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Vehmgericht

(Encyclopedia)Vehmgericht fāˈmĭk [key], in medieval Germany, a type of criminal tribunal. The inability of the Holy Roman emperors to exercise effective central control over their lands and the extensive feudal ...

Earp, Wyatt Berry Stapp

(Encyclopedia)Earp, Wyatt Berry Stapp ûrp [key], 1848–1929, law officer, gambler, and gunfighter of the American West, b. Monmouth, Ill. After serving as police officer in Wichita (1874) and Dodge City (1876–7...

Doberman pinscher

(Encyclopedia)Doberman pinscher dōˈbərmən pĭnˈshər [key], breed of large, compact working dog originating in Germany c.1890. It stands from 24 to 28 in. (61–71 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 60 t...

finder

(Encyclopedia)finder, in law. Ordinarily the finder of lost property is entitled to retain it against anyone except the owner. It is larceny, however, for the finder to keep the property if he knows or can easily d...

Jack the Ripper

(Encyclopedia)Jack the Ripper, name given to an unidentified late-19th-century murderer in London, England; also known as the Whitechapel Murderer and Leather Apron. From Aug. to Nov., 1888, he was responsible for ...

Nashik

(Encyclopedia)Nashik sĭk [key], town (1991 pop. 725,341), Maharashtra state, W central India. It is a center of textile manufacturing and sugar- and oil-processing. The ancient town of Panchavati, it is holy as th...

Mola, Emilio

(Encyclopedia)Mola, Emilio āmēˈlyō mōˈlä [key], 1887–1937, Spanish nationalist general. Entering the army in 1904, he rose to the rank of general by 1927, when he commanded a military district in Morocco. ...

Marprelate controversy

(Encyclopedia)Marprelate controversy märˈprĕlˌĭt [key], a 16th-century English religious argument. Martin Marprelate was the pseudonym under which appeared several Puritan pamphlets (1588–89) satirizing the ...

West Midlands

(Encyclopedia)West Midlands, former metropolitan county, central England. Created in the 1974 local government reorganization, the county embraced the Birmingham conurbation and comprised seven metropolitan distric...

Rawalpindi

(Encyclopedia)Rawalpindi räwəlpĭnˈdē [key], city (1998 pop. 1,406,214), NE Pakistan. It occupies the site of an old village inhabited by the Rawals, a tribe of Yogis. A railroad junction and an important indus...