Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1854-04-05
From the United Service Journal.
The KnOut.

1
Although it may appear to the casual OBJ
server little worse than our punishment Of
whipping petty offenders, yet it, effects ara
greatly increased, and death frequently en-
sues in consequence of the pains taken by
the judicial authorities in Russia 20 perfect
the executioners in their horrid occupation.
The knout is very heavy thong as thick
as mans wrist, and weighing from two
to three pounds; the lash OF leather, about
the breadth Of broad tape, and narrowing
at the end; and the handle is about two
feet long.
! The place usually chosen at st. Peters
burg for the public infiction of the knout,
is an open muddy plain, near the river Ne.
va, and the execution is always attended
with military guard of Cossacks and 9th.
er troops. AS soon as the culprit arrives
at the platform, a paper is read aloud, which
contains description OF his crime, and the
sentence of the court before which he has
been tried.
In ordinary cases, the criminals, each in
their turn, arc fastened 10 an iDclined post,
having ring at the top, to which the head
is SO tightly fixed, by means of a rope, as
to prevent the patient from crying out.--
The hands are then closely tied on either
side; at the bottom the feet are secured by
means of two rings; the back is then barred
10 the waist, and the executioner commen'
ccs his duty .ga'is5,7 ....s
The abbe Cbappe d 'Auteroche relates an
execution of female in the reign of Eliz-
abeth. He states that Madame Lapookih,
who was one of the most beautiful women
belonging to the court Of that empress, had
been indiscreet enough to mention some of
the endless amours of her imperial mistress,
| and was, therefore, condemned to undergo
| the knout.
The beautiful cu;prit mounted the scat.
| fold in an elegant undress. She was sur
rounded by the executioners, on whom she
gazed with astonisbment, and seemed 10
doubt that she was the object Of such prep.
arations. One Of the executioners pulled
off cloak which covered her bosom, at
which her modesty took alarm she started
back, turned pale, and burst into tears
Her clothes were soon stripped off, and she
was naked TO The waist before the eager
eyes Of an immense concourse of people,
profoundly silent. Two Of the executioncrs
then took her by the hands, and, turning
her half round, raised her on their backs.
inclining forwards and lifting her little
from the ground upon which another exc
cutioner adjusted her on the backs of his
coadjutors, and placed her in the most prop
er posture for receiving the punishment
He then retreated a few steps, measuring
the proper distance with steady eye. and,
leaning backwards. he gave stroke with
the knoot so as to carry piece of skin from
| the neck 10 the bottom Of the back stri.
king his feet against the ground, he made .
second blow, parallel to the former, and IN
few minutes all the skin Of the back vas
cut away in small slips, most of which re.
NAMED hanging down her tongue vas eut
out Immediately after, and she was bahished
to Siberia.
In the time of the early Cars, the per.
formers of this horrid task were regarded
with so much respect that they were admit
ted into the best society. Nay, it is even
said, that in those days merchants. thinking
it honorable thus to pass into ranks above
them, paid large sums of money to be allow.
ed to fulfil the murderous duty. When
their ambition was satisfied, they re-sold
the vocation at an enormous profit.
So expert are the executiohers of the pre-.
sent day, that they can handle the knout
with much more readiness than our coach
men their Whips. AS proof Of their dex-
terity, wager was laid by two Russian no.
blemen, relative TO the professional talents
OF two of them, and an eyewitness relates
the following to be the result.
The person who won the bet, gained it
bv the following feat: he placed his com.
panion at arms length fiom him, and uHs
dertook to Strike two hundred times with
his knout, though he should not touch OF
injure his person, at each blow he promised
to bring away a narrow strip of his friends
shirt, which he actually performed without
infictilg even the merest scratch on his
body.
BY way of expressing his gratitude for
the patience his companion had elected.
when he had finished the specified number
of blows, he lifted up his weapon, and in
playful manner appeared TO give a slight
flip towards the lnan on whom his skill had
been exhibited he hardly seemed to touch
his body, but on inspection wound OF at
least foot and half in length was per-
ceiveI, bearing an exact resemblance to one
which might have been given by razsr
or other sharp instrument. The one who
had received the blow seemed to take it in
good part as a joke coolly remarking that
he should not be long in embracing an op.
portuniiy ofreturning an equivalent to the
favor received. The two men positively
asserted that they could, without any re.
markable efforts on their parts, kill the
strongest man, with only three blows Of this
simple, though dreadful instrument--THE
KNoUT.
e. The love of admiration is the cahker
upon the heart of many lovely woman.
1t is vanity in its worst form. Itinsihustes
itself into the moral nature, and either
makes the woman an object of vulgar stare
or public notoriety. When her beauty is
gone, the absence Of the stimulant to her
weakened nature leaves her irritable and
disappointed. Beauty IS dangerous in.
heritance and requires special duty from
the owner of it. The destiny of beauti-
full woman is nobler than to be stared Ut
by the vulgar crowd or Aattered by heart
less society.
VALUE OF AcokNs.-A paper printed in
Claiborne, Louisiana, has gone into mi.
mute calculation upon the value of one crop
of acorns in that parish-equiyalent to our
counties. He says that 100000 pounds
OF pork will be consumed there in 1854, and
that the whole Of it comes from the crop of
acorns, and is worth $4,000. Besides
this an equal value has been added IN tbe