The »roof riders« of Horkheim

In bad times in Horkheim lived a farmer, who could not pay his taxes. When he heard that he should be arrested because of this he searched for a place to hide. But he did not found a save spot. Eventually he had the right idea:

In the dark he climbed with the help of a ladder onto the roof of the house and hid behind the chimney. On the other day when he ought to get arrested he was nowhere to find. The police and the fire brigade had to search a long time until they finally spotted him. But what to do now?

Eventually someone had the idea to sputter him with the hose. The fire brigade sputtered as much as they could. However the farmer from Horkheim »rode« skillfully to and from on the roof in order to avoid the jet of water. But in the long run it did not help. Completely drenched the »roof rider« had to give up and climb down from the roof. Since then the people from Horkheim are called »roof riders«, although the bad times for the farmers of Horkheim are long over.

Source: "Wir wohnen in Heilbronn - Kinder lernen ihre Stadt kennen" Published by the city administration of Heilbronn 1986, page 31. Translated by lovertux