The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-01-09
JAPANESE TORTURES.
Forms o PunJshm ~ that Exceed These
of tBe Fed Devils Of the Plains.


Forms Pun,shm ~ that Exceed These
of tne Red Devils Of the Plains.
Japan Gazette.
Persons accused of murder, incendiar-
ism, robbery, and other serious and capt.
tai crimes those who are morally proved
to be guilty or whose accomplices have
confessed, but who themselves remain
mute and all those charged with offtnses
against the government, are lisble to be
subjected 20 all or any of the following
modes of torture, not, as in preliminary
examinations, in the presence of the
magistrate or judge, but in a place set
apart for the purpose, presided over by
the official tOrturer. When q person
charged with any of these crimes refuses
to plead or enters a plea of not guilty, he
is informed that torture will be employed
in his examination, and that when he
desires to explain the full extent of his
misdeing, the proper officer will attend
to record his confession. Arrived at the
prison the accused is securely handcufed
and may first be subjected to the
IsHI-zEME (THE STONE ToRTURE).
This mode of torture is identical with
the Sorobapzeme mentioned in "The
Nichi Nichi Shlnbun," as applied to
some of the Takebashi mutineers. Five
large pieces of cedar, or pine wood, tri.
angular in shape and about three feet
long, are placed upon platform, side by
side, the apexes uppermOst, and upon
them the accused Is made to kneel in q
position which exposes the front of the
lower legs to the edges of the wood. This
position, painful as it must be, is but
preliminary, for upon the sufferers
thighs are placed, one at time, pieces
of the Idsu stone, each weighing sixty
pounds Stones are slowly added until
the accused yields and makes confession
or becomes insensible.
HAKozEME (BoI ToRTURE).
The accused, bound hand and foot, is
placed in a COUGHING posture in q strongly
made box having a movable lid arranged
to fit inside the box and to be rai-ed or
depressed at pleasure. Upon the lid of
this mschine weights are slowly added
until a crushing power is acquired under
which nature must succumb.
TEMBIN-ZENE (sCALE TORTURED.
An upright triangle is prepared, from
which depend two ropes attached to a
pole, forming an inner triangle suspended
from the apex of the oher. The &C.
cused is fastened to the ropes by bis feet
and ankles, while each arm, stretched to
its fullest extent, is bound to the pole
below. While the prisoner is hanging
in this position, with head downward,
rotary motion is given to the rope in one
direction sufficient to give il force to
revolve in the other direction with great
velocity. during which the body of the
accused is beaten with bamboo poles.
MIDzU zEMU (wATER ToRTURE).
The originators of this cruel device
relied upon the torment of thirst as
more powerful than mere corporal suffer
ing. The prisoner Is for several days
confined to an extremely salt diet, with
out rice or water. When two or three
days have passed the craving for water
becomes incessant, and the sufferings of
the tortured man approach the bounds
of insanity. Efforts are then made to
obtain confession by subjecting the suf-
ferer to the agony endured by Tantalus
when in the midst of the internal lake
whose waters he could not touch. On
all sides the thirst distracted prisoner
beholds Whitewater for which he would
sacrifice everything-but which he can
not touch except upon the condition of
confession.
UTsUsU ZEME DEPRIVATION OF Sleep.
This is simply permitting the accused
person to SIT or recline upon bed upon
which water is continually dropping.
At the appearance of sleep attendants,
by means of bells, drums, fire and ether
appliances, render repose impossible; the
sufferer grows wild and disordered; his
mind wsnders, and eventually he be
comes raving and oftentimes hopeless
maniac.
KANABOKO-ZHME.
This (KamabOko) signifies "baked
fish" and is a significant title for this
mode of torture. A charcoal fire is made
in hole in the ground and covered with
q grating. The accused is then bound,
the backs of his legs and thighs are COW
cred with coating of mud or clay, and
he is placed in a sitting posture on the
grating The fire is then stimulated; the
clay dries, cracks and is replaced until
the continued heat causes it to tear
away the iBhsmed or burnt flesh. This
was considered so horrible practice that
it was abolished in 1851.
NoKUBA-zEhE (THE WOODEN HoRsB).
This inhumsn device equals in cruelty
the method just described. A wooden
horse with edged back is prepared, on
which the accused is placed in nude
state. Two executioners then seize the
arms and feet and draw the sufferer down
backw ward upon the wooden ogre. A
machine is also used for tn purpose, 6y
means of which sufficient force can be
applied to dislocate every joint, and to
iDtict an sgonizing death upon the I'M
fortunate wretch subjected to the torture
of the "Mokuba."
HI-ZENE (FIRE).
In cage OF green bamboo the accused,
bound hand and loot, is suspended with
head downward. This machine revolves
slowly in circle of charcoal fires, famed
into ferceness by the executioners.
This torture is Objectionable on account
of the sudden fatal termination to which