The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1875-03-05
EXECUTIONS.

EXECUTIONS.
A Historical sketch of Various Modes
Anecdotes of ExecutiOners and Executed
The Victims of the GsuiI1otine.
Samson very justly observes in his
voluminous memoirs that it would be a
very difficult matter to put into cadre
TnethOdaque history of death punish
ments. Still more SO would it be to do
so within the limits of 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 modes of execution were bar
barous in the extreme. Among them
crucitixiOn and implement We're the
most common. Crucifxion 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 q pin
projecting from the middle to support
the body and keep the hands from tear
ing out. The method adopted in cr1ci-
6xion was for four soldiers to draw the
convict up with ropes and set him on the
projecting peg in the center. The arms
and feet were then bound and nails
driven through them. Sometimes the.
miserable victims fingered in agony for
two days
body on q pointed stake. This mode
fingered in Turkey until recent times.
The Turks, however, had variety of
modes of punishment. '' Braying them
in vast mortar used only for that pur-
pose," was the mode of death specially
reserved for muftis.
Death by the infection of the knout
(now happily abolisheO is thus de-
sc1ibed
This is kind of whip. consisting of a thong
Of thick leather cut tiangularly, nine or ten
feet long and an inch broad, tapering to the
point and fixed to wooden handle some two
feet long. The signal is given the executioner
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 l, Snout m Vigorously above his head, and in,
his knees the thong flies into the air, whistles,
descends, and clasps the body of the sufferer as
with circle of iron. The
desh is not mashed, but pounded crushed the
blood rushes from ali parts, the sufferer be-
comes green and blue. When, says the Mar
quis de Custine, q criminal is condemned to
executoner humansly kills him by striking him
1t the third blow on q 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 by 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-oficers, 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, 619, when the man was taken to hospital
Seven months later he was brought out to have
it finished, but died ut the commencement OF
execution"
In the Horleian Miscellany there is q
curious Sc true relation of the bloody ex.
ecution lately performed by the com
mandment of the Emperor's Majesty
| upon the persons of some chief statesmen
and others in Prague, IL June, 1921"
Nearly all the condemned were men of higI
| degree. First of all came the Earl of schlicR
he stretched forth his neck, holding up his
head, which the executioner struck OF with grea
dexterity and nimbleness. An unfortunate Dr.
Jessenius underwent an unexceptionally dread
| ful punishment. Coming to the scaffold las
| of all, the executioner took him presently anG
tied his hands upon his hack, and then, Sitting
down upon his knees, black cloth being laiG
open under him. he still calling upon the name
| of God, when the executioner, with little pail
pincers pulled out his tongue and cut it OF witt
knife and theTenPon presently after h
tions (there we're twenty -four) were performed
! by the executioneer OF Prague with four swords
Decapitation by the ak hourisheG
especially in the seventh century, and IL
France was mostly in vogue under Richie
lieu. But hanging was the punishment
for inferior crimes up to the appearance
of the guillotine. The most notable
| decapitations In England may be said t<
| have taken place under the Stuarts.
Raleigh behaved with extzaordinar,
coolness and dignity on the scaffold. H,
! asked for the ak, and when there was
delay in producing it, added, s. prithe,
let me see it dost thou think that I an
afraid of it. He passed the edge lightl,
over his finger, and smiling, observed Il
the Sheriff, g this q sharp medicine, bu
a sound cure for all diseases. or wordI
/ ~ Hk1kt4 C4AeS&e
i No record of SO dreadful beheadins
i has come down as that of his Grace thu
Duke of Monmouth, IN 1885,. The Duk,
gave the exscutioneE q handsome fee
with reiterated njnnctions to dispatcl
him at once, but the maal-the renowned
Jack Ketch had on this occasion omit,
lost his nerve, and only severed the heal
after repeated hacking
It was not until the time of Charle
III. that Temple Bar was selected for tn,
ghastIy exhibition of dead bodies ant
1 quarters. Sir Thomas Armstrong's re
i mains are stated to have been the frs
i exhibited there, In january, 1884 Hor
ace WalpoIe says that In August, 1746
he passed under the new heads-for th.
old ones remained there for years.
| Temple Bar, where the people made
trade of letting spyglasses at penny
look.
In the seventeenth century an execu
tion would seem 10 have been quite
popular sight, even with very humans
persons. Evelyn took an interest i
i them.
At executions, /" Cat Rome1 he writes
i In 1645. g saw one, 8 gentleman, hange,
8 in his cloak and hat, for murder. The,