Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-01-04

Dark CeII-Aneatfng Stateme ent q I
Tortured Girl-The TOrmentOrs
brought 30 Jusfice.
Recent disclosures concerning the
management of the North German
criminal prison at Butzow show that the
unfortunate prisoners have been treated
with almost appalling barbarity by the
warden, Louis Bassewitz, and his mis-
tress, louisa Rasoh, the matron of the
female department. Not only have men
been hogged there aud subjected to all
sorts of other TEXTURES, worthy of the
6endish ingenuity Of an Apache chief,
but delicate women have been whipped
upon the most futile pretexts. Such
was the terror which the threats of Bas-
sewitz and Nj lie Rasch struck into the
hearts of the poor victims, that few or
none of them ventured to prefer com
plants against their inhuman torment
ors, and but for the courage of spirited
French girl, who was sent to Butzow at
the instance of her jealous mistress on a
charge of having stolen a valuable
shawl, to this day the horrors of the
North German bastile might have re.
NAMED unknown. The revelations which
Alice Bernard, the French girl. made
after her release from confinement, led
to an official investigation. She showed
the investigating officials the indelible
marks of numerous floggings which she
had received from Bassewitz, who had
semetimes administered to her forty
blows on the bare back with a rattan
half an inch thick.
Painful as these hoggings must have
been Alice Bernard said the suffering
caused thereby was slight in comparison
with the exquisite torture of the rod
with which Madame Rasche had FREE
ouently belabored her bare limbs upon
the most insignificant violations OF the
rigid prison discipline. The rod itself
was nearly four pounds in weight, and
consisted of innumsrable small birch
twigs, held together by an iron band;
Nine. inasch, q powerful woman, had
often given her female victims fifty
strokes with this terrible rod, and when
the indescribable pain, as the latter de-
scended on her bare hips, irresistibly
wrested agoni2ing screams from her the
severity of the punishment was IN
creased by the harridan, who seemed to
be inflriated by the cries of the helpless
sufferer. Had | not, exclaimed Al
ice, been upheld by the sense OF my
innocence and the stern desire to avenge
my wrongs by bringing to justice that
man and matron, ! would have dashed
nv brains out after being four or five
hours within the walls of the prison. l
was sent here for one year on charge
of larceny, which has since been proved
to be entirely without foundation. After
my arrival here l was immediately
turned over TO Nine. Raseh, who pushed
me into small, dark room, i'll the mid
die Of which stood a curiously shaped
wooden armchair. She rudely pressed
me into it, and with leather strips fas-
tened my legs and arms to it.
!, l was so frightened that my heart
beat audibly. She then pulled my hair
down, and did it so careiessiy that she
hurt me. uttered faint cry, where
upon she struck me in the face. may
have struggled bit to free my hand IS;
this sseemed TO enrage the matron greatly.
She almost Missed out, Wait, you
hussy, you shall catch it for this. F" She
then quietly cut of my hair, until my
head was almost bald / could not help
crying. She then ordered me to strip
off nv clothes, and when had done so,
she suddenly pushed me toward q door
covered with linen curtain. 1t was
the bath room, and / fell hard into the
cold water, hurting myself severely
AGAINST the wooden steps. The matron
then pulled me out OF the bath, and
rubbed me off with a coarse hempen
towel. Without saying q word, she
pushed ie to the wall, and fastened my
hands and my feet in two iron rings IN
the wall and Aoor. was petrihed with
terror, not knowing what new horror
was in store for me. ] was shlverng
with cold, my skin having been but par
tally dried, Madame Rasch went into
an adjoining room and returned with
that rod. Bsfare ] had recovered from
the fear with which that terrible instru-
ment filled me, the matrou began beat
ing me with It on tbeback and hips. On,
I never experienced such dreadful pain
infmy life, and / broke into loud cries
az despair. But she did not desist, ny
agony seemed to lend additional strength
to her arms, and / tainted away, unable
to bear the torture. ,
How long she beat me after ] fell into
swOon ] cannot eel. When j awoke
/ was dripping wet. The matron
had brown a pail Of cold water over me
/ vas i.uost deiigious when she began
ID rus my smGrtinE skiE anew With ihe
coarse towel, and cried again, but the
6erce threat Of further birching .sileneed
NV voice. The mairon said that, hav-
f6e shown 50 obstrepefous a spirit she
w6nid lock ne up Cor tWenisfOnr hours
!. fhe 1ark eel. After hsd put oa the