Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-03-28
JAPANESE TORTURE.
How Criminals I'm Japan are Baked,
Burned, Mangled and Bitten By
snakes.

How Criminals In Japan are BaAeos
Burned, MangIed and Bitten by
Snakes.
IsHI-ZENE (THE STONE TORTUSL.(
THIS mode of torture is Identical
with the SorOban-zeme mentioned In the
Nichi Nichi Shinbun as applied TO some
of the Takekashi mutineers- FlVe
| large pieces of cedar or pine Woou'
! triangular in shape and ABOUT three
feet long. are placed upon platform,
side by side, with the apexeS upper
most. and upon them the accused is
made TO kneel in a position which ex-
poses the front of the lower legs to the
edges of the wood. This position,
painful as it must be, is but the prelim-
mary, for upon the sufferer s thighs are
placed, one at a time, pieces Of the
Isdu stone, each weighing sixty pounds.
Stones are slowly added until the ac-
cused Yields and makes confession, or
becomes insensible.
HAKo-zEME (BoX-TORTURE.)
The accused, bound hand and foot,
is placed in a crouching posture IN
strongly-made box, having a movable
/ lid arranged to fit inside the box, and
to be raised or depressed at pleasure.
| Upou the lid Of this machine weights
are slowly added until crushing
| mower Is ACQUIRED, under which Nature
must succUmb.
TEMBTN-ZEME SCALE TORTURE.)
An upright triangle is prepared, from
which depend two ropes attached to a
pole, forming an inner triangle sus-
pended from the apex of the other.
The accused is fastened to the ropes by
his 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 it force to revOlve in the other di-
rection with great velocity, during
which the body of the accused is beaten
with bamboo poles.
MIDZU-ZEME (WATER TORTURE.)
The originatOrs of this cruel device
relied upon the torment of thirst as
more powerful than mere corporal suf-
fering. The prisoner is for several
days confined to an extremely salt diet,
without rice or water. When two OF
three days have passed the craving for
water becomes incessant, and the suf-
ferings of the tortured man approach
the bounds of insanity. Efforts are
then made to obtain confession by sub
iecting the sufferer to the agony en-
dured by Tantalus when in the midst of
the Internal lake whose waters he could
not touch. On all sides the thirst-dis-
tracted prisoner beholds water-water
for which he would sacrifice every
thing-but which he cannot touch, ex-
cept upon the condition of confession.
UTsUsU-zEME (DEPRIYATION OF SLEEPY
This is simply permitting the accused
person to sit or recline upon a bed
upon which water is continually drop
ping. At the appearance of sleep at
tendants, by means of bells, drums,
fire and other appliances, render re-
pose impossible; the sufferer grows
wild and disordered, his mind wanders,
and eventually be becomes a raving
and oftentimes hopeless maniac.
KAMABOKO-ZEME.
This (kamabOko) signifies " baked
fish, and is significant title for this
mode of torture. A charcoal fire is
made in a hole in the ground and COW
cred with grating. The accused is
then bound, the backs of his legs and
thighs are covered with a coating Of
mud or clay, and he is placed in q sit
ting posture on the grating. The tire
is then stimulated, the clay dries,
cracks, and is replaced, until the con-
tinued heat causes it to tear away the
infamed and burned flesh. This was
considered so horrible practice that it
was abolished III 1861.
MoKUBA-ZEAIE CTHE WOODEN HORSE