The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-01-08

posed of myrrh and frankincense (le-
6d''d), in cup of vinegar or light
wine. 1t produced in the convict a
kind of stupefaction, a semi-conscious
condition of mind and body, rendering
him Indifferent to his fate and scarcely
sensible to pain. The drink was-in
Jerusalem-provided by the women,
who considered this one of the greatest
nlitzUoth deeds. In pro-
vincial towns the local communal au-
thorities were required to furnish the
criminal with the draught. As soon as
the culprit had drunk of the stupefying
draught the execution took place. In
accordance with the Mosaic code four
kinds of death were inflicted, each ap-
propriate to a distinct series of crimes:
stoning, strangling, burning and de-
capitation.
Nothing can be more absurd than the
notions generally current respecting
the manner in which these punishments
were carried out among the Jews. The
stoning of the Bible and of the Tai
mud was not, as vulgarly supposed, q
pell-men casting of stones at crimi-
nal; the burning had nothing whatever
in common with the process of consum-
ing by fire living person as practised
by the churchmen of the Middle Ages;
nor did the strengling bear any resem-
blance to our English mode of putting
criminals to death. The stoning to
death of the Talmud was performed as
follows: The criminal was conducted
to an elevated place, divested of his at
tire if a man, and then hurled to the
ground below. The height of the emil
nence from which he was thrown was
always more than fifteen feet; the
higher; within certain limits, the better.
1t was not, however, to be so high as
to smash or greatly disfigure the body.
This was a tender point with the Jews;
man was created in Gods image, and
it was not permitted to desecrate- the
temple shaped by Heavens own hand.
The first of the witnesses who had tes-
titled against the condemned man acted
as executioner, in accordance with
Deut. xvii. z. If the convict fell face
downward he was turned on his back.
If he was not quite dead, a stone, so
heavy as to require two persons to car
ry it, was taken to the top of an emil
nence whence he had been thrown; the
second of the witnesses then hurled
the stone so as to fall upon the culprit
below. This process, however, was
seldom necessary; the semi-stupefied
condition of the convict and the height
from which he was cast ensuring in
slant death. The bodies of those con-
demned for blasphemy or idolatry were
subsequently hung upon a gallows un-
til dusk; in other cases Immediately
after execution the corpse was inferred.
Outside every town there were two
cemeteries for criminals-one for those
sentenced to be stoned or burned, one for
those decapitated or hanged. AS soon
as the flesh had disappeared the skeleton
could be removed to the family bury
ing-place. A few days after an execu-
ton the friends and relatives of the
dead mamie was no longer regarded
as an offender-called upon the Judges
who had tried him. This was tacit
acknowledgment that the punishment
had been justly awarded; and that
those charged with the administration
of the law were regarded with no re-
vengeful feelings by the family and
connections of the unfortunate man.
a criminal sentenced to death by burn
ing was executed in the following man.
ner: A shallow pit some two feet deep
was dug in the ground. In this the
culprit was placed standing upright.
Around his legs earth was shoveled
and battened firmly down until he was
fixed up to his knees in the soil. A
strong cord was now brought, and q
very soft cloth wrapped around it.
This was passed once around the
offenders neck. Then two men came
forward, each grasped an end of the
rope and pulled hard. Suffocation was
immediate. AS the condemned man
felt the strain of the cord, and insensi-
bility supervened, the lower Jaw
dropped. Into the mouth thus opened
q lighted wick was quickly thrown.
This constituted the burning.
Decapitation was performed by the
Jews after the fashion of the surround
ing nations. 1t was considered the
most humiliating, the most igno-
minious and degrading death that any
man could suffer. 1t was the penalty
in cases of assassination and deliberate
murder. 1t was incurred by those
who willfully and wantonly slew q
fellow-man with a stone or an imple-
ment of stone or iron. 1t was likewise
the punishment meted out to all per-
sons guilty of paganism and living in
a town.
Strangulation was a form of death by
suffocation. 1t was affected as in burn
ing. The culprit stood up to his knees
in loose earth. A soft cloth contain
ing a cord was wound once round the
neck. The ends being tightly pulled
in opposite directions, life was soon ex-
tinct.-Pdu Mall Gazette.