Stedelen Stedelen was a man who was accused of being a witch in Switzerland between 1397 and 1406 . His trial took place in a secular court , where he confessed under torture to summoning forth demons as part of a pact with the devil . After the harvest had failed at his village , Stedelen was accused of using black magic to destroy the crops , by allegedly sacrificing a black rooster on the Sabbath at a crossroad and placing a lizard under the doorway of a local church . See also Diabolical pact Witch trial Witchcraft External links Hexerei - the Pact with the Devil ( in German ) This biographical article related to crime is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it . Categories : Crime biography stubs | Alleged witches | Swiss people 