Gangs of billygoat riders were active in the 2nd half of the 18th century in the two Limburgs, including in and around Maaseik. And they continue to capture the imagination to this day!
The wildest stories arose over the years about these gangs. Supposedly the Bokkenrijders would fly around at night on their bucks to carry out threats from the fire letters.
What is a fire letter?
This is a form of extortion. The anonymous writer ordered his victim, often a rich farmer, to deposit a sum of money at a certain place. Often, the writer threatened to set fire to farms and houses if his demands were not met.
Afterwards, the gang members collected the money unseen and sometimes even left some kind of receipt.
