The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1867-06-28

Dungeons aud Instruments " Torture
-Frightiul Evidences of Cruelty.
Mr. Coffin writes to the Boston JoWraal |
from Nuremberg, Bavaria;
Come with me to this old town, enter |
somc of these odifces and look upon the |
n ADMINISTRATION of Government as il was in |
the 10th and Eth centuries. We enter one |
OF the towers of the castle, descend i've |
stems and find ourselves in museum, |
where are preserved the books of records. |
giving us a history of the past aud not
only books, but implements and instru.
monts which show more cl arly than writ. |
ten words the administration OF those days, !
with which the government OF the United
States is now compared. Here is post
four feet high in the ccnter ot the room,
with two curious fixtures on the top, having
some resemblance to gun locks.
What is this? The girl who acts as our
usher raises the hammers, which como up
| with a click. She touches spring and
| down they 60, with snap that startlcs you
/ forced down Ivy ,trong springs witha wha,k
| that would have mashed your fingers
to u Jelly had they been under the hammer.
| This is finger crusher, delicate liulA
! instrument used to eXtort confessions from
reluctant witnesses or sus, e,ted criminals,
Here arc bracelets for the wrists, not OF gold
or silver, but oi iron, and tho parts which
touch the wrists are set with needles. tut
them on your arms aud turn a screw aud
they close upon the flesh, the needles pierre
ing through cords, toudous, flesh aud bones.
1t is one degree more eXcruliating than
crushing the fingers.
Here is n head drcss-a crown which
has been worn 10y many men and women,
1t has sharp knives which cut through the
scalp to tho skull Here are chains and
weiyl t., locks and keys, and handouts
aud clasps for the ankles, stocks for the
the feet. weights to hold your feet to the
floor, and pulleys to draw your head at the
same time to the ceiling. Here is a bench OF
solid oak, with n corrugated surface, upon
which MAJ men have been laid, held down
10y cords, to undergo the Encading process,
and that rolling pin, knOt!y aud kuobby
also of oak, which lies upon the table, has
boon rolled backward and forward over
tho talked forms of men aud women, kueal-
ing live flesh to bloody dough. Time and
space would fail me were to enumerate
the Instruments oi torture here or set
T, forth their uses. We eau only look at the
cradle-a huge trough of oak on rockers
the bottom and sides thicky set wit pins,
in which many victims have been rocked
to death. Think OF lying on a bod of oaken
; pins, rolling to the right and leTt-always
against pms-till She flesh becomes livld
Jelly. Here is string of Oakcn beadr
each bead siXtccn sided, about as large as
, hickory nuts. This was for saving of legs
and arms.
10 Here is an instrument shaped like n
pear. 1t is of ircn, but to all appearance a
harmless thing. But just take it for mo-
, mcnt into your mouth, and let mo give q
! gentle pull at tho string attached to tht
= stem of the pear ard it will be no longer 6
i pear buta full blown lilly--an iron lilly M
= folding its leaves so suddenly and Violently
that your jaws arc forced open till thC
5 Joints crack in the sockets, while the deli
J. cate petals become pincers which grasI
y your tongue. No outcry now. No uttor
u ance of words. No screaming to raise thu
> neighborhood. Means and sighs only from
!. the sufferer. One twitch OF the string ant
i tho tongue is torn out by the roots.
" We must leave this museum withOu
l. mentioning the hundreds of curiosities
3 !, We go into the courtyard, stopping mo
u mont to pluck a leaf from a lime tree whicl
! was in iul vigor 700 years ago, and thel
u we enter another door, descend flight o
8 steps, to dark, dismal dungeons, where N
} light ever falls except through narroy
grated windows. Here are ladders, wind
), asses and pulleys, on which victims wer
u stretched till bones snapped, till Joint
eaped from their sockets and cords AIT
. teudous were torn asundor. Here ar
= racks and wheels, pillories and stocks
J whips and manaclos, This was the plac
i of torture We leave these and cree
" through doorway after doorway, and reac
= at last far under ground, far beneath a
sight and sound of the world, a darker dun
% l., ;, 10 Of lao, hyj,I0,
u Here s the statue or image--a maidel
u with hood upon her head an iron ruff
y around the neck developed in an iron cloal
7 Suddenly the folds Of the cloak are throw
~ apart, and by the dim light of the candl
you see that the lining of the garment
y set with small spikes. Take one step fo
~ ward and the folds enclose you. lro
~ spikes pierce your body, and into your ey
20 balls, clear through to the vertebra the
u. penetrate Not quick embrace but slowl
y you are enfolded, one turn of the scrc
~ Just enough to penetrate the fleshi in,
~ enough to touch the apple of the quiverin
y eye; them after an age of anguish anothC
10 turn and hundred spikes reach a It'll
a nearer the nerves and then as heat,
~ thirst and fever rack the body, another gel
q tic turn aud another age of torture all
~ then one more advance Of the spikes f
- ~ ward the vitals, till death comes on, an
70 the maiden unfolding her arms, drops he
10 victim through trap-door, down-dQwn
" down into unknown depths We drop
y pebble and hear the faint splash Of watel
:, far beneath.
u Here is skull. Anatomists say il is IL
"a skull OF female. You pnt your finger
u u, into the holes whore the spi es which e
y, tered the eyes come through No nan
~ on record. God only has the book of I
~ membrancc.
", ~ We think of this dungeon as connectc
20 with the barbarsm OF the middle ages bl
" 70 we are not far removed from those days
~ rigorous administration Of law. Till Nap
~ leon with his legons Of France came acro'
~ the Rhine, overthrowing all obstacles, th
.se iron maiden held ont her her arms to +
o' ceve offenders against the law. On the a
no proach Of the French army in 1909, Il
Vi Virgia,as tbs called with other iustrumon
Of torture, were thrown iuto cart, and di
patched in haste out of the town, but ie
into the hands Of the victorious army. N
lil then did the world know what sort
80 punshments were meted out to offender
Is, of the law.
ed We are to remember that NnrcmheI
ot. was d free city About thirty patricia
nd families for a long time th0nopolized outho
be ity, and chose Council Of State cnnsis
OF g. z -. k, tha hva