The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-01-19
The Torture Chamber In the Ratll House
nj RMtisIOr.
ICharles d. Warner. I'm Hartford Courantl

LCharles d. Warner. In Hartford Courantl
Passing through several narrow pas
sages, closed by stout doors, we came
to the torture chamber, where the i'm
plcments Of persuasion OF the Inquisi-
ton or of private tyranny are still pre-
served. Outside the entrance of the
narrow chamber Is u bench upon which
the victim was seated In order that
he might reflect whether he
would confess before torture or
after. One side Of the room is a
lattice screen, behind which the
secretary sat at q table to take down
any exclamation wrung from the suf-
fercr. Within are seats for the Judge
and surgeon, who attended from motives
OF inhumanity i'm order that the victim
should not be too soon released from
his sufferings by death. The room looks
like the lumber room attached to u far
mer's woodshed, or rather like cheaply-
fitted-up gymnasium. At one end is u
pillory, with an iron band for the neck, >.
that once stood in the public square
Laying on it were two pieces Of board
two feet long, each pierced with three
round holes, one for the neck and one
for each wrist They were put
said my guide, upon base women. Two
of them, yoked with this insignia of
their disgrace, were coupled together
and let go in the street, a warning to all
frail and imperfect beings Of their sex.
saw no such badges for men. One Of
the instruments used TO teach men the
beauty of holiness was u ladder, the
rounds Of which are sharplly-triangtllar
sticks of wood which revolve. The re-
cusant was drawn up and down this lad
der by pulley, his back abraded by the
revolving prisms Of wood. Another ma
,l; 10 efr .t t,h
condemned was laid, his feet fastened to
one end and his arms tied to q rope
which passed over. windlass. Under
his back was a roller armed with blunt
spikes, over which his vertebrH were
drawn backward and forward. The
playful nquisitors called this machine
the 'larded hare" There is also II
frame. with windlass and crane, for
holding man up by his arms. Two
big stones, which weigh over 100 pounds
each, were tied to his feet, and when he
was drawn up to the ceiling he was
suddenly let drop, and the jerk would
dislocate every socket: Sometimes MS
feet were secured to rings i'm the floor,
and he was drawn up till all his
Joints cracked. The stone weights
were also used in different way. There
is chair called the Maiden's s Lap"
the seat of which is studded with Q hun
dred pins the victim sat on this with
the stone weights in his lap. "The
Spanish ASS is a simple board fifteen
inches wide, set upright in standard.
The upper end Is sharpcned. Upon this
the patient sat astride with the big
stones attached to his feet, On one side
of the room is recess in the thick wall,
before it is u screen of masonary with q
fire place in it. The condemned stood
in the recess, which has no opening
above, and was slowly or quickly
suffocated or roasted by the
smoke and heat. Any New
England boy who has been properly
brought up on Fox's Book of Martyrs
understands all about the rack and the
thumb screw and the regular appliances
Of torture. But | confess until | saw
these machines that l had no idea OF
the devilish ingenuity Of the old mas
ters. What especially impresses you
about their instruments is that they are
intended to hurt. They are rude, un-
polished, the chamber is mean, 1t is not
even mysterious; the whole thing is vul-
gar and disgusting.
It is asserted by the Brooklyn Argus
that Boston people still mourn the fact
that the capstone of the Bunker Hill
monument was purchased with money
procured through the genius OF Fanny
Ellsler's legs. II this is the case, Bos-
ton should get even and discharge the