Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1847-06-12
CURIOUS AN ECDOTE.


In l747, a man was broken alive on the wheel
New Orleans, for highway robbery and
,,,t having friends to bury his body, when the
xcculioner concluded he was dead, he gave
IN ton surgeon, who had him carried TO his
latomical theatre, ns n subject to lecture on.
INC thighs, legs, and arms OF this unhappy
.rntch had been broken, yet on the surgeons
coming to examine him, he found him surviving
nd by proper application OF proper cord'n's' ne
vas soon brought to his speech. The surgeon
,nd his pupils. moved by the snt'erings and sol.
r,o,ions of the robber, determined on attempt
inc his cure but he was SO mang'ed that his
w thighs and one Of his arms were smpulsted.
Notwithstanding this mutlation end the loss OF
blood, he recovered. In this situation. the sur.
acon, by his own desire, had him conveyed in
cart fifty leagues from Orlcous. where, as he
aid he intended to gain his livelihood tv beg.
my His situation was ON The road side, close
hv wood. and his deplorable condition excited
",mpHssion from all who saw him. In his youth
=" had served IN the army and he now passed
t,r soldier who had lost his Limits by cannon
shn'. A drover returning from the market where
hr had been selling cattle, was solicited by the
,obber for charity, aud being moved by com.
passion, threw piece of silver. Il cannot reach
il; you see have neither arms nor legs, (for
he had concealed his arm which had been pre-.
served, behind his back $50 for the sake of bea.
ven, put your charitable donation into my pouch
and the Lord bless you" The drover approach.
I'd him, and as he stopped to reach up the money
the sun shining, he saw shadow on the ground
which caused him to look up, when he perciev-
ed the arm the beggar elevated over his head
and his hand grasping q short iron bar. lie
arrested the blow in its descent, and seized the
robbcr, and carried him 10 his cart, in1o which
having thrown him, he drove off TO the next
town, which was very near, and brought his
prisoner before a magistrate. On searching him
awhissie was found in his pocket, which ma.
tnrally induced suspicion that he had accom-.
pices in The wood: the mag gistrate thereTore,
INSTANTLY ordered guard TO the place where
the robher had been seized, and they arrived
within halt an hour after the murder of the dro
Wv wv" w" "''N"P'c"' hC Suu'u hoNHE
concealed themselves behind different trees, the
whistle was blown, the sound of which was re.
'oarkably shrl aud loud; and another whistle
was heard under ground. three men at the sane
Instant rising over the MIDST Of bushy clu,np
of bra,nbrs and other dwarf shrubs. The sol
diers fired Oh them, and they tell. The bushes
we're searched, and n descent discovered in a
cave. Here were three young girls and boy.
The girls were kept for servants; the boy,
scarce twelve years Of age, was son to one Of
the robbers The girls in giving evidence, de.
;~sed that they had lived nearly three years in
the cave, had been kept there by force from the
tme Of the captivity that the dead bodies were
frequently carried into the cave, stripped, and
buried and that the old soldier was carried
out every dry day, and sat by the road eide.
for two or three hours. On this evidence, the
numbering mcndcant was condemned 10 suffer
second execution on the wheel. AS but one
arm remained, it was TO be broken by several
strokes IN several places, and q coup de grace
being denied. he lived in tortures for nearly
five days. When dead, his body wGs burned
to sshes, and strcwed before the winds of bca. =.
ven.