The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1867-08-06

oakcn pins, rolling TO the right, TO the
lert--always against pins-till the flesh
becomes li,il jelly. Here is a string Of
oaken beads, each head sixteen sided,
about as large as hickory nuts. This was
for saving off arms anl legs.
Here is an instrument shaped like pear.
1t is of iron, but to all appearance n
harmless thing. But just take it for a
gentle pull at the string attached to the
stem of the pear, and it will be no longer
a pear but full blown lilly-an iron
lilly unfolding its leaves SO suddenly and
violently that your jaws are forced open
till the joints crack in the sockets, while
the delicate petals become piucers, which
grasp your tongue. No cutlery now. No
utcrance of words. No screaming to
raise the neighborhood. Means and s:ghs
only from the sufferer. One twitch of
the string and the tongue is torn out by
the roots.
We mnst leave this museum without
mentioning the hundreds of curos;tcs
We 90 into the court yard, stopping mo.
ment to pluck leaf fom q lime tree which
was in full vigor 100 years ago, aud then
we enter another door descend a longer
flight Of stairs to dark, dismal dungeons,
where no light ever falls except through
narrow, iron grated windows. Here are
ladders with winda,scs and pullics, on
which victims were stretched till bones
snapped, till joints leaped from their sock
cts, and cords and cnlons were torn asun-
der. Here are racks and wheels, pilloric,
and stocks, whips and manaclos. This
was the place Of torture We leave these
AMI creep through narrow passage,
through doorway after doorway, and
reach at last, far under ground, far
beneath all sight and sound of the other
worl1 Il darker dungeon. Ills is the
room Of the Iron .UadiH
Here is statue or image-a maiden
with hood upon her head, an iron ruille
around her neck, cnveloped in an iron
cloaa. suddenly the folds of the cloak
are thrown open and by the dim light of the
candle you see the lining of the garment
is set with sharp spikes Take one step
forward aud the folds enclose you, iron
spikes pierce your body AMI into your
| eye-ballS, clear through the vertebra they
penetrate. Not n quick embrace, but
slowly you are enfolded, one turn Of the
screw. just enough TO penetrate the te,h
Just enough to touch the apple Of the
quivering eye then after an age OF
U L.
spikes reach little nearer the nerves ;
and then as heat thirst and fever rack
| the body, another gentle turn and another
age Of torture AMI then one more adj
vance OF the spikes towards the vitals till
death comes on. and the maiden, unfolding
her arms, drops her victim through Il
trap door, -lown-down into unknown
depth! We drop n pebble and hear tue
faint splash Of waters far beneath.
Here is a skull Anatomis,s say it i,
the skull of n female. You may put
your fingers into the holes where the
spikes which entered the eyes GENE
through! no name on record God only
has the book of remembrance.
We think of this dungeon as connected
with the blrbarism of the mii,llc ares !:
but we are not removed from those day-
of rigorous administration of law. Til
Napoleon with his legions Of France came
across the Rhine, overthrowing all obsta-
clcS this iron maiden held ont her arms
to receive offenders against the law. ON
the approach of the French army in 1903,
the Nirgio, MS it is called, with other oI
the instruments of torture. were thrown
into a cart, and dispatched in haste out
of the town. but fell into the hand. fihe
victorious army. Not till then did the
world know what sorts of punishment
were metcd out to the offenders of the
law.
We are TO remember that luxembourg
was Tree city About thirty patrcinn
families for a long time monopolz2d au-
thority, ,anl'chose council of state consist.
ing of eight persons who formed. the
executive. This executive was an ire
responsible body The world knew
nothing Of their secret administration oi
affairs, Men disappeared, and no one
knew what became of them.