Cologne was not spared the gruesomeness of the witch trials. Mock trials, where innocent women and men were charged with and found guilty of witchcraft, were mercilessly followed by burnings at the stake. The esteemed Katharina Henot, a patrician and postmaster, was found guilty of witchcraft in 1627 and executed at Melaten. Her brother was a powerless witness to this, but eventually put his serious accusations against the authorities in a painting.