The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1872-09-06
BROKEN ON THE WHEEL.



There is no State in Europe in which
the barbarous punishment of break ing
on the wheel is inflicted on criminals
except Servia, of the semi dependencies
OF Turkey. In Servia they have three
methods Of Furnishing murderers, high.
way robbers, and incendiaries. In 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 Threats 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 assassi ma.
ton Of the whole family of wealthy
farmer named Detrestisy, near Belgrade,
the capital Of Servia. Detrestisy, aged
As years his wife Susannah, 80 years
old and his three children, Frances,
Katrina and Andreas, aged respectively
IL, . and 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 tour miles from where the crime
had been committed. They were Sc.
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 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. 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 glacis on the Fortress
of Belgrade, upon which Prince Eugene,
OF Savoy, once made his famous assault.
The execution was to take place at 8
a. H., and an enormous concourse as.
sembled to witness it. The scatiold was
circular, of wood, and the only dis.
tinctive feature about it was ST. An.
drcw's cross, slightly elevated above
the platform.
About halfpast 7 the executioners
arrived. One was 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 a 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 of, and
he was firmly tied to the st. Andrews
cross. Until this moment he had pre-.
served his equanimity. But now the
drew from a green bag
sort of iron club, with q knob at its
head. The fastened criminal looked
wistfully at the man who was to torture
him, and then put him to death. The
raised the iron club and
crushed Alexiry's right shoulder. The
gave a shrek, and made a
desperate effort to free himself. He
struggled desperately in his agony, but
the next blow which the executioner
gave HMM the knee-pan-elicited
from the culprit scream of pain that
caused the blood of the spectators to
freeze. After the inhiction he seemed
and the other blows that
crushed his joints, and the finishing
strokes on his belly, were given as to
dead man.
Meanwhile, Werthstein, in his chains,
had to look on. He rent the air with
his lamentations, and came near faint
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 Iifeless corpse
of Alexiry had been detached from the
fatal cross, the Jew was dragged to it,
and, in spite of his invocation, fastened
to il like his accomplice. He yelled
even before he received the first stroke
with the iron club; but when that in.
strument of torture descended upon
his shoulder joint he gave an unearthly
scream, and the executioners blow