The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-07-06
7 NJ A. s w z A T.
Three Minutes in a Sweat Box
The Modern Form of tho Etan-
ESlnlent In the Navy.
BY FRED S. COZZENS.

I1tuItelil1u OIl NlSlG W tile Y Hittu CJdLes
receiving ship North Carolina, then, as
now, anchored off Brooklyn Navy Yard.
The ship was in beautiful order, the
weather was fine, the party all life and
gayety, and the Commodore the soul of
|politeness. We were roaming through
one of the decks under the water-line-,
the orlop deck, / believe, when he said,
IF you will walk this way, will show
you some apartments that are only oc-
cupied occasionally"
He took us toward the bow of the YES
sci, through that gloomy deck where
lamps are burning at midday, and then
he showed us the departments "a half
dozen more or less-of narrow, dark,
wooden, upright cells each large enough
only to contain one living being, and
closed by thick door, through which
i've or six augur holes, at the height of
a mans mouth, afforded the only supply
of air.
''Thcsc are the sweat boxes" he
said; ''when one of our men deserve
punishment now, since tlogging has
been abolished in the navy, we lock him
in one of these boxes for twenty -four
hours at time, or, if very bad fellow,
we sometimes give him forty eight, with
out food or water"
So simple and humane a punishment,
in place of the barbarous, cruel, and
degrading system of whipping, at once
called forth the eulogisms of the party,
and We were just about passing our un-
qualified approval and admiration of so
mild and benign penalty, when the
Commodore said with smile:
"It's pretty severe, though. Would
any one like to try it for a minute or
|two?"
eyes, you may give me five," said !;
and amidst chorus of the joyous cries
of the party, ''Give him five give him
five! Commodore" l stepped into the
box, and the door was locked upon me.
l found myself immured within four
sides of wooden box,so scanty in room
that it touched my body on every side
| am but of medium stoutness; but what
would be done with q prisoner few in
ches stouter than /? AS it was, there
was not room enough on any side be-
tween my body and the box for me to
raise my hand to my head; and when the
door closed upon me l had to stand up
so straight that the back of my head
touched the back of the cell, while in
front there was barely an inch Of room
between the inside of the door and my
face. As the box was wider than it was
deep, | could not even turn in it.
The breathing holes were at some dis
lance below the level of the eye; in fact,
they were on level with my mouth, so
that even the miserable consolation of
peeping through them upon dimly
lighted deck was impossible. For the
same reason that the arms could not be
bent, bending the knees was alike i'm
practicable. The box was utterly dark,
and the first sensation that l began to
experience was sickening, horrible feel
ing of want of air. To be placed alive
in coffin, and to have the lid closely
screwed down over your face, would have
been no worse than this. was, in fact,
inhumed alive.
My chest began to heave with great
violence as l gasped for fresh air; the
blood rushed to my head and seemed to
threaten apoplexy, and 1 could not reach
my hand to my throbbing temples.
Meantime all remained still as the
grave on the outside-I suppose by the
| Commodore's orders. Then l thought
of men, living men, imprisoned in this
narrow house, and forgotten in the tn
mutt Of great storms at sea, or perish
| ing by slow famine in this sarcophagus,
long after the crew had deserted the
wrelched ship. Think Of Il man lying
helpless upon his face in such wooden
case, perhaps standing on his head, (for
such might be his POSITION on wreck
ed vessel. But these fearful thoughts as
to what might happen to others soon
gave way to the real horrors of my own
situation.
The suffocation occasioned by the
closeness of the air in the box produced
in me q sudden desire for water. My
}lips grew hard and dry, and my tongue
was like chip, with a sudden fever OF
unqucnchable thirst. Although l had
determined to remain as quiet rs posi-
bic, the time being so short, yet reason
itself began to play frntastic tricks. Per.
haps they had deserted me, l thought
perhaps the Commodore was practical
Joker, and, instead of few minutes
might keep me here for an hour or So
What was to prevent him? All was
still as death outside. Could they have
gone to the upper deck and left me?
| knew that these were idle surmises
but they would come, and come, ant
with increased power, too. My neck
cloth became too tight for my throat;
twas almost strangled with it, and &c
could not reach my hand TO unite it
Should l cry out? The torture and az
ony was becoming insu2portable. Th'
perspiration began to stream from ever!
= Ipore. The box became intolerabl!
close. l fancied it full Of humid vapor
= The five minutes must have elapsed Ion:
ago; the day itself must have receded
How long had the sun gone down? Wa
it dark night on deck above?
/ OF course. | cannot recall all the sen
: sations that thus took possession Of sou
and body in that brief trial Of sweat
. box. 1t was in vain to call reason t.
your aid. You could no more dismis
your thoughts at will when in such
l. lplace than you could imagine the feti'
, vapor of the box to be the fresh, breez.
y air of morning. 1t is this very con
dition of mind, to which the victim o
n this living death is brought, that form
a the principal torture of the punishment
/ And think of poor wretch compelle,
to bear this agony for twenty-four hours
even longer, without water, without food
# and without rest. Now system whic
G places in the hands OF any man, thong
o he be more humane than any officer no.
n in the United States Navy, or out Ct i
If is as revolving to think of as the sam
5 power when placed in the hands of I'll
al irresponsible keeper of the prison.
,tl Torture should never form a part
ID nriSon shin or other nnnal d,scinlina