The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1860-04-26
CuriOsitics OF Justice.
PRESSING TO DEATH.

PRESSING TO DEATH.
In the good old times when "wrctches swing
that jurymsn might dine the Judges in England
not unfrquenly resorted to what the law aptly
termed the psiae forte ct dure-nam-ly, press
eG TO death Tor refusing 10 plead. THIS sy stem
continued in vogue till l7T2 when an act was
passed by which any one refusing to plead
should be deemed guilty, the same as though hy
verdict Of jury. The ''press Yard at New.
gate, and perhaps at other prisons, yet, we be-
lieve, retains its name, albeit It is no longer
used for its original purpose. We have before
us n curious print representing a criminal in the
act of being pressed to death He is extended
flat on his back, his arms and feet drawn apart
at full stretch, aud secured to staples in the
floor; piece of plank is on his body and Oh that
number Of heavy weights.
There seem to have been two kinds of crmi.
nails who formerly refused to plead to their in
dictments the one, men of property who, by
suffering death by pressure instead of hanging
preserved their landed estate to their children
or heirs which would not have been the case
tad they pleaded aud been found guilty by the
jury. The other classes were ignorant, deter.
mined men, who toolishly imagined tha, by oh.
SinateIy refusing to pIsad they should evenlu-
ally escape the penalty due tier offences
When no argument could induce man to
plead, the Judgment of the law was read OVER to
hir' us he stool at the bar. 1t was thus word O..
ed. That the prisoner shall be sent to the
prison whence he came, and put into mean
! room stopped from the lght, aud shall thare be
laid on the bare grounl lwlthout any IitterStrlw
or other covering. n
He shall lie upon his back his head shall be Gov.
cred, and his feel shall BE- bare. One Of his arms
shall he drawn by corn t one end OF the room,
aud the other arm to the other end; and his legs
shalt be served in the like manncr. Then there
shall be laid upon his body as much iron or stone
as he can bear, and more! AMI the first ddv al.
ter, lie shall have three morSeS OF barley bread
without any drink; and the second day h. shall
be allowed to drink as mach as he eau at three
times ot the water next the prison door excrp:
! running water, without any bread; aud thus
stall be his diet till he dies; and he against
| whom this judgment shall BE- given iurleits his
goods to The king
The last time This punishment was inflicted
was, We brIieve,upon shlp-mastrr charged with
| piracy, who, to Save his landed properly to his
family remained mute when called upon Ia
| plead.
| In January. 1920, two hghwayman, named
| 81 lSgot and PnIupS, refused To plead unless the
E fleets taken from their persons when hey were
| upprrhended were re tored 10 them This was
refused 10 do, and they Oh their part, adhered o
! their resolution. TaereupOn they were Seliltn-
ced TO be pressed to death; nut when taken into
the press room at Newglre, Phillips was terri
fed and begged to be taken b ,ck to plead, which
as mercy, he was permitted to do, although in
slritt law he could have been danied the request
! His companion, however, was pressed aud bore
| the amazing weight OF three hundred ani litty
pounds tor The space OF half an hour; but when
all additional fifty pounds WAS added, his torti-
tude gave way, and he also b gged 10 be allowed
! 10 plead. The evidence Oh the trial Was con
! elusive, and the two men, both OF whom were
very hardened robbers, were duly hung at Ty-
! burn. ' ..# .H. .|..
The following year, another highman named
! Hames likewise refused to plead to his ndict-
ment, alleging as d reason that 'the people who
apprehended me seized a suit OF fine clothes
which Intended to have gone to the gallows
| in; unless they returned | will not plead for
no one shall say was hung in dirty shirt aud
ragged coat In vain Was the dreadful alter.
native explained to hun; he continued stubborn.
! ly mute and Was taken to the pr SIS room, aud
| bore $50 pounds Tor seven minutes, when he
cried out TO be taken back to the court He
there pleaded "Not guilty" but was convicted
and banged.
| A far more remarkable and more cruel case
than the preceding occurred at Nottingham as.
sizes in the year 1888 A poor creature, com.
monty reputed 10 have beeh deaf AMI dumb from
infancy, Was arraIgned on an accusation Of mur
| der. Two witnesses, who were subsequently,
known to have borne him ill.wil, swore posi.
lively that they had heard him speak; be was
therefore called upon 20 plead guilty or not
guilty. "A lawyer represented his case most
ieeingy to the judge; but the law in the case be-
ing supposed 10 be imperative, he was taken in.
to an adjoining room and actually pressed 10
DEATH continuing" says reg stsr of the times
dumb to the last The latter fact, we think
most incontestaby proves that the wretched be-
ing was naturally dumb.
In another nstance-and it is the last we
shall cite on the subject-a man was pressed TO
death who sssuredly was an imposlor so far az
his pretended dumbness was concerned. His
name wos Matthew Ryan. and he was tried. or
should have been tried for highway robbery, at
the Kilkenny asszes in l740 When in prison
he affected 10 be luustic, and in court coun-
terleited dumbness. The judges impannrled
jury to Try whether he was mute aud lunatic
by the hand OF God, or willfuily So" The nry
returned shortly and brought in verdict Of
"Willful aud sdectr ID dumbness and lunscy."
The judges on tins desired the prisoner to plead;
but he still pretended TO be insensible to all that
was said to him. The law now called for the
pcine forte ct dure; but the judges compassion
ately deferred awarding it until future day, in
the hope that he might acquire in the meaniime
a more just sense of his situation. But their
delays had not the Intended effect. He refused
o. n ul han