The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-04-16
The Strappado.

tAS NNA"p1"NNSs
In his admirable work on the middle
ages, NJ. Paul Lacroix mentions several
modes of execution, the cruelty of which
makes us shudder The condemned
were subjected to unhcard-of torturcs,
depending upon tho caprice OF t. mag
istrates and the executioncrs. For ex-
ample, they placed boiling hot eggs
under their victims arms, attached
burning wax candles to their hands, ran
thorns and sharp ishboncs into the
flesh, etc.
One can easily comprehend, in the
presence OF such refined cruelty, that
hanging should sometimes be consid.
cred n veritable favor. 1t was a real
mercy, in fact, to be put to death quick
fer the torturcs invented by the dis
eascd imagiuations of the official butch
ers. This explains, in measure at
least, an engraving of 1890, which re.
presents hanging accompanied by mu'
sic. A murderer, sentenced to die by
the cord, obtained permission, 1t would
seem, to be accompanied to the place
of execution by one of his friends, who
played the bag-pipe, not only on the
way thithor, but even on the ga!lows
itself. The condemned man eXpiated
his crime, therefore, to tho joyous
sounds of his favorite instrument,
thanking his stars, no doubt, that he
got off so cheaply.
Indeed, he might have been CON
demnC d.. in common with SO many
others, to be put to death by some OF
the barbarous modes of execution then
practised-the strappado, for example,
which was one of the more revolving.
The accused, half nude, had his hands
tied behind him with small cord,
which two men, one at each end, drew
us tightly as their strength would admit.
Another and somewhat larger cord was
ii d under the victims arm, while the
other end was passed up over grooved
wheel and then down to II windlass.
At the foot of the subject weight of
two hundred and fifty pounds was at
tached.
At his command, the magistrates aids
turned the windlass, raising the victim
up to the ceiling OF the room, then they
let him fall, foot or SO at time, until
he reached the floor. Each shock,
which generally resulted in dislocating
the arm, of course, added to the
wretch's agony.
This terrible torture was practiscd
for long time at Orleans, France
What made it still more horrible thar
it perhaps otherwise would have beer
was the fact that not only those whc
had been tried and found guilty, bu
the accused also, were subjected to it
1t was called the question eXtraordi
nairc. Singular mode of iatorrogatint
people, certainly 1t was the duty o
the magistrate, before whom the case
had been brought, to he present at the
savage ceremony, and listen to the con
fession the unfortunate, innocent OF
guilty, was compelled to make. Whcl
the clerk had taken every thing down
the accused, moro dead than alive, was
unbound. The prelude was now ter
minated, and it only remained, if the
subject was already condemned, to en-,
his agony, which was usually done b,
decapitation but, as we have init
mated, the condition of the subject, af
ter having been subjected to the tor
lures of the strappado, was such tina
death was boon.
Tho physical suffering we have de
scribCd was not always the only suffer
ing the accused was compelled TO en-
durc. In manual for the use of tn
magistrates of those times, written b
one Damboudere, they are strongly aC
viscd, when the torture is to be apple
to several persons, to begin with thoS
who are most Ii ely to confess. If
father and son, for example, were to |
subjected to the torture, the manui
recommends the torturing of the SO
first ; for, says the writer, " the fatho
will feel for the son more keenly tina
for himself.