The Man Who Turned Back for His Enemy

In the winter of 1569, a young Anabaptist named Dirk Willems escaped from a prison tower in Asperen, Holland. He had been locked away for the crime of holding unauthorized worship services and baptizing believers in his home. Slipping from a rope of knotted rags, he fled across a frozen pond, his bare feet finding purchase on the ice.

A guard scrambled after him. But the ice, which had held the emaciated prisoner, cracked under the heavier man's weight. The guard plunged into the freezing water, thrashing and crying out for help.

Dirk Willems was free. The far bank was only steps away. No one would have blamed him for running.

He turned back.