Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1860-10-18
7rarr,,,le Torturs-The shower Bath.

ri, prisons of Naples as far as exquisite torture is
orned do not exceed in horror the New 7 ork State
Gun o at Sing Sing. New York paper gives an &C
pFL+ of the application of the shower bath to Tom
Tv desperate villain, who recently led an attempt
hV o:9caDe from the institution. 1t says:
dc was no ordinary case Halt dozen keepers
funded his cell when he out of it, and followed
sur sur 70 the shower bath. Half dozen armed to
bo teeth conducted him to the scene of his suferings
w 10 we're waiting half dozen more to conquer him
T4nH he make the slightest demonstration of resist
aD TeIv came into tie ROOM pale and livid he lips
a compressed the eyes sunken and half closed, and
So cheek bones projected more prominently than in Or
iarv cases, from the compression of his jaws.
= Take of your clothes, sir u said the keeper.
The mandate was obeyed without reply and he
Trimmed himself naked, and entered the bath. A
3 who stood by fixed his feet in the stocks his hands
" The armIets ard his head under the bath. AS soon
no was placed under it he shook his head as much as
osav i've got to suffer-" The water was allowed to
.girke down bis face and bis body for few min
te before the bath fell upon bis head. At length it
fn Tom bore it well, not shver of the legs, not a
onscuar movement of the hands or fingers not single
v Of Distress although he actually being drowned
nT about FIVE minutes.
You bear it well, Tom" said one of the keepers,
fpr the first FIVE minutes had elapsed, and time had
hpen given him to recuperate
It's awful" was Toms reply but can't ask for
mercy
Down came the water again, and Tor nVc minutes
longer the gurging sounds OF strangulated man were
on{hp and when he was exhausted, the cord was let
w, and the water stopped. few minutes of release
P Granted and down came the water again and the
cene was more terrible than the worst execution we
had ever witnessed At length congestion OF the brain
was threatened and "hiss from the physician brought
The third scene to close Several minutes were allow
Cd the unfortunate man to recover, but the punishment
was too terrible to witness to the end, and we left He
had been fifteen minutes under the shower but had
Wpntyve minutes of the same to endure when we left
and for the next forty days the sort of punishment
m be melted out to him. unless he dies under the hands
dthe keeper.
It was an awful spectacle to witness this man under
the BATH Every muscle contracted and became corded
sometimes the hands would become convused and ev-
prv nerve strained when there would follow relaxation
Then the water would to pour and then would ap
near the suerings of the cu prt the retching and
itng Of water, which had sweed the body up like a
oDsica invalid. Hanging is nothing to the torture of
the shower bath. The man subjected to the bath for
half an hour suffers ten times the amount of pain caused
BY sranguatOn for the simple that just con-
Ouness is about leaving, and when he would be hap
nv to die he brought back to realization of his suffer
6gs and unhappy position.
After Kelly had been showered and taken to his cell
the keeper turned round, and with malignant smile
exclaimed, " Wen subdue him" Outsiders, from that
single expressive sentence, may guess at the rule in
Sing Sing,