The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-07-02

TURKISH JUSTICE. "The chief of thu
police at Constantinople and other grea
towns, goes round in the day time and al
night, and Immediately executes the sen.
tence he gives. If a baker is found selling
his bread by light weight he is hanged be.
tore his door; If any one is unprecedented OF
spot were disturbance takes place, he i:
instantly despatched. No matter if the ap.
prentice, who knew nothing of the fraud, is
hanged instead of the baker no matter il
a spectator lcses his life instead of the actu.
al rIoter; the purpose is to create terror tc
the guilty, even by shedding the blood Of
the innocent, and the crime is punished
when the criminal escapes. Inferior pun
lshments are ordered and regulated by the
same arbitrary caprice. If the officer does
not think the offence worthy of death, he
orders the bastinado to be applied, and sits
smoking his pipe till it appears to him the
eulprIt has been tortured sufficiently, and
he IS pleased to pronounce the merciful
word 6 enough"
1t not unfrequently happens that the &C.
Ierlty OF Turkish justice is purposely dis
played to awe the minds of foreigners. A
RUSSIAN Minister had complained to the
VlZler OF an outrage that had been commit
ted upon person entitled to his protection.
The Vlzler made an horizontal motion with
his hand to some of his attendants, and be-
fore the conference was over, seven heads
were rolled on the floor before the face of
the Russian. An English Ambassador, on
another occasion, was also witness of this
fatal motion of the hand, in conference
ne had with the ViEier; when he rose up
to go away he saw several heads newly put
! at the gates of the palace.
| Upon hearing report of robbers, a Pa
cha sends out a number of horsemen, and
orders them to bring the heads of the of
tenders, for each of which he is to receive
a reward.
Whether they find the robbers or not,
these horsemen are sure to return with
heads: Any person in village, and not
owned by the usual authorities, any stray
traveller, or wandering beggar, if he fall in.
with these savage cavalry, is sure to lose
his life and thus number of innocent men
are put to death, whilst it often happens that
not one of the guilty suffers. A traveller
relates that he saw the return Of one of
these parties with the heads dangling by the
horses sides, and the riders bearing in
their looks of savage JOY, rather the appear
ance Of successful banditti than of ministers
OF justice. Torture is allowed by the Turk
lsh jurisprudence, or at least practised, in
order to extort confession of guilt or of
wealth. 1t must be said, however, to the
honor Of the Turks, that they do not prac-
tee the cruel modes of execution authoriZ-
ed IN more polished monarchies. When
the sentence of death is given, the criminal
is quickly SLrangled sometimes he is told
that an order has come for his liberation,
and his irons are knocked off; the bow
string is put around his neck, and he dies
IN moment"
DREAD OF DEATH-Is a common symp-
tom IN nervous diseases, and is here consid-
cred with its regard to influence on health.
In these cases it seems rather to spoil life
than to destroy it. "Not only the child,
bat the young man till thirty never feels
that he is nortal;" but after forty mans
thoughts are much occupied by the inevita-
Bile prospect, and most of US have our little
corps OF consolation to protect us from the
fear of it. Those Of authors come out in
their works. One of the most remarkable
is little Essay on Death by Lord Bacon :;
not that in his Essay, but towards the end
of his works, near his viii. The Curate of
a London Parish, who has great experience
of death-bed scenes, we asked how people
generally met their end ? And the answer
was, "either they wish for it as relief
from suffering, or they are not conscious of
it." Even DIR. Johnson who dreaded death
so much at a distance, seems to have feared
it as little on his arrival as other people !;
and we believe that to many persons with
right views, who have had liberal allow
ance of sickness and sorrow, death becomes
an object not so much of apprehension as of
curiosity and interest. This state of Illnd
is not only necessary for our comfort dur
ing health, but for our safety during sick
ness. One of the ablest physicians alive
| once said that in dangerous illness, ce-
teriS pdrlblts, christian would have bet
ter chance of recovery than an unbeliever
that religious resignation was a better
soothing medicine than poppy, and bet
ter cordial than an either; and DR.. Reid
gives similar opinion in the following ex-
| pressive passage:
"The habitual horror which thus overshad-
ows the mind, darkens the little daylight OF
J life. An indulgence in this morbid excess
Of apprehension not only embitters a mans
existence, but may often tend to shorten its
duration. He hastens the advance of death
by the fear with which his frame is seized
at its real or imaginary approach. His
trembling hand inVoluntarily shakes the
glass in which his hours are numbered"
J Contradictory as it may appear, there are
well attested instances of persons who have
been driven even to suicide by the dread o.
dissolution. 1t would seem as if they had
run into the arms of death in order to shell
ter themselves from the terror of his coun