Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-10-01
The rurkish Bastinado.

" The Turkish BasfinadO.
/ had heard much of the bastinado, {
/ punishment existing only in the East
but | had never seenlit inflicted before
and | feryently hopeI shall never see II
again. | found the little governor stand.
ing at one end Of the large hall of en-.
1 trance munching and trying causes. A
crowd was gathered around, and before
him was poor Arab, pleading and
beseeching most piteously, while the
tears were rolling down his cheeks
Near him was a man, whose resolute and
somewhat angry expression marked
him as the accuser, seeking vengeance
rather than justice. 500 sam8i. i.
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 mouthiwide open, and his eyes
fixed upon the governor. The latter
spoke few words in very low voice,
to me of course unintelbgible, and in.
indeed, scarcely audible ;but they seemed
to fall upon the quick ears of the culprit
like bolts of thunder. The agony of the
suspense was ever, and, without word
or look, he laid himself down on his
face at the feet of the governor. A
space was immediately cleared around, a
man on each side took him by the hand,
and, stretching out his hands, kneeled
upon and held them down, while another
seated himself across his neck and shoul-
derss Thus nailed to the ground, the
poor fellow, knowing now that there was
no possible chance of escape, threw up
his feet from the knee joint, so as to pre-
sent the soles in horizontal position
Two men came forward with pair Of
long, stout bars Of wood attached to-
gether by piece of cord, between which
they placed the feet, drawing them to-
gether with the cord, to fix them in their
horizontal position, and leave the whole
fiat surface exposed to the full force OF
the blow. In the meantime two strong
Turks we're standing ready, one at each
side, armed with long whips, much re-
sembling our common COW skin, but
longer and thicker, and made of the
thick hide of the hippopotamus. While
the occupation of the Judge was sus-
pended by these preparations, the jani-
zary had presented the .:rnrican Con-
| sui s letter. 6ta .s.r,r f.lfsI resiai
My sensibilities are not particularly
acute, but they yielded in this instance.
| had watched all the preliminary ar
rangements, nerving myself for what
was to come; but, when / heard the
scourge whizzing through the air, and
when the first blow fell-upon the naked
feet, saw the eonvulsive movements Of
the body and heard the first, loud
piercing shrek, could stand it no
longer; / broke through the crowd, for
getting the governor and everything
else, except the agonizing sounds from
which was escaping; but the january
followed close at my heels, and, laying
his hand upon my arm, hauled me back
to the governor to be a witness of the
administration of Turkish justice. II
/ had consulted merely the impulse OF
feeling, / should have consigned him
and the governor aud the whole nation
Of Turks to the lower regions. But it
was all important not to offend this sum
mary disposer of justice; and l never
made greater sacrifice of feeling to
expediency than when re.entered his
presence. The shrieks Of the unhappy
criminal we're ringing through the cham
Der, but the governor received me with
as calm smile as if he had been sitting
on his own divan, listening only to the
strains Of some pleasant music, while /
stood with my teeth clinched, and felt
the hot breath of the victim, and heard
the whizzing Of the accursed whip as it
fell again and again upon his bleeding
feet. have heard men cry ont in
agony-when the sea was raging and
the drowning man, for the last time,
upon the mountain waves, turned his
imploring look toward us, and, with his
dying breath, called in vain for help
but never heard such heartrending
sounds as those from the poor bastina-
doed wretch before me. s-ir 1sll
l thought the governor would never
make an end of reading the letter when
the scribe handed it to him for his sigma.
ture, although it contained but half
dozen lines. he fumhled in his pocket
for his seal, and dipped it in the ink; the
impression did not suit him, and he made
another; and, after a delay that seemed
to me eternal, employed in folding it,
handed it to me with a most gracious
smile. l am sure I grinned horribly in
return, and, almost snatohing the letter,
Just as the last blow fell, ! turned to
hasten from the scene,
The poor scouTged wretch was silent |
He had found relief in happy iusensibil-
iy. | cast one look upon the senseless
body, and saw the feet laid open in |
gashes and the blood streaming down |
the legs. At that moment the bars we're |
taken away, and the mangled feet fell |
like lead upon the floor.
l had to work my way through the |
crowd, and, before | could escape, saw |
the poor fellow revive, and, by the first
natural impulse, rise upon his feet, bat |
fall again as IL he had stepped upon
red-hot irons. he dcrawled upon his |
hands and knees to the door Of the han,
and here / rejoieed to see that--misera-
bic, and poor, and degraded as he was
he yet had friends whose hearts yearned |
toward him, a They took him in their |
arms and carried him away.
Such Is the hsstinado. And of the
intepseness Of the agony which its in
aiction produces, one has only to think
of the congeries or plexus Of delicate
nerves which have their terminus in the \
feet. Even tickling the soles of the |
feet has often produced death; what,
then, must be the excruciating pain /
when cruel violence is done 20 these /