourth time, having thrice been ordered to be quiet, is to be be-thundered by the same Beer-convention to the Beer-bann, and penalty of a viertel without further delay. The beer-judges must, however, be unanimous.

88. When a punishable fact is not laid before a Beer-convention within three days, it cannot be laid at all, unless the actual absence of accuser or accused creates sufficient hindrance. But a cerevis given for a future day, or which requires time to prove whether it may not be false, forms an exception. Farther, a cerevis given for a future day is not nullified by a Beer-bann falling between that time and the time for which it is given.

89. A Beer-convention may only be postponed three days, and only then when the witness of the accused is absent.

90. If one is accused on account of a quant.i.ty not drunken at the right time, or not drunken at all, the said quant.i.ty is to be added to the penalty in his be-thundering.

91. If a quant.i.ty has been fore-drunken to the be-thundered, before the commencement of the Beer-convention, which he has not after-drunken, then must they who have fore-drunken this quant.i.ty on his be-thundering show this same quant.i.ty to the Beer-convention, corroborating their a.s.sertion with their cerevis and a witness, whereupon also this must be added to his Beer-penalty.

92. The same is the case when he has contracted a beer-scandal with any one before the Beer-convent sate, and has not fought it out: but the latter party with whom he has made this contract, must drink the prescribed quant.i.ty before the Beer-convent.

93. Not more than one Beer-convent can be called over one and the same person on account of the same fact, except if a Beer-convention is postponed; or a Beer-convention being called, is rendered null by a Fox, or one under Beer-bann having been called upon it, and in it having sat.

94. A Fox may neither for himself nor for another call a Beer-convent, but he must procure this to be done through a beer-honourable Beer-bursch. The last can, however, call himself as one, in case other beer-honourable Beer-burschen are wanting for the Beer-convention.

95. Only one Beer-convention may be called at the same time in the same kneip.

(_b_) OF THE GENERAL BEER-CONVENTION.

96. The general Beer-convention, which must consist at least of five Ch.o.r.e Burschen, is the highest and last Court of Appeal; and therefore its decision is final and unalterable.

97. Every Sat.u.r.day evening, at an hour fixed in the beginning of each course, is the General Beer-convention held, to which every Verbindung then existing in Heidelberg, must send a Ch.o.r.e-bursch, who must, however, be a beer-honourable Beer-bursch. Should less than five Ch.o.r.es exist, the S. C. must take care that still five beer-judges must sit in the General Beer-convention.

98. These judges must a.s.semble themselves, at the appointed hour, at the kneip of the Secretary, under the penalty of a quarter-crown for coming late, and of a half-crown for not coming at all. A beer-judge comes late when he is not present on the striking of the fixed hour.

99. In case that, at the fixed hour, the Beer-judges of all the Verbindungs are not present, five beer-judges are sufficient to open the court and proceed to business.

100. When the required number of beer-judges are present, the Beer-convent must be opened with the stroke of the appointed hour. If they find no appellant, they must wait half-an-hour. If no one appears at the expiration of this time, the judges are authorized to withdraw.

101. If, after the expiration of this half-hour, five judges agree to wait longer, they can still represent the General Beer-convention; but the General Convention must be closed at the end of an hour, unless instantly occurring and pressing business make that impossible.

102. It is free to the accuser as to the accused to appeal to the General Beer-convention, against a sentence of the Special Convention; but this must be done within five minutes after the declaration of the sentence, and the judges concerned must be cited at the same time. The appeal must come on at the General Beer-convention, at the fixed place, the next Sat.u.r.day evening.

103. If the appellant exceeds this time, without being able to show the impossibility of then proceeding with the business on which the Beer-convention has to decide, he loses the right to appeal, and moreover, must pay a viertel. If on the contrary, one cited to appear before the General Beer-convention is prevented, he can, though a proxy, bring forward his excuse; upon the acceptance of which the General Beer-convention is to decide. If it finds the excuse satisfactory, the business stands over to the next General Beer-convention.

104. An appeal to the General Beer-convention can indeed be revoked, but this must be done within five minutes after declaring an intention to appeal, and, in fact, before a Beer-convention called for the purpose. If it he revoked later, the revoker must pay a viertel.

105. He is excluded from the right to appeal to a General Beer-convent who has been declared to be a false or intruding witness by a special Beer-convention, and is, on that account, be-thundered; and so is he also who has more than three times disturbed the proceedings of the Special Beer-convention.

106. The proceedings of the General Beer-convention in matters laid before it, is the same as that of the Special Beer-conventions, with the following exceptions. If the parties cited before the General Beer-convention do not appear, nor appoint proxies, they may, after the accuser has made his complaint, and corroborated it by witnesses, be punished for contempt of court.

(1) Moreover, any one who has to appear before the General Beer-convention, must present himself before the table with uncovered head.

(2) No beer-judge of the General Beer-convention is bound to take a beer-challenge from any one while he sits in the General Beer-convention.

(3) The General has the right to punish with the punishment, for the disturbance of Beer-conventions, prescribed by the Comment, any one who, during one and the same proceeding, shall have broken the silence enjoined four times; and he who more than four times shall have broken the same, shall, moreover, be reported to the S. C. and by it be fined a half-crown.

107. The majority of voices decides here, as in the Special Beer-conventions. Is the number of the represented Ch.o.r.es equal, the representative of the Ch.o.r.e to which the secretary belongs gives the casting vote.