 The mercenaries of both armies had stayed around and were still pillaging the area.The justices tried to remain sceptical to the peasants' accusations but were powerless against the lynchings in which the mercenaries played a big part.From then on the accused were forced with torture to admit they were heretics who had closed a pact with the devil and had even had sexual intercourse with him and danced during witch's sabbaths together with other witches.