The Bamberg witch trials, which lasted from 1626 to 1631, were presided over by Prince-Bishop Johann Georg, who was dedicated to spreading the Counter-Reformation.
Another bürgermeister, Georg Neudecker had been accused of witchcraft and, following his imprisonment in April 1628, named Junius as an accomplice, leading to his arrest in June 1628.
[2][3] Court documents describe how Junius at first denied all charges and demanded to confront his witnesses, and continued to deny his involvement in witchcraft after weeks of torture, which included the application of thumbscrews, leg vises (Beinschrauben), and strappado.
He finally confessed on July 5, 1628, in which he claimed that he had renounced God for the Devil and that he had seen twenty-seven of his colleagues at a sabbat.
In his confession, Junius relates that in 1624, while in a difficult financial state, he was seduced by a woman who later proved to be a succubus and threatened to kill him unless he renounced God.
At first Junius refused, but soon more demons materialised and attacked him further, finally convincing him to accept the Devil as his God.
He took the witch-name of Krix and was provided with a familiar named Füchsin ("Vixen"), at which point several local townsfolk revealed themselves as similarly allied with Satan and congratulated him.
Thereafter he regularly attended witch's sabbats, to which he rode on the back of a monstrous, flying black dog.
Although his fellow witches and familiar demons had commanded him to kill his children in their name, he had been unable to perform this sacrifice, for which he was beaten.
On July 24, shortly before his execution, Junius managed to write a letter to his daughter, Veronica, which was smuggled out of jail by his guard and successfully delivered.
The letter begins: "Many hundred thousand good-nights, dearly beloved daughter Veronica," and ends "Good night, for your father Johannes Junius will see you no more."
Then I thought heaven and earth were at an end; eight times did they draw me up and let me fall again, so that I suffered terrible agony .... And this happened on Friday, June 30, and with God's help I had to bear the torture.
I must say that I am a witch, though I am not, - must now renounce God, though I have never done it before Day and night I was deeply troubled, but a last there came to me a new idea.
It were surely better that I just say it with mouth and words, even though I had not really done it'; and afterwards I would confess it to the priest, and let those answer for it who compel me to do it.
Now follows, dear child, what I confessed in order to escape the great anguish and bitter torture, which it was impossible for me longer to bear.
... Dear child, keep this letter secret so that people do not find it, else I shall be tortured most piteously and the jailers will be beheaded.
[And on the margin of the letter he added: Dear child, six have confessed against me at once: the Chancellor, his son, Neudecker, Zaner, Hoffmaisters Ursel, and Hoppfen Else - all false, through compulsion, as they have all told me, and begged my forgiveness in God's name before they were executed.