A most pernicious and stubborn piece of false-wisdom, held by many otherwise sensible Brothers, is that no Witch will allow herself to be taken alive by a Hunt; therefore if a Suspect surrenders, it must follow that they are just a Stranger, or have otherwise incorrectly fallen under Suspicion, and that those in the Hunt for that Suspect may breathe a sigh of relief when there is no immediate resistance offered, nor an attempt to flee, for the spectre of danger has slipped by, never to return. An alternate – but all the more dangerous – form of this fallacy is that if a Suspect surrenders to a Hunt, then while they may still be a Witch, they must not be in possession of any Strange Recourse by which she may win herself free - for if she did, surely she would use it at the moment of her apprehension, when her odds of escape would appear to be the strongest. This 'posterity' is all the more dangerous than the 'parent' fallacy, because when considered by the uncritical and uncautious mind, it seems much akin to sense. However, while it may be the case that - when taken on the whole - the Witch of to-day is a mewling, pathetic thing compared to the Witch of yesteryear, the diligent and assiduous Brother keeps the following piece of home-spun wisdom well in mind; Every rule has its exceptions! Knowing this, an exceptional Witch may choose to play into perceptions of powerlessness, all the while biding time for laxity to offer better and better opportunities.
Therefore, all Suspects are to be treated as imminent threats to life, limb and Thread up until the Master and Commander of the Hunt issues the Writ of Disbandment and the Sexton-at-Arms declares whatever remains suitable for Interment or transport - or in cases where the Suspect proves themselves to be above Suspicion, a Master Abbot issues a Writ of Integrity. Until either of these outcomes have been achieved, nothing about the Suspect is a surety - not innocence, nor their lack of Strange Recourses. To be sure, it is the truth that there have been Brothers who openly defied this obvious wisdom - as well as Brothers who only made mealy-mouthed obeisance to it - and many of this number ultimately still managed to make Sinecure. Many, but not all. Moreover, of those who didn't make Sinecure, they rarely suffered for their failures alone. Suffice to say, detachments or even individuals with orders or artifice are suitable to conduct potential Strangers into Inquisitive or Curative Custody - but Suspects are to be taken with well-regulated Hunts; by force, in strength with no laxity. Suspects are the most dread, most puissant Witches alive - until one way or another, they are no longer Suspects. Conducting a Hunt in any other manner is unacceptable and unbecoming.
- A passage from The Ways and Means, a Most Complete and Comprehensive Treatise on the Identification, Capture and Disposal of Witches, a Controlled text for Full-Brothers of the Inquisitorial Order.
>>5850982 <---Thread XII 