Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-09-26
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BROKEN ON THE WHEEL.

BROKEN ON THE WHEEL.
There is no State in Europe in which the
barbarous punishment of breaking on the
wheel is inflicted on criminals except Servia,
one of the semi-dependencies Of Turkey. In
Servia they have three methods Of Furnishing
murderers, highway robbers and incendiaries.
In the most aggravated cases execution by
breaking on the wheel is inflicted. In other
cases the culpri.s are tied to chairs, and the
headsman runs a sharp knife across their
throats and then breaks their spine. If there
are peculiar circumstances of mitigation the
culprits are shot by a file of soldiers.
One of the most revolving crimes ever COM
mitted in Servia was the assassination of the
whole family of a wealthy farmer, named De-
trestisy, in Bialin District, about twenty miles
from Belgrade, the capital of Servia. On the
24th of April, Detristisy, man Of forty
years of age, his wife, Susannah, twenty-nine
years old, and his three children, Frances,
Kathinka and Arandeas, aged respectively
twelve, nine and four years, were found in the
house murdered. 1t was also discovered 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 tor the
perpetrators. Two days afterward they were
discovered in a forest about four miles from
where the crime had been committed. They
were Sebastulus Alexiry, formerly non-com.
missioned officer in the army of the Sultan Of
Turkey, and Moses Alexander Worthstein, an
Austrian. When they were arrested the off,
GERS found several hundred zequins and the
watch of the murdered farmer in their posses
sion. They were taken in irons to Bucharest.
Upon being brought before the examining
magistrate they denied any knowledge of the
crime, but the lash, which is there still used
upon the mendacious criminals, was not long
in eliciting confession from the tortured
Werthstein. After receiving fifty lashes on
thebare back, he confessed that Alexiry and
he had broken into the house of the farmer in
order to rob him of three hundred zequins.
They succeeded in forcing their way into the
house, but were confronted by him, whereupon
desperate scuf1e ensued. The farmer fought
valiantly, but they clubbed him, and then
finished him with their dirk knives. Alexiry
refused to confess, and remained firm under
the torture of the lash, freely administered by
order of the magistrate Both Alexiry and
Werthstein were fully committed. Their trial
before the full bench of criminal judges came
off on the 18th Of June. 1t lasted but one
hour. Both were found guilty Of murder
without extenuating circumstances, and SEN
fenced to be broken on the wheel.
There was loud applause in court when the
sentence was pronounced. Alexiry listened
to it without emotion. Werthstein, 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 14th
of July was fixed for the execution. They
were to expiate their doom on the old glacis
of the fortress Of Belgrade upon which Prince
Eugene of Savoy made once his famous assault.
The execution was to take place at A. M,
and an enormous concourse assembled to wit
ness it.
The scafold was circular, of wood, and the
only distinctive feature about it was St. An
drew's cross, slightly elevated aboye the plat
form. About halfpast seven the executioners
arrived. One was heavy-built man, and
the otner almost giant. Both were dressed
in green flannel jackets and had their arms
bare. When the clock on St. Mary's steeple
at Belgrade struck eight, there emerged from
the gate of the fortress procession 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 circumstances, 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 a
voice raised in his favor, and the soldiers we're
rather encouraged to punch him with the butt
ends of their muskets. When the criminals
had been brought on the platform every stitch
of clothing left upon Alexiry was torn off,
and he was firmly tied to the St. Andrews
cross. Until this moment he had preserved
his equanimity. But now the executioner
drew from the green bag a sort Of iron club,
with knob at its head The fastened crimi-
nal 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 desperate effort to free
himself. He struggled desperately in his ag-
c..y, but the next blow which the executioner
gave him-on the nee-pan-elicited from the
culprit scream Of pain that caused the blood
of spectators to freeze. After this infiction
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 his lamenta-
tions, and came near fainting away when the
executioner dealt Alexiry the first blow. He
flung himselfto the floor, and begged piteous-
ly for his life but, after the lfeless corpse of
Alexiry had been detached from the fatal
cross, he was dragged to it, and, in spite Of his
invocation, fastened to it like his accompllce.
He yelled even before he received the first
stroke with the iron club; but when that in
strument Of torture descended upon his shoul-
der,joint, he gave an unearthly scream, and
the executioner's blow upon his knee-pan made
him howl still worse. For five minutes-an
eternity under the circumstances contin-
ued his yells, and it was not until the execu-
toner gave him three heavy blows on the abb
domen that all was quiet, and Servan justice
was satisfied.
RAILWAY SpEED.-Fity and sixty miles
an hour for railway travel is oftener talked
about than realized. A speed of sixty miles
an hour for regular passenger train has
never been attempted, except in one instance,
and that on wide seven-toot guage in Eng
land. This rapid speed pleased travellers
very much, and many willingly paid the
large extra charge for being shot along over
the ground at rate so great as to render the
way stations of the accommodation trains al
most invisible But the railway company