Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1856-06-12

the entire length of the edifce. And here
such sights were presented, as hope never to
see again. These cells were places of solitary
confinement, where the wretched objects of in
! quistorial hatred were confined year after year,
till death relieved them from their sutferings,
and their bodies were allowed to remain until
they were entirely decayed, and fit for Others
to occupy. To prevent this from being Often
sive to those who occupied the inquisition, there
were fiues or tubes extending to the open air,
sufficiently capacious to carry off the odor In
these cells we found the remains of those who
had paid the debt of nature-some of them had
apparently been dead but short time, while
of Others, nothing remained but bones still
chained to the floor of their dungeons
In other cells we found living sufferers, of
both sexes and of every age, from three score
and ten, down to fourteen years of age all naked
as when born into the world, and all in chains
Here were old men, and aged women, who had
been shut up for many years Here too were
the middle aged, the young man. and the maid
en- of fourteen. The soldiers Immediately went
to work to relieve these captives from their
chains, and took from their knapSacks, their
overcoats and other clothing, which they gave
them to cover their nakeduesS They were ex-
ceedingy anxious to bring out to the light of
day; but being aware of the danger, had
food given them, and then brought gradually
to the light, as they were able to bear it.
We then proceeded to explore room on the
left. Here we found the instruments of torture,
of every kind which the ingenuity OF men or
devils could invent The first was a machine
by which the victim was secured, and then be-
ginning with the fingers, every joint in the
hands arms, or body were broken or drawn,
one after another, till the sufferer died The
second was box, in which the head and neck
of the accused was SO very strongly screwed,
that he could not move in any way Over the
box was vessel from wh;cl, one drop of. water
fell upon the head of the victim, every success
i've drop falling upon precisely the same spot.
which suspended the circulation in few mo-
ments and put the sufferer to most excruciat,nr
agony. The third was an Internal machine laid
horizontally, to which the victim was bound.
This instrument was then placed between two
beams, in which scores of knives, so fixed that
by turning the machine with q crank, the flesh
of the sufferer was torn from his limbs in small
pieces. The fourth surpassed the others in
fiendsh ingenuity Its exterior was beauti-
full woman, or large doll richly dressed, with
arms extended ready to embrace its victim
Around her feet a semi-crcle was drawn The
victim who passed over that fatal mark, touched
spring, which caused a dabolical engine to
open its arms and clasp him. and thousand
knives cut him in as many pieces, in their dead
" embrace. Colonel Lemanv,i>ky said that
the sight of these engines of Internal cruelty
kindled the rage Of the soldiers to fury. They
declared that every Inquisitor, and soldier of
the lnquisition, should be put to the torture.
Their rage was ungoycrnable The Col did
not oppose them they might have turned their
arms against him, if he had attempted to arrest
their work. They began with the holy fathers.
The first they put to death in the machine for
breaking joints. The torture of the Inquisitor,
put to death by the dropping of water upon
his head, was most cXcrucating. The poor
man cried out in agony to lie taken from the
fatal machine. The Inquisitor Gencral was
brought before the internal machine called the
Virgin. He begged to be excused mo,
said they, lyon have caused others to kiss it,
and You must do it." They ihterlockcd their
bayonets SO as to form large forks, and with
these they pushed them over the deadly circle.
The beautiful image instantly prepared to EN-
brace him, casped him in her arms and cut
him in innumerabe pieces. The Col. said he
witnessed the torture Of four of them his heart
sickened at the awful scene-and he left the
soldiers to wreak their vengeance on the in
mates of that prison house Of hell
In the meantime it was reported throughout
Madrid that the prisons of the lnquisitions
were broken open ard multitudrs FASTENED to
the spot. And oh what meeting was there
About hundred of those who were buried for
many years, were restored to life. There were
fathers who found their long-lost daughters {;
wives were restored to their husbands sisters
to their brothers, and parents to their children
and there were some who could not recognize
a friend among the multitude. The scene was
such as no tongue can describe.
When the multitude had retired, the Colonel
caused library, paintings, furniture, &c, to be
removed, and having sent to the city for a wa
gon load of powder, he deposited large guam
tity in the vaults beneath the building, and
placed o slow match in connection with it. All
withdrew to distance, and in few moments
the assembled multitude beheld most joyful
sight. The walls and turrets of the massive
structure rose majestically towards the heavens,
impeled by the tremendous explosion, and
then fell back to the earth a heap Of ruins |!
How TO Preserve Women. ...
r,g e. a ~. Il