The Mennonites have Dirk Willems, who was arrested for his religious beliefs in the sixteenth century and held in a prison tower. With the aid of a rope made of knotted rags, he let himself down from the window and escaped across the castle's ice-covered moat. A guard gave chase. Willems made it safely to the other side. The guard did not, falling through the ice into the freezing water, and Willems stopped, went back, and pulled his pursuer to safety. For his act of compassion, he was taken back to prison, tortured, and then burned slowly at the stake as he repeated "Oh, my Lord, my God" seventy times over.8
The story of Dirk Willems exemplifies profound compassion amid dire circumstances. A sixteenth-century Mennonite martyr, Willems was imprisoned for his beliefs but ingeniously escaped his tower using a rope made of knotted rags. Although he successfully crossed the ice-covered moat, he turned back when a pursuing guard fell through the ice, demonstrating incredible bravery and empathy by saving the man who was chasing him. This selfless act, however, led to his recapture and subsequent torture.
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