Connecticut western news., 1872-05-17
The BaStiHadO.

l saw man DaSG1naQOeu 1n IufkeY. I had heard much of this, punishment existing only in the East, but had never seen it inflicted before, and I fervently hope never shall see it again. I found the little Governor standing at one end of the large hall of entrance, munching, and trying cases. A crowd was gathered around, and before him was poor Arab, pleading and beseeching most piteously, while the big tears were rolling down his cheeks. Near him was man whose res olute and somewhat angry expression marked him as the accuser, seeking ven- geance rather than justice.
 Suddenly the Governor made gentle movement with his hand; all noise ceased all stretched their necks and turned their eager eyes toward him the accused cut short his crying, and stood with his mouth wide open, and his eyes fixed upon the Governor. The latter spoke few words in very low voice, of course unintelligible to me, and indeed scarcely audible but they seemed to fall upon the quick ears of the culprit like bolts of thunder. The agony of suspense was over, and without word or look, he laid himself down on his face at the feet of the Governor. A space was im- mediately cleared around a man on each side took him by the hand, and stretching out his arms, kneeled upon and held them down, while another seated himself across his neck and shoulders. Thus nailed to the ground, the poor fel- low, knowing now that there was no pos sible chance of escape, threw up his feet from the knee joint, so as to present the soles in horizontal position. Two men came forward with pair of long, stout bars of wood, attached together by cord, between which they placed the feet, drawing them together with the cord, to fix them iu their horizontal position, and leave the whole fiat surface exposed to the full force of the blow. In the mean time, two strong Turks were standing ready, one at each side, armed with long whips, much resembling our own com. mon cow-skin, but longer and thicker, and made of the tough hide of the hip popotamus.
 My sensiblities are not particularly acute, but they yielded in this instance I had watched all the preliminary ar engagements, nerving myself for what was to come; but when heard the scourgt whizzing through the air, and when the first blow fell upon the naked feet, saw the convulsive movemements of the body and heard the first loud, piercing shriek I could stand it no longer I broke through the crowd, forgetting everything except the agonizing sounds from whicl I was escaping but the Janizary follow
 ed close at my heels, and, laying his hant
 upon my arm, hauled me back to be
 witness of the administration of Turkisl
 justice. If I had consulted merely tn
 impulse of feeling, should have con
 signed him and the Governor and tn
 whole nation of Turks to the lower re
 gions. But it was all important not t.
 offend this summary disposer of justice
 and I never made greater sacrifice o
 feeling to expediency than when I re
 entered his presence. The shrieks 0
 the unhappy criminal were ringin,
 through the chamber, but the Governo received me with as calm smile as if h. had been sitting on his own divan, listen
 ing only to the strains of some pleasan music, while stood with my teeth clench ed ard felt the hot breath of the victin and heard the whizzing of the accurse'
 whip as it fell again and again upon hi bleeding feet. I have heard men cry ou in agony-when the sea was raging, an, the drowning man for the last time, upol the mountain waves, turned his implor
 ing look toward us and, with his dyin breath, called in vain for help-but never heard such heart-rending sound : as those from the poor bastinadoe wretch before me.
 The poor scourged wretch was silent He had found relief iu happy insensibili ty. cast one look upon the senseles body, and saw the feet laid open in gash es, and the blood streaming down tn legs. At that moment the bars wer taken away, and the mangled feet fe. ] like lead upon the floor. had to wor my way through the crowd, and befor I could escape, saw the poor fellow re vive, and, by the first natural impulse rise upon his feet, but fall again, as if h had stepped upon red.hot irons. H : crawled upon his hands and knees to tn door of the hall, and here I rejoiced t see that-miserable, and poor, and de graded as he was-he yet had friend
 whose hearts yearned toward hiru. The took him in their arms, and carried mir
 away.
 Such is the bastinado. And of tn
 intenseness of the agony which it's infic tion produces, one has only to think o
 the congeries or plexus of delicate nerve
 which have their terminus in the feet
 Even " tickling the soles of the feet Ina often produced death what then mus be the excruciating pain when cruel vic
 lence is done to these most sensitive mem
 bers ?-Foreig,, Correspondence.