Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1841-03-16
From te C~iac.naa'i Daily Gassue.
INTEMPERANCE: A SKETCH.

hoft otopIFu-
From te Ciac.naai DAILY Gassue.
INTEMPERANCE: A SKETCH.
Nor Gu 'tom. nor exam ple. nor vastnumbers
ofsuch as do offend make less { e SIN
Sergeant Jones. take Brown To the guard house,"
was the order that came from an officer oi an inf,n.
try regiment siaiiUneJ some years ago in the south
OF ireland, whilst directing the imprisonment of n
young soldier who had returned to his barracks nj
night intoxicated The victim was immediately sciz
cd by The guari. and fsrcibly conveyed 10 the barrack
prison, uicring iIuprecations on his self made enemy
IN his Intellectual struggles 20 escape. lie was hurri
ell along by the guand from a charitable reg ard, Co
save HIM IRON committing himsclf still further Than
had already done. Arrived ut the guard house, he was
placed Tor the night out OF reach or doing any fur
thef harm. IL was almost q needless precauiion, "a.
within the last hour he had earned for himself a ter.
rible doom,
The night Is passed. and the sunbeam- enter the
prison bars Of the yet senseless victim OF iniemper.
ancc. lie - not. as was usual with him. the FIRST i'm
the barracks 10 be up and cleaning his announcements
for the Mornings parade. HIS humble cot dnes tot
this morning require To be "mldc up with scrupIous
care and ncaincss; its regulas occupant was absent;
the hitherto orderly and attentive soldier. had for the
hrsi tue IN his life, taken up his abide within an.
walls OF the barrack guard house. prisoner Ills
feverish and disturbed sllmber is brukcn--he moves.
slowly and ianguidiy he opens his eyes, and the nys
oil light cause HIM 90 close them in pain; his senses are
yet bewildercd, he knows not rs yet that he is an in
mato Ofa prison. lie feels his clothes have mn, been
removed; he tries 60 collect his scattering senses. A
glimmering recollection OF the closing scene of The
previous nights drunken revel breaks on his mind
aiier which. all ~ blank. a feeling Of dread, of he
knows not what takes possession of his mini.
Uncertainty.
Fell demon of our fears"
adds Ia the might m're" like sense Of wrctche,Iness
that now "verPpwers him; he feels a prescniimont ina,
great evil has befallen him. Ills souls ausiIs within
him as the prison door opens and the -er.ean, Of the
guand enters. lie raises hiaIselfon his elbow. rs with
one desperate ei'1t he resolves 10 hear the worst:
Sergeant Jones. ior Heavens sake tell me wha, I
have done. or how came I herel"
few words from the Sergeant served TO explain
10 the pfisOner The cause Of hIs confinement. IL was
his conduct 10 the officer Of the guard The night prr.
vIous He returned To his barracks nio1icated-h
hsi been directed to retire to his roora. 'yhen instead
oil complying he became abusive To the officer, and nj
length oherod violence TO his person,
iva days have elapsed. aud the prisoner is stand
ing before a RegImen;al Court Martial, being tried ON
a mitigateh charge Of his offence. Cor had be been
brought before n General Martial. and had been found
guilty. rs he undoubtedly would have been; his punish.
ment would have been death. rs according 70 the
"Mutiny" act Of the English Army, -any soldier Of
ienng violence to a superior officer, merits DEATH
AMI well. indeed, would il have been for him, had
u been 80! AS 70 was his previous good choncter
served to screen him from the effects OF such a Cuu,t
'Nd'ua' We Wus OfOuBnt DefOrc ono whose nOVveF
did not extend 10 the taking Of life by sentence.
The evidence is closed for the prosecution. the pris-
oner Is called upon for his defence, Alas. he has none
to offer that will avail him; his excuse. "IIe WIS
drunk and knew not what he did, !" served but as an
sggrsvation Of his offence.
Al an early hour on the following morning the
regiment ssembled for q Punishment Parade" the
drummer are employed erecting a pair OF triangles.
tho military rack Of torture-three pusts placed in an
upright. triangular position on the ground; across two
Of them are two boards with strong cords hanging
loosely over them. the one about eight feet from Inc
ground for the arms 10 be bound 10; the other beneath
to serve TO sseufe the legs Of the victim; within n
short distance Of the triangles lay half a i ,zcn mir Of
"cat o'nine tails an instrument OftOrture, copstructed
OF strong ~whip-cord nine lashes ofabout two Zee, .aeh
IN length, thickly knOtied close 10 the end. and IA.
tened ioa handle Of about eighteen inches ia length
Ofsome hard wood. and generally ernanented nv The
dummers in IN sir leisure hours
The busle sounds the Assembly" and the troops
march into open eoiumn. The morning reppr,s are
collected by the Adjutani. and the whole wheel ;n,o
Zine. "a hollow square" IL now formed. the tuop.
iacing inwanli within the square stand The "triangIe."
aheaoy described me preparations for punishment are
Completed, The prisoner is escogied into tho N Iare-
Tie Isl tall, finely prOpouioned YOU nR soldier. erect
AMI soldier like IN hrs bearing; bat hrs eyes are sunkeD
with gnei and anxiety. his cheeks blansh as he casts
q oriei glance n the IT, trumenIs Of torture thai ara
awaiting iheir victim. The commanding officer III.
" IVY pfoceeuinga % The Court Mar
tl before which the prisoner lad hesn tried. lie
dOe'sL The order for The assembling If the oouu.
The charge. ssd plea 81 guilty" the evidences Gr the
prosecution and defence, the 6Dding Of The court. IN.
sentence three hundred lsshes" on The bare back -
md ne concludes The prisoner is directed 10 sfrip:
We nkes on the cap. eOai. and stock; no pauscs; the
braces are undOne and slowly bound AROUND hrs - ais,
An inmate FEELING Of delicssy causes him 20 pause
again' he % sgaia dirssied 10 strip. "the no II momepuz
and with flushed checks. hrs back - barred ~ The view
on the "hols square; hrs brain sygims; q dizziness take
possession Of hun. as, more dead than alive. he stag
gers across 70 the ~triangies. lie is now seized by ~
.dfu'nmer. who, henj.like. are ready to pune. ANN
lher victim; they ts him ~. hands and feet. ., IT., =
dreadful rack upon which he is about 10 suffer. Tba=
AdJuiani directs the dfsmmsrs 10 do their d.,v
m old veteran in the bofrbIe trade ssep. ftyy,rd
ono whose back has been sfien barred - resolve Ina
which he was nov abOut ~ inhiet; one whose bea,
had been ~ hardened BY sin and ~ Consequent pun
ishmeni. and he sHpressiyn of whose oountep,n.e
~ he took he stand. AMI gave the "eaT' n e,ens,,,,,y
houush. while q vyhizzoi through the air add bopgb1
y ~diaEOnaliy upon the back u the unforun,is sulo,i
with ol his strength and energy. he could po.,iblv
apply ~ n betrayed a fosling Of pleasure ~psrEeeuy=
diabolisaL
The 6ut blow 10 struck. The aosh IL pg,Ld. -
. made. the blood seems Struggling 10 es,ane
md The nan is degraded fr HfsL-bffp5. nistsIc1
would oonect error or vice. BY the ipaiel