Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1867-06-19


Think of lying on bed of cak h pins,
rolling to the right, to the left-always
against pins--till the flesh becomes livid
jelly! Here is string of oaken beads,
each bead sixteen sided, about as large as
hickory nuts. This was for saving off
legs and arms. .g ',5i t..uaa as
Here is an instrument shaped like
pear. 1t is of iron, but to all appearance
a harmless thing. But just take it for q
moment into your mouth, and let me give
q gentle pull at the string attached to the
stem of the pear, and it will be no longer
a pear but full blown lily==-an iron lily
unfolding its leaves 50 suddenly ard vio-
lently that your jaws are forced open till
the joints crack in the sockets, while the
delicate petals become pincers. which grasp
your tongue No outcry now. No utter.
aDce Of words No screaming to raise the
ncighborhood. Moans and signs only
from the sufferer, One twich Of the
string and the tongue is torn out by the
roots
We must leave this museum without
menIioning the hundreds of curiosities
We g. into the court yard, stopping mo-.
ment to pluck leaf from lime tree
WI ich was in full vigor 700 years ago.
and then we cuter another door. descend
a longer fight Of steps. to dark. dismal
dungeons, where no light ever falls except
through narrow, iron grated witnlcws
Here are ladders, with wiDdlasses and pull
leys, on which victims were stretched till
fones snapped, till joints leaped from
their sockets, and cords and tendons were
torn asuuder Here are racks and wheels,
pilories and stocks, whips and manacles
This was the place of torture. We leave
these and creep through narrow passage,
through doorway, and reach at last, far
under ground, far beneath all sight or
sound of the world, darker dungeon.
This is the room Of the Iron Eesdsn.
Here is the statue or image-a maiden
with hood upon her head, an iron ruffle
around the neck, cnveloped in an iron
cloak. Suddenly the folds of tho cloak
are thrown apart, and by the dim light
of the candle you see the lining of the gar
ment is set with sharp spikse. Take one
step forward andthe folds enclose you, Iron
spikes pierce your body, and into your
eye balls-clcar through to the vcrtebra
they penetrate. Not quick embrace.
but slowly you are enfoldcd--one turn of
the screw, just enough to penetrate the
flesh, just enough to touch the apple of
the quivering eye; then, after an age of
anguish another turn and hundred
spikes reach little nearer to the nerves ;
and then, heat, a thirst and fever rack
the body, another gentle turn aud anoth
er sgc of torture and then one more ad-
vance cf the spikes toward the vitals, till
death comes on. and then the maiden, un-
folding her arms, drops her victim through
trap.door, down-down-down into un-
known depthsl We drop n pebble aud
hear the faint splash Of waters far be-
meath.
Here is sknil Anatomists say it is
the skull of female. You may put your
fingers into the holes where the spikes
which entered the eyes came through No
name. on record. God only has the book
Of remembrance
We think Of this dungeon as connected
with the barbarism of the middle ages ;
but We are net quite SO far removed from
those days of rigorous administration Of
law. Till Napoleon with the legions OF
France came across the Rhine. overthrow
ing all obstacles, this iron maiden held
out her arms TO receive offenders against
the law On the approach Of the French
army 10 1903. the Virgin, as tits called,
with other instruments Of torture were
thrown into cart aud dispatched in
haste out of the town, but fell into the
hands Of the victorious army Not till
then did the world know what sort Of
punishments we're meted out to offenders
Of the law. '''' u
We are to remember that Nuremberg
was free city. About thirty patriclan
families for long time monopoliEed au-
tbori.y. and chose a Council of State con-
sisting Of persons who formed the execu.
tive. This Executive was an irresponsible
body. The world knew nothing of their
secret administration Of affairs. Men
disappeared. and no one knew what be.
came Of them. The iron Virgin embraced
them. and that was all. Another Virgin
exists in Austria, at Neustadt. There
arc other horrors. enough to curdle the
blood, not Of the Roman lnquisition. bu'
of German governments The heart al'
most ceases its beating when you looE
upon their devilish inventions and think