Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1843-12-07
Destruction of the InquiSitlOn al Madrid
in 1899.

Col. l.ehmanousky, who commanded d
the two regiments sent by Marshal Soult
To destroy the Inqn'siIion at Madsid,
gives u thrilling desert pl,on of the scene
in thai budding which VAS taken after
some resistance by the troops who de-
Tended il. After placing the prisoners
under guard, The officers proceeded ia
examine the building. They passed
! through room after room, found affairs,
ana crucifixrs,and wax candles IN abund-
ance, but no evidences Of the iniquiiy
which it was supposed had been perpe'
trated there. There was beauty and
splendor, and the most perfect order.
Il The architecture aud the proportions
were perfect. The ceilings and floors
were arranged with n perfect s'rictness
10 order There was every thing Ia
plea the eve and CRAFTY cultivated
taste hut they search in vain for those
| hprrid instruments Of torture OF which
they had been told, and for the dung cons
in which human beings were said to be
buried alive.
Il Just as they were on the point OF Civ
ling up the search the officer next in com
mand to Col l.. proposed that water
should be poured on the marble floors.
| This was no sooner done than they found
n place where the water ran in freely
between The seams Of The polished slabs.
While endcavoring to raise this, one o'
The soldiers struck the slab with the butt
Of his musket, aud touched spring
which caused it to fly up. They found
here a stair case, and taking candles
proceeded down, and the following is the
description given Of their examination,
which coming FROM the officer IN com
mand himself, we presume must be au-
ihentc
/ Under The floor was tight ceiling
except at the trap door, whlrh could not
be rendered close hence the success
by Col Lies experiment. As we
reached the foot of the stairs, we enter
ed large square room, which was cali
| ed the Hall of Judgment. In the centre
! Of il was barge block, and chain last
encd to it. On this they were accuslom-
| ed to place the ccused in his sent On
| one side Of the roog, was one elevated
seat, called the Throne Of Judgment.
This the lnqulsi'or generally occupied F.,
! and on either side were ATS less eleva.
ted for the Holy Father when engaged
in the solemn business Of the Holy ln'
/ guisitor. From this room we proceeded
to The right, aud oblaiucd access to
! small cells, extending the entire length
| Of the elitice aud here, what sight
met our eyes How has the benevolent
religion of Jesus been abused and sland-
cred by hls prolesscd friends
/ These cells were places Of solitary con
| linement, where the wiciched objects OF
| ,nGuisitOrial hate were confined, year
after year, I'LL death released chem OF
their suffering, aud there their bodies are
suffered to remain until they are enlnely
decaycd, and the rooms had become fit
for others to occupy. TO prevent this
practice becoming offensive To those
who occupied the I"Qns'inn, there were
ilues or tubes extending 10 the open air,
sufficiently capacious to carry of the
odor from these dccaying bodies In
these cells we found the remains of some
who had paid the debt of nature sono
Of them had been dead apparently but a
short time, while OF others nothing re-
mained of them except the bones, still
chained to the floor Of their dungeons.
In others we found the living sufferer OF
every age, and both sexes, from the
young man and maiden to those of three
score aud ten yea,s, all as naked as
when they were born into the world.
Our soldiers Immediately applied them
selves to releasing the captives of their
chains, and stripped themselves in part
Iof their own clothing to cover these
wreiched beings, and were exceedingly
anxious to bring them up to the light of
day. But aware Of the danger, insist
ed on their wants being supplied, and
being brought gradually to The light as
they could bear il.
When We had explored these cells,
and opened the prison doors of those
who yet survived, we proceeded TO ex-
porc another room on the left. Here
we found the instruments Of torture, Of
every kind which the ingenuity Of men
or devils could invent. A, The sight oI
them the fury Of our soldiers refused any
longer to be restrained. They declared
,ha, every inquisilor, monk and soldier
of the esta3li shment deserved to be put
to the torture. We did not attempt any
longer to restrain them. They com-
menced at once the work OF torture with
the Holy Fathers. remained I'LL saw
four different kinds OF torure applied and
then returned from the awful scene,
which terminated not while one indyidu-
a remained Of the loymcJ gniIly inmates
Of this antl-chamber Of hell, on whom
they could wreak revenge.
As soon rs the poor sufferers from the
cells of the Inqustions could with safety
be brought on, of their prison to the light
of day, (news having been spread far
and near, that numbers had been rescued
from the Inquisi,on) all who had been
deprived of friends by the holy Office,
came to inquire iftheir's were among the
number.
%, wha, a meeting was there I! about
hundred who had been buried alive
for many years, were now restored to
the active world, aud many Of them
found here a son, aud there IA daughter,