New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-08-04
rhe rurkinh Rastlnado.

,,-n;A nt, existing only in the East, but
~ ,.oI,or seen il inflicted before, and
ferventIv hope shall never see 1t again.
found the little governor standing at one
end of the large hall Of entrance, muneh-
inc. and trying causes. a crown was gatn-
cred around, and before MIN was PS Hot
Arab. pleading and beseechlng most plVe-
ouslv. while the big tears were roIhngdoWh
his cheeks. Near him was man whose
rasolute and somewhat angry expression
1srLad him as the aecuser, seeking ven
geanee rather than justice. ,.
Suddenly the governor maze q genIIe
movement with his hand all NOISE GeAseG,
all stretched their necks ana lurneu suoIL
eager ewes toward him; the accused cub
short his CRYING, and stood with ms moutn
wide open, and his eyes fixed upon the
Governor The latter spoke rev Wor0e
in a very low voice, to me, OF course, IN
INELIGIBLE, and indeed scarcely audlole'
but they seemed te fall upon the quick SSts
of the culprit like bolts OF thunder Aue
agony of suspense was over, anu WL.u lIe
a work or look he laid himself down on
his face at the feet of the governor. A
space was immediately cleared around, q
man on each side took him by the hand,
and, stretching out his arms, kneeled upon
and held them down, while another seate0
himself across his back and shoulders.
Tins nailed to the ground. the poor
no possible chance of escape, threw up his
feet from the. knee-jOInt, so as to present
tire suIes in horizontal position. Two men
came forward with a pair OF long, stout
bars of wood, attached together by D coro'
between which they placed the feet, draw
ing them together with the cora, 10 nX Ih6Nh
in their horizontal position, and leave the
whole fat surface exposed to the full force
of the blow. In the meantime two strohg
Turks were standing ready, one at each
side, armed with long whips, much resem-
bling our common cUw-skin, but longer ana
thicker, and made of the tous h hide OF the
hippopOtamus While the occupation OF
the fudge was suspended by these pre-
parations, the january had presented the
American cODsul's letter.
. NV sensibilitics are not particularly
acute, but they yielded in this instance l
had watched ali thee preliminary arrange
ments, nerving myself for what was to
come; but when l heard the scOurge whlz-
ling through the air, and when the arst
blow fell upon the naked feet, saw the con-
yulsiye movements of the body, and heard
the first loud, piercing shrek, | could stand
it no longer. | broke through the crowd,
forgetting the governor, and everything
else, except the agOnizlng sounds from
which l was escaping; but the january t0i-
lowed close at my heels, and, laying ms
hand upon my arm, hauled me back 70 the
-
ten of Turkish justice. If had Consulted
merely the impulse Of feeling, IshOuld have
consigned him and the governor and the
whole nation of Turks to the lower regions.
But it was all important not to offend this
summary dispOser OF justice, and never
made q greater sacrifice of feeling to eX-
pedieney Than when l re-entered his pres
ence. The shrieks OF the unhappy criminal
we're ringing through the chamber, but the
governor received me with as calm smile
as if he had been sitting on his diVan, listen
ing only to the strains of some pleasant
music, while | stood with my teeth clinched
and felt the hot breath of the victim, and
felt the hot breath of the victim, and heard
the whizzing of the accursed whip as 1t fell
again and again upon his bleeding feet.
have heard men cry out in agOTy y, when
the sea was raging, and the drowning man,
for the last time upon the mountain waves,
turned his implOring look toward us, and
v it'll his dying breath, called in vain for
help-but never heard such heartrending
sounds as those from the poor bastinadOed
wretch before me-
/ thought the governor would never make
an end Of reading the letter, when the
scribe handed it to him for his signature,
it contained but half dozen
lines; he fumbled in his pocket tor his seal,
and dipped it in the ink; the impression did
not suit him, and he made another; and,
employed in folding it, handed it to me with
a most gracious smile. am sure grinned
horribly in return. and, almost snatching
the letter, just as the last blow fell, turned
to hasten from the scene.
The poor scourged wretch was silent.
He had found relief in happy insensi-
biity. / cast one look upon the sense
less body, and saw the feet laid open
in gashes, and. the blood streaming
down. the legs. At that moment
the bars were taken away, and the
feet fell like lead upon the floor. /
had to work my way through the crowd,
and before l could escape / saw the poor
fellow revive, and, by the first natural i'm
pulse, rise upon his feet, but fall again, as
if he had stepped upon red-hot irons. He
Crawled upon his hands and knees to the
door of the hall, and here rejOiced to see
Uncomfortable and poor and degraded as
he was-he yet had friends whose hearts
yearned toward him. They took him in
their arms and carried him away.
Such is the bastinadO. And of the in
of the agony which its inhictiOD
produces, one has only to think Of the con
geries OF plexus of delicate nerves which
have their terminus in tho feet. Even
Tickling" the soles of the feet has often
produced death; what, then, must be the
exeruciatiDg pain when cruel violence Is
zone to these most sensitive members