Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-05-22
Horrible Tofturss2 OF tho OIden Time
" Pressine 10 Death nj NcyRate.

Horrible Tortures Of tho Oldep Time
Pressinat 70 Death Mt Ncwgate.
In the good old tines when wrctches
swung that jurymen might dine, the
judges 10 England not unfrequently resorted
10 what the law aptly termed the peine 6rte
e dure-nAnnely, pressing to death for refls-
ing to plead, Thissystem continued in vogue
till l772, when an act was passed by which
any one refusing to plead should be deemed
guilty, the. same as though by verdict of a
Jury. The "press-yard" at Newgate, and
perhaps az other prisons, yet, we believe, re-
tains It's, name, albeit 1t Is no longer used for
its original purpose. We have before US q
curious print representing a criminal in the
act of being pressed to DEATH He Is ex-
tended, fat on, his back, his arms and feet
drawn apart at full stretch, and secured 10
staples in the floor; piece Of plank is on
his body, and on that number Of heavy
weights.oD lo g.ub odI 31eioJl .f1 Yf ~
There seems TO have been two kinds of
criminals who formerly refused TO plead to
their indictments; the one, nenNes property,
who by suffering deathi by pressU. instead
of hanging, preserved their landed tts.ates to
their children or heirs which would not have
been the case had they pleaded and been
found guilty by the jury The other class
were ignorant, determined men, who foolish
ly imagined that by obstinntely refusing to
plead they should eventually escape the
punishment due to their offenses.
+ When no argument could induce man 10
Plead, the Judgment of the law was read
over to him, as he stood at the bar. 1t was
thus worded: N'That the prisoner shall be sent
to the prison whence he came, and put into
mean room, stopped from the light, and shall
there be laid on the bare ground, without
any litter, straw or other covering, p
He shall lie upon his back, his head shall be
covered, and his feet shall be bare. One Of
his arms shall be drawn with a. cord 10 one
side OF the room, and the other arm to the
other side; and his legs shall be served in the
like manner. .... .,,.
ThentheFei shall be laid upon his body as
much iron or stone as he can bear, and more !
And the first day after he shall have three
morsels of barley bread, without any drink;
and the second day be shall be allowed to
| drink as much as be can at three times of the
water that is next the, prison door, except
running water, without any bread; and this
shall be his diet till he dies; and he against
whom this Judgment shall be given, forfeits
| his goods to the king .I,oI t,
| The last time that this punishment was in
| hicted, was, we believe, upon a ship-masten
| charged with piracy, who, to save his landed
1 property to his family, remained mute when
| called upon to plead. .. ...
In January, 1870, two highwaymen, named
Spiggot and Phillips, refused to plead unless
the effects taken from their persons whe1
they were apprehended were restored tc
them. This was refused, and they, on theil
part, adhered to their resolution. Thereupor
they were sentenced to be pressed to death
but when they were taken into the press
room at Newgate, Phillips was terrified, aud
begged to be taken back to plead which, as
mercy, he was permitted to do, although in
strict law he could have been denied the re-
quest Hiscompanion, however, was pressed
and bore the amazing weight of three hun
dred and fifty pounds for the space of hall
lin hour; but when an additional fifty pounds
was, added his fortitude gave way, and he
also begged to be allowed to plead. The eyi-
dence on the trial was conclusive, and the
two men, both of whom were very hardened
robbers, were duly hung at Tyburn. .s (.
The following year another highwayman
named Hames, likewise refused to plead t.
his own indictment, alleging as a reason tina
the people who apprehended me seized
/ fine suit of clothes which / intended to hav
4 gone to the gallows in; unless they are re
turned will not plead, for no one shall sa,
that ! was hanged in a dirty shirt and ragget
/ coat In vain was the dreadful ALTERNATIVE
explained to him; be continued stubborn,
mute, and was taken to the press room, ant
bore a weight of, ,two-hundred and fifty
pounds for seven minutes, when he cried ou
to be taken back to the court. He ther,
pleaded mot guilty. but was convicted AMI
hanged. & .ca u uo.la2yai lid ssgn. ai
far more remarkable and more crue
case than the preceding occurred at Noting
ham Assizes in the year 1875. A poor crea
ture, commonly replted to have been dea
and dumb from infancy, was arraigned on al
accusation, Of murder. Two witnesses, VIII
were subsequently known to have borne hin
| ill-will, swore positively that they had hearC
him speak, he was therefore called upon Il
plead guilty or not guilty. A lawyer repre-
sented his case most feelingy to the Judge
but the law on the subject being supposed I,
be imperative, he was taken into an, adjoin
ing room and actually pressed to death, con
tinuing, says register of the times, ''obsti
nately dumb to the las" The lattertact w
think, most incontestably proves that, tn
In another instanGe--and it is the last W
shall cite on the ,subject-a man pressed t.
death, WHO assnrediy was an impostor, so ia
as MS pretended dumpness was concerned
His name. was Matthew Ryan, and he wa
tried, or should have been tried, for highwa,
robbery, at the Kilkenny AsslZes, IN lI4l
When In prison, he affected TO bea lunatit
and IN court counterielted ydumbness; Tn
Judge empanneled q Jury TO Try whether h
was vas mute ana lmnatlc IN py tne hand otGod, o.
wllfully So Inc jury returned IN shor
time, and brought IN a verdict OF TWilful am
nil nnf fnh q ~ n