16th Century Anabaptist Drummer for Peace? The story of Thaddaeus Dirks

As a drummer, peacemaker, and an Anabaptist minister, I came across the most interesting story of drumming connected to nonviolence and 16th century Anabaptism. I found the story in a book entitled The Drummer's Wife: and other stories from Martyr's Mirror by Joseph Stoll. The story is a retelling of an account from Martyr's Mirror, a 1660 historical record in Dutch of Christian, and particularly Anabaptist, martyrs by Thieleman J. van Braght.

Stoll's retells the story of Thaddeus Dirks, a drummer for the Swiss army. In 1531 in Leeuwarden in the Netherlands, Thaddeus, a soldier was to play drums for the execution of Anabaptist Sikke Snyder. This execution was influential in Menno Simons becoming an Anabaptist. Thaddeus didn’t want to play his drum at the execution because he thought Snyder was a good, moral, and innocent man. His wife, Hadewijk, insisted that he perform his military duty. Thaddeus went out and drank before the execution to numb his conscience.

But, when he showed up with his drum to play he sobered up and refused to play. He told the officials and gathered crowd that Snyder was virtuous and innocent and there were plenty of unrighteous men they could treat like this, particularly the clergy! He ended fleeing for his life. His wife would not go with him. Later his wife would become an Anabaptist and was imprisoned with her friend and Anabaptist martyr, Elizabeth Dirks. I wonder if Thaddeus hooked up with the Anabaptists? He may have been the first Anabaptist drummer for peace.