The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-03-19

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But I say saw these iron arguments
our fathers used to use. ! saw there the
thumb-screw-two little innocent look
ing pieces Of iron, armed Oh the inner
surface with protuberances to prevent
their slipping and when some man
denied the efficacy Of baptism, or may
be said, Il dO not believe that the
whale ever swallowed u man to keep
him from drowning" then they pui
these pieces Of iron upon his thumbs.
and there vas . screw ut each end.
and then in the name Of love and for
eiveness they began screwing these
pieces Of iron together. A greai
many men. when they commenced.
would say. 81 recant." l expect l
would have been one Of theG..
(Laughser.] would have said. Now
you Just stop that; I will admit any.
thing on earth that you want.
[Iaughter.] IL will admit there is
one God or million, one hell or a
billion; suit yoc selves, but stop
that" Laughter. But want To
SAY, the lhumb-screw having got out
Of the way, am going to have my
say:
There vas now and then some man
who wouldn't turn Judas IscariOt L"
his own soul; there was now and then
q man willing to die for his conviction,
and If it were not for such men we
would be savages tonight. Had 1t
not been for y few brave and heroic
souls in every age. we would have
been naked sayages this moment. with
pictures of wild beasts tattoOed upon
our naked breasts, dancing around a
dried snake fetish and tonight
thank every good and noble man who
stood up in the face Of opposition and
hatred, and death. for what he believed
to be right. And then they screwed
this thumb screw down as far as they
could and threw him into some dun
eeon. where in throbbing misery and
the darkness Of night. he dreams OF
the damned and that was done in the
name of universal love. / saw there
ut the same time what they called the
'collar of torture" Imagine q circle
of iron, and ON the inside Of that more
than q hundred points rs sharp u
needles; this being fastened upon thu
throat. the sufferer could not SIT down
he could not walk, he could not still
without being puncture,i by thes'
needles, and in little while thu
throat would begin to swell, an6
finally suflocation would end TIL
agonies of that man, when may he lh'
only crime he hal committed WAS 4
say With tears upon his sublime cheeks
II do not believe that God, the fathe
of rs all. will damn to eternal punish
ment any Of the children Of men.
l(Applause.1 Think Of it! And l saw
there at the same time another instru
ment, called the ''scavengers daugh
ter" which resembled . pair Of shears
with handles where handles ought 4
be, but at the point as well. An'
lust above the pivots that fasten th
blade q circle Of iron, through whic'
the hands would be placed, into tn
lower circles the feet, and into tn
centre circle the head would be pushed
and in that position he would b
thrown prone upon the earth, AM
kept there until the strain upon tn
} muscles produced such agony tina
insanity and death would end his pain
And this was done in the name o
"Whosoever smiteth thee upon on
cheek turn him the other also" Thin
of It! And l saw also the rack, viii
} the windlass and chains, upon whic
the sufferer was laid. About hi
ankles were fastened chains. and abou
his wrists also. and then priests begal
turning this windlass. and they KEEP
, turning until the ankles. the shoulder
and the wrists were all dislocated, am
the sufferer was wet with the sweat Q
agony. And they have standing BY
physician to feel his pulse. What for
to save his life! Yes, What for
In mercy? No. Simply that the
might preserve his life that the
might rack him once again. And thi
was done, recollect it i; it was lone i
the name Of civilization it was don
in the name of law and order; it va
done in the name Of mortality; it wa
} done in the name of religion it va
done in the name of God. Sometime
: when get to reading about it, an,
when l get to thinking about it,
seems to me that l have suffered al
these horrors myself; as though l ha'
stood upon the shores Of exile an
gazed with . tear-filled eve towar'
home and native land as though m,
nails had been torn from my hands
and into my throat the sharp needle
had been thrust; - though my fee
had been crushed in iron boots; a
though had been chained in the cell
of the iuquisition, and had watcher
and waited in the interminable dark
; ness to hear the words Of release /; q
though I had been taken from m.
6resi]e. my wife and children. an,
taken to the public square. chained
and fagots had been piled around me
les though the flames had playe'
arovnd my limbs and scorched tn
sight from my eyes; Is though m.
ashes had been scattered TO the fOu
winds by the hands Of hatred ; q
though I had stood upon the sca6ol'
land felt the glittering axe fall upo'
me. And while sec and feel oil this
I swear that while / live l will d
what little can to augment the ibert,
Of man, woman and child. Applause.
Ny friends, it d all . question o
sense it u al . question Of honesty
| IL there Is q man in this house who ]
not willing 70 give 20 everybody els