The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-09-13


the rooms had b ecome fit for others
to occupy. To prevent this being of:
fensive to those who occupied the in.
QUESTION, there We're fucs or tubes cx-
tending to the open air, sufficiently ca
pacious to carry off the odor. In these
cells we found the remains of those
who had paid the debt of nature:
some ofthom had becndcad apparent.
ly bnt short time, while of others
nothing remained but the bones, still
chained to the floor of their dunrcon.
8 Ia other cells we found living suf
fercrs of both sexes, and Of every age,
from three score years and ten down
to fourteen and fifteen years, all naked
as when born into The world, an
all in chains Here were old men
and aged women, who had been shut
up fer many years. Here, too, were
the middle aged, and the young man,
and the maiden CT fourteen years old
The soldiers Immediately went TO
work to release these captives from
their chains, and took from their knap.
sacks their ovcrcoats and other cloth.
ing, which they gave them to cover
their nakedness. They were exceed
ingly anxious TO bring them out to the
light of day; but being aware of the
danger had food given them, and then
brought them gradually to the light,
as they were able to bear it.
We then proceeded to explore
another room on the left, Here we
found the instruments Of torture, of
every kind which the ingenuity of men
or devils could invent" Col l.. dc.
scribcs four of these horrid instru.
ments: "Thc first was machine by
which the victim was secured, and
then, beginning with the fingers. every
point in the hands, arms, and body
was brolScp, or drawn, one after an.
others pptil, the sufferer died. The
second was box, in which the head
and neck OF the accused was so close
ly scrSwed that, he. could not move in
any way. Over the box was a vosscl
from which one drop of water second
fell upon the head Of the victim, every
successive drop falling precisely on
the same place. which suspended the
circulation iii few moments and put
the sufferer to the most eTcruciating
agony. The third was an Internal
machine, laid horizontally, to Which the
victim WAS bound this instrument
was then placed between two beams.
III which were scores Of knives, so
fixed that, by turning the machine with
crank, the flesh Of the sufferer was
torn from his li.tubs in small Pieces
The fourth surpassed tho others in
tlendish ingenuity. Its exterior was Il
beautiful woman, or large dell, richly
dressed, with arms extended, ready to
embrace its victim. Around her feet
senllcirctc WAS drawn. The victim,
WHO passed over this fatal mark
TOUCHED a spring. which caused the
diahpli!cal engine to open, its arms
claspcd him, and thousand knives
cut him into AS many pieces, in their
deadly embrace"
Col. l.. said that the sight of these en-
gincs Of Internal cruelty kindIcd the
rage OF the soldiers to fury. They
declared that every in4uisitor and
soldier Of the ihouis,ion should be
put to the torture. Their rage was
ungovernable. Col. l.. did no, oppose
them they might have turned their
arms against him, if he had attempted
to arrest their work. hey began
with the holy fathers. The first they
put to death in thr machine for break.
i"-joh;s. The torture Of the induisi
iorP"t t" dea'h hy The dropping Of
'aius Oh his head was most excrucia
ting The poor man cried out in ago.
ny to DC taken tr"n the fatal rachinc.
The lnquisitor general w;:s brought
before the internal engine called "l'he
Virgin.' lie begged to DO excused.
"No," said they ''yon have caused
others to kiss her, and now you must
DO it," They interlockcd their bavo
nets SO as to form large forks, and
with these pushed him over the deadly
circle. The beautiful image i::;;s,antIy
prcIarcd for the embrace, cIaspcd
him. III its arms and he was cut into
innuincrable pieces. Col. l.. said that
he witnessed the torture of four Of
them his heart sick Ecncd at the awful
scene, and lie left the soldiers to wrcaIi
their vengeance Oh the last guilty in
mate Of that prison. house OF hell
In the meantime it was reported
through Madrid that the prisons of the
lnquisition were broken open, and
multitudcs fastened to the fatal spot.
And oh !! what meeting was there 1t
was like n resurrection About a
hundred, Of those who had been buried
tor many years were now restored to
lite. There We're fathers who iou ID
their l6ns.lost daughters; wives were
restored to their husbands, sisters to
their brothers, and parents to their
children and their were some that
could recognize no friend among the
multitude. The sccnce was such as
no tongue can describe.