The true northerner., 1872-09-06
BROKEN ON THE WHEEL.
servinn Justice-HorribIe Punishment for
Horrible Crime.

On the wheel is inflicted on criminals
except Servia, of the semi dependeac:cE
OF Turkey. In Servia they have three
methods of furnishing murdere IS, high.
way robbers, and incendiaries. - the
most aggravated cases, execution by
breaking on the wheel is inflicted. In
other cases the culprits are tied to
chairs, and the headsman runs a sharp
knife across their throats and then
breaks their spine. If there are pecu-
liar circumstances of mitigation, the
culprits are shot by file of soldiers.
One of the most revolving crimes ever
committed in Servia was the assassna-
ton of the whole family OF a wealthy
farmer named Detrestisy, near Belgrade,
the capital of Servia. Detrestisy, aged
40 years his wife Susannah, 29 years
old and his three children, Frances,
Katrina and Andreas, aged respectively
II, Q and 4 years, were found in the
house murdered. 1t was also discov-
cred that the mother and the two
daughters had been outraged. All the
victims had been beaten with bludgeons
and then stabbed.
An active search was at once made
| for the perpetrators. Two days after
ward they were discovered in a forest
! about four miles from where the crime
had been committed. They were Se-
bastulos Alexiry, formerly a non.com-
missioned officer in the army of the
Sultan of Turkey, and Moses Alexander
| Werthstein, an Austrian Jew.
Their trial before the full bench of
criminal judges came off on the llth
Of June. 1t lasted but one hour Both
were found guilty OF murder without
extenuating circumstances, and sem
fenced to be broken on the wheel.
There was loud applause in court when
the sentence was pronounced. Alexiry
listened to it without emotion. Werth.
stein, however, broke into loud screams
tore his hair and yelled for mercy.
| The officers of the court had to drag
him back to his cell.
The l4th of July was fixed for the
execution. They were to expiate their
| doom on the old glacls on the Fortress
of Belgrade, upon which Prince Eugene,
of Savoy, once made his famous assault.
The execution was to take place at s
a. m., and an enormous concourse as
sembled TO witness it. The scaffold was
circular, of wood, and the only dis.
tinctive feature about it was St. An.
drew's cross, slightly elevated above
the platform.
About halfpast Z the executioners
arrived. One was a heavy-built man,
and the other almost a giant. Both
were dressed in green flannel jackets,
and had their arms bare.
When the clock on st. Mary's steeple
at Belgrade struck s there emerged
from the gate Of the fortress process
sion headed by four horsemen. Next
followed the carriage in which the
judges and the priest were seated. AS
the procession emerged from the gate
loud shrieks were heard. They were
those of Werthstein, who, chained as
he was hand and foot, screamed to
Heaven for help. Under ordinary cir.
cumstances his appeals might have had
some effect upon the people. But
knowing the fearful crime which he and
his accomplice had committed, there
: was not voice raised in his favor, and
the soldiers were rather encouraged to
punch him with the butt ends of their
muskets.
, When the criminals had been brought
, on the platform every stitch of cloth
ing left upon Alexiry was torn off, and
, he was firmly tied to the st. Andrews
, cross. Until this moment he had pre-
served his equanimity. But now the
executioner drew from green bag a
sort of iron club, with a knob at its
head. The fastened criminal looked
wistfully at the man who was to torture
him, and then put him to death. The
executioner raised the iron club and
crushed Alexiry's right shoulder. The
murderer gave shrek, and made q
a desperate effort to free himself. He
; struggled desperately in his agony, but
2 the next blow which the executioner
5 gave Hmm the nee-pan-elicited
from the culprit a scream of pain that
caused the blood Of the spectators to
; ; freeze. After the inHiction he seemed
|. insensible, and the other blows that
crushed his joints, and the finishing
!, strokes on his belly, were given as to a
dead man.
Meanwhile, Werthstein, in his chains,
had to look on. He rent the air with
r his lamentations, and came near faint
r ing away when the executioner dealt
. Alexiry the first blow He flung him
, self to the floor and begged piteously
for his life; but, after the llteless corpse
r of Alexiry had been detached from the
r fatal cross, the Jew was dragged to it,
and, in spite of his invocation, fastened
to it like his accomplice He yelled
even before he received the first stroke
p with the iron club but when that in
strument of torture descended upon
his shoulder joint he gave an unearthly
/, scream, and the executioner's blow
f upon the kneepan made him howl still
worse.
For FIVE minutes-an eternity under
the circumstances-he continued his
wells, and it was not until the execu-
: toner gave him three heavy blows on
the abdomen that all was quiet, and
Servian justice was satisfied.
Beautiful Sentiment.