The 7 Gentlemen

"You can't shout. You can't even cry. The 7 Gentlemen are coming by. Looking in windows. Knocking on doors. They need to take seven and they might take yours. You can't call to Mom. You can't say a word. You're going to die screaming but you won't be heard." The above is supposedly from some ancient fairy tale. I've tried researching its origins but to no avail. Has anyone heard the fairy tale titled The 7 Gentlemen? If you have, I'd appreciate any information my friend. PS The "7 of what they need to take that might be yours" are human hearts. As the story goes, supposedly 7 Gentlemen arrive in the dead of night in some rural out of the way town. They open up a magic box that steals the voices of everyone in the community while they sleep. For the 7 days thereafter the 7 Gentlemen search for victims. When they find one, they surgically remove their heart while the victim is still alive. The victim can't scream or call for help because the victim's voice is locked in the magic box along with the others. After the Gentlemen have collected 7 hearts, well, to be honest I don't know what the hell happens next or why in the bloody hell they need to harvest these darn hearts for in the first place. Which is why I now find myself obsessively researching this ancient fairy tale which may or may not actually exist.