Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1820-01-01
SPANISH INQUISITION.

SPANISH INQUISITION.
Ertroct ola letter dated Yalencia, Seh~
tender 2.
"Words are wanting to express my
feelings, and to convey to you an idea Of
the scenes ofhorror and blood represent
ed in this i'll fated city. No canniBals
themselves could scarcely be such fero-
cious and inhuman instruments of pow
er, or act as the declared enemies of God
and man. How could you suppose, that
a civilized nation, in the 18th century,
should have monarch authorising acts
the most inhuman and unheard of, against
his own subjects, who have restored to-
him what he had cowardly abandoned ?
How could it be imagined in Europe,
tina, captain general, by virtue of the
order of the war minister, should have.
the baseness, in military manner, to
destroy the highest tribunal of the pro-
vince, and at his own will bury in prisons
and in dungeons some hundreds of yic-.
tins, and cause dreadful fortunes to be-
applied on more than hundred per-
sons Yet all this is passing in Valen-
cia at this moment, as we understandr
with the applause and satisfaction of the
Spanish ministry. My pen drops from,
my hand when attempt to describe to.
you the horrid and excruciating torments
which Elio has imposed on l9 persons,
OF oil classes, ages, sexes, and Condir
lions, he himself being present at the
greatest part OF these abominable pun
ishments in order that by his captious
and designing questions he might be
able to rcnd from them the secret of
revolution, which he imagined would
take place in Valencia. The inquisi-
ton, however, acts with still greater hor-
ror toward these victims. Some have
had their arms and legs dislocated with
irons Of new invention: others have
been pressed down with heavy weights,
placed on the breast and belly; others
have had their nails plucked out one by
one, in order to prolong their sufferings..
Even lady, lately delivered of twins,
has been separated from her familyr
and cast into one of the most dismal
dungeons Of the Holy Office, merely be-
cause information against her was lodged
by wicked character who declared
that she knew great deal respecting
the imaginary revolution. Elio himself
went to the inquisition to interrogate her,
and she was exposed to species of dis
graceful tortare, of which even in this
country, we have no example. She was
bound by the legs and arms with harsh
ropes, on an uneven cradle of iron, and
finding that in this painful attitude she
did not give declarations conformably
to the questions proposed to her, scalding
water was poured on her naked limbs.
This unfortunate heroine expired amidst
the greatest agonies, frantic with the re-
membrance Of her twin children, only
81 days old, and cursing the tyranny Of
Ferdinand and his atrocious satellites.
This lady was one of the heroines of Va
lencia against the attacks of Marshal
Money.
This scene has been divulged by one
of the dependents on the inquisition, less
inhuman than the rest, and the weeping
relations of this female martyr to freedom
are now deploring her loss. So great
has been the horror and fury excited in
the whole city of Valencia by this pain
full affair, that it is visible in the counte-
nance of every individual. No doubt it
will excite the same sensations through.
out the whole kingdom"