"Under the Sign of Scorpion" by Juri - Gnostic Liberation Front

publications worked with planned effect. When a more conservative and
patriotic regent, Duke Charles Philipp Theodore (1724-1799), reached
power in Bavaria, he issued a ban on secret societies on 22 June 1784. The
Illuminati and the freemasons closed their lodges.
The freemasons sought to defend themselves publicly. The Illuminati
even offered to present all their papers and allow themselves to be subjec-
ted to public trial but nothing helped.
On the 11 February 1785, Weishaupt was discharged and forbidden to
live in Ingolstadt and Munich. At the same time, the university was
informed that Weishaupt would be arrested. On 16 February, he went
underground and was hidden by his Illuminati brother Joseph Martin, who
worked as a locksmith. A few days later he fled from Ingolstadt to
Nuremberg dressed in the working clothes of a craftsman. He stayed in
Nuremberg a short while and then travelled on to the free city of
Regensburg where he continued his activities, but then a stroke of fate
occurred that put the police on the Illuminati's tracks. (Countess Sofia
Toll, "The Brothers of the Night", Moscow, 2000, p. 291.)
During the inquiry, more and more terrible evidence against the Illumi-
nati appeared, but they continued their activities despite the ban.
Therefore, on March 2nd 1785, a further decree was issued which made
possible the confiscation of the Illuminati's assets.
On 20 July 1785, the courier of the Illuminati Jakob Lanz (who worked
as a priest) was hit by lightning in Regensburg and died. Weishaupt was
together with him. Lanz intended to travel on to Berlin and Silesia and
received his last instructions from Weishaupt before he died. He had sewn
in a list of Illuminati and some compromising papers in his priest's robe.
Weishaupt did not know about this and became the victim of his own
conspiracy. (Countess Sofia Toll, "The Brothers of the Night", Moscow,
2000, p. 291.)
The local police found other important documents at Lanz' house, in-
cluding detailed instructions for the planned French revolution. Some of
the papers were addressed to the Grand Master of the lodge Grand Orient
in Paris. Everything was handed over to the Bavarian government and on
the 4th August 1785 a new ban on secret societies was issued.
On 31 August, an order to arrest Weishaupt was issued. A price was put
on Adam Weishaupt's head in Bavaria. Weishaupt fled to Gotha, where
the llluminatus, Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Gotha, could protect him.
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