The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-02-12
EXECUTIONS.
Historical sketch of Various Modes
Anecdotes .f Executioners and Executed
The Victims of the GuiIlotine.

A Historical sketch of Various Modes
Anecdotes of Executioners and Executed
The Victims of the Guiliotine.
Samson very Justly observes in his
voluminous memoirs that it would be n
very difficult matter to put into a cddre
methOdigUe q history of death punish
ments. Still more SO would it be to do
so within the limits of a newspaper
article ALL therefore, that we propose
to do is briefly TO glance at those modes
which have been and are most in vogue.
The early mades of execution were bar
barous III the extreme. Among them
crucifxion end implement were the
most common. CrucifiMon prevailed
among most Eastern nations. The
Romans reserved it for low class of
criminals, and it was inflicted by the
Jews only under Roman rule. Crosses
were not usually high, but the convicts'
feet were within easy reach from the
ground. The Roman cross had pin
projecting from the middle to support
the body and keep the hands from tear
ing out. The method adopted in cruci-
fixion was for fonr soldiers to draw the
convict up with ropes and set him on the
projecting peg in the center. The arms
and feet we're then bound and nails
driven through them. Sometimes the
miserable victims fingered in agony for
two days.
Implement was the splitting of the
body on a pointed stake. This mode
fingered in Turkey until recent times
The Turks. however had variety OF
modes of punishment " Braying them
in a vast mortar used only for that pur-
pose" was the mode of death specially
reserved for muftis.
Death by the infiction of the knout
(now happily aboHshed) Is thus de-
scribed
This is kind of whip consisting of a thong
of thick leather eIIt trianguaHy, nine or ten
feet long and an inch broad. tapering to the
point and fixed to a wooden handle some two
feet long. The signal is given; the executoner
makes some steps forward. with his body bent,
holding the knout in both hands. while the
thong drags between his legs. On coming TO
about three or four PAGES Of his victim he raises
the knout vigorously above his head, and in
stantly bringing il down with rspidity toward
his knees the thong flies into the air, whistles,
descends, and clasps the body Of the sufferer as
with circle of iron The
flesh is not mashed, hut pounded, crushed the
blood rushes from all parts, the sufferer be-
comes green and blue When, says the Mar
auis de Custine, "A criminal is condemned to
more than hundred strokes of the knout, the
eYecutioner humanely kills him by striking him
q; the third blow on a mortal part. But this
was not always permitted
Another most fearful Russian punish
ment which resulted in death, was by
rods. In 1871, fearful example took
place, the victim being a serf who had
shot his lord. He was condemned to six
thousand strokes of rods Six thousand
men were ranged in parallel lines, armed
with small sticks of green wood. The
condemned WAS conducted in a cart
escorted 10y some men to the place of
punishment His hands were fastened
tightly to the mouths of two muskets
crossed to the heights Of the bayonets
with which they were armed. In this
situation the hands rested on the barrel,
and the points of the bayonets upon the
breast of the criminal. Attended by two
sub-officers, he passed slowly, with Off
GERS holding the bayonets on either side,
down the line, each soldier Deliberately
striking him as he passed. An eye
witness says
/" The execution was suspended at stroke
2,6ls, when the man Wa, taken To hospital.
seven months later be wns brought out 10 have
1t friSfcd but died at the commencement Of
execunon