The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1867-02-20

retire and send for cannon 10 break
through the walls, without giving them
time TO lay a train for blowing us up
saw that it was necessary to change the
mode Of attack, and directed some trees
to be cut down and trimmed, to be used
as battering rams. Two Of these were
taken up by detachments Of men, as nu.
merous as could work to advantage, and
brought to bear upon the walls with all
the power which they could exert, while
the troops kept up fire, to protect them
from'the fire poured upon them from The
walls. Presently the walls began TO
tremb'e, breach was made, and the i'm.
peral troops rushed into the Inquisitiou.
[ caused the "IIoy Fathers" to be placed
Under guard, ard all the soldiers o. the
lnquisition to be secured as prisoners.-
We then proceeded TO examine all the
rooms Of The stately edifce We passed
through room after room, and found everv
thing to please the eve, and CRAFTY cul-
,ivatea taste; bu, where wore those hor,
rid instruments OF torture Of which we
had been told and where those dungeons
in which human beings were said to be
buried alive We searched in vain.-
The "IIoly Fathers" assured us that thev
had been te'ied-that We had seen all
and was prepared to give up the search,
convinced that this Inquisi,ion was differ.
en-, from others Of which had heard.
"But Col. DeLiIe was not so rendy AS
myself to give up the search. fTe advised
that water should he poured over the floor
Of the Inquisition, which was comr osed
Of large and beautifully polished slabs Of
marble, and a careful examination made
Of every seam in the floor, to see If the
waller passed through. BY the side Of
one OF these marble slabs the water passed
through fast, as though there was an
opening beneath All hands wers now n,
work for further discovery. The officers
Tith their swords, and rhe soldiers with
thor bayone,s, seeking TO clear out the
seam, and pry up the slab. Others. with
the butts Of their muskets, striking the
slab with all their might, to break it.
while the priests demonstrated against our
Decorating their holy and beautiful house.
While thus engaged, soldier who was
striking with the butt Of his muskc',
struck spring, and the marble slab flew
up. Then the faces OF the Inquisitors
grew pale as Bels,atzar, when the hand
writing appeared on tho wall; they
trembled all over. Beneath the marble
slab, now partly up, there was stair case.
stepped to the altar, and took from the
csndIestick one OF the candles. four fact
in length, which was burning, that I
nigh, explore tho room below. A. We
reached the foot Of the stairs, we eutered
I a large square room, which was called the
Hall Of Judgment In the centre of it
WAS a lsrge block, and a chain fastened
to il. On this, they had been IN ed
TO place the accused, chaiped to his seat.
On one side Of the room was an elevated
seat, called The Throns OF Judgment -
This the lnqnisitor General occupied,
and on either side were seats. less elevat,
ed, for the Holy Fathers, when engaged
in the solemn business OF the Holy Inqui-
sItiou. ra. -.-.' .a 5..s - %. ...
"From this room we proceed ed TO tho
right, and obtained accss. to small cells,
extending the entire length Of the editice :
and here such sights were presented as We
hope never I o see again
THESE cells were places Of SOLITARY
confinement, where the wretched objects
Of lnqisitionsl hate were confined year
after year, till death released them nom
their suffsrings. and there their bodies
were suffered to remain until they were
entirely decayed, and the rooms lad be
come tit for Others to occupy. To pre-
vent this being offensive 10 those who oe
cupied the lnquisition, there were fues OF
tubes extending TO the open mir, sufficient
! ly capaciom 10 carry of ,be odor. In
these cells we found the remains OF some
who had paid the debt Of nature some
Of them had been dead apparently but a
short time, while OF Others nothing a.
manned bnt their bones, still chained ia
the floor OF .h.ir dungeon.
"In other cells, We found living suffer,
ers Of both sexes, aud ofsvery ags. from
! three score years and ten, dow n to four
teen or fifteer years-sIl nsked rs when
born into the world Here were old men
and aged women, who had been shut ur