The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-04-25
The Russian knout.

There is probably no moro terrible
instrument of punishment, or Il may
perhaps hr more properly called torture,
than the kuout IN the hands ot Rus
sian exrcutioner. To give our readers
some idea of its form, the mode of AL
ministeriug il, and It's horrible effects,
We quote the following from u reoenuy
published work. entitled The kuout
and the Russians" Conceive, reader
a robust man. full Of life and health.
This man is condemned O. receive fifty
or hundred blows If the kuout. He
is conducted, half naked, 81 the place
chosen for this kind Of execution. All
that ha has On II pair of ample linen
drawers round his cXtremltes. Has
hands are bound together, with the
palms laid flat against one another, and
the cords are breaking his wrists, but
No one paws the slightest attention 10
that. He is laid fiat upon his stomach,
on frame inclined aiagonally, and Al
the extremtties of which are fixed iron
rings; his hands are fastened to one end
Of the frame, and his feet 10 the other;
he is then stretched IN such n manner
that he cannot make "A single movement,
lust as an eel's skin is stretched in order
to dry. This act of stretching the Vie
tim causes his bones 10 crack, aud dis
locates them-but does that matter At
the distance of tiye-and.twenty PAGES
stands another man; Il Is the e'publlc
executioner. He Is dressed III black
velvet trousers, stuffed into his boots,
and colored shirt buttoning at the side.
His sleeves are tucked up, 50 that moth.
ing may thwart or embarrass him III his
movements. With both hands he grasps
the instrument Of punishment-a knout.
This knout consists OF thong Of thick
leather, cut in triangular form, from
four TO five yards long, and an inch wide,
tapering off at one end, and broad at the
other: the small eal Of which is fasten-
ell 10 a little wooden handle, about two
feet long The signal is given; no ohe
ever takes the trouble 10 read the sen
tence. The executioner advances few
steps, with his body bent, holding the
knout IN both hands, while the long
thong drags along the ground between
his legs. On coming 10 about three or
four PAGES from the prisoner, he raises,
bv vigorous movement the knOut
towards the top OF his head, and then
instantly draws It down with rapidity
towards his knees. The thong flies and
whistles through the air, and descending
on the body Of the victim, twines round
il ike a hoop OF iron. In spite Of his
state Of tension, the poor wretch bounds
as If he were submitted 30 the powerful
grasp of galvanism. The e1ecutioner
retraces his steps, and repeats the same
operation as many times as there are
blows To be inflicted Where the thongs
envelopes the body with IT'S edges, the
flesh and muscles are literally cut into
stripes, rs il with razor; but when IL
falls Hat, then the bones crack. The
flesh, in that case, is not cut, but crush
ed and ground. and the blood spurts
out in all directions. The sufferer be-
comes green aud blue, like body in a
state of decomposition. He is removed
to the hospital, where every care is taken
OF him, and is afterward sent 10 Siberia,
where he disappears for ever in the
bowels Of the earth.