Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-08-22
Spsce. W. N. m. m. yr.
Spsce.
The Terrible AuOut,

The Terrible AnOut.
An English merchant gives the following de-
seription of specimen of this sickenipg puo-
ishment he aaw ilAicted Oh parricide In Rus.
sla recently. The criminal, who had stabbed
| his father to death for no other reason than
that the latter demonstrated with the former
against some OF his riOtous oonduo:, was appa
ranty about twenty Eve years of age. very full.
| built, Gu! of IoT stature, with cjuntenapce of
| that stoiid description, which dtf.s all the
| sclcroa OF tho physioguomist He had been sen.
teno0d TO receive one hundred lashcs with the
kuous He seemed perfectly caous to bis sit
ustloo. and while sentence was being read, he
deliberately took off his cap, and prepared him
self With perfec: oooluess for his punishment.
| Having thrown aside bis olftan ard shirt, and
| having nothing on but his trowsers aud boots,
he approached the stake with Fl m atep, and
was duly fastened to it by the executioners.
| ibis done, these iu3csonaries threw of their
coats snd got ready the instruneui of torture.
| The kaous consists of handle about foot
| long, With piece of twisted hide of the samo
! length 10 this hide is attached. by loop a
piece Of thong prepared to almost metallic hard
ness. 10 length about tour or five feet. perfectly
Hat. and 90 noh broad; it is chaoeed nfter every
| SIX or eight blows, as Il is considered unfit fJr
| uSo when it becomes soft.
| The principal exeoutioDer having placed him
self within five or six feet OF the prisoner, With
| the tborg of The knout on the ground, rather
| Iehiud uIm, then drew 1t forward, raising it
slowly aud steadily till it had attained the pro-
per elevation, when he brought it down With
tremendous torco upon the middle of the
criminals back, leaving deep Grim
In ILL
extending from his neck to the waist
| band OF bis trousers. Upon receiving the blow,
the wretch uttered scream. or rather yell of
agony and every fiber of his body seemed 10
| sac OF violent aud instantaneous contortioo.
| With tcTcaly any interval, tho blow was re-
postGd. followed by tho same rcsult-the Same
trlghinl Yell-:he Same appalling shudder.
The second mark appeared abou! 60 inch from,
aud parallel to the first; thi,d. fourth, and
| nth blow followed in quick succession, when
the operator stepped aside and resigned his
place to his assistant. The blows from the
latter were light when compared with those
| Inflicted by the elder extcatiouer. more 60, 10.
| decd, than tho difference between their slz
| and strength, great as it was, might seem to
justify.
Alter giving eight blows the assistant retired
10 his turn, when his principal, who in tho
| meGnLlms bad fitted on fresh thong, resumed
the dreadful task. Ho was again succeeded
| by the youog mau. who, in like manner, had
roneRed tho ctiossy of his weapon by similar
| process OF renovation. In this manacr did they
! contlouo mutually relieving one another; aud,
at each relay. adding now thons, Ii the des.
| lned number Of blows were il flced on the
| scoratcd back Of the partiolde. About the |
| htieth stroke, his struggles having partially |
| loose1ed the fastenlugs, it wGs found necessary
| to stop and have It n fixed moro firmly. From
| he frs! till about the twentieth blow, each was
followed by the samo scream ard convulsoue;
| from the twentieth till the tftielh both gradu-
ally became weaker; tho latter, indeed had de-
generated 'u.o sort of shivering. After the
hftieth both ceased; tho oiimosps head fell to
Que side, aud though each touch of the knous
brought With it couVulsve shudder, he seemed
TO De perfectly unconscious of pain.
The punishment c)1cluded, the chief ex;c1.
toner took some instruments from bis beg, aud
With them marked the malefao,or on the fore
head, on each check, and on the chin. This,
understood, was merely firm typc,l of brand.
log, which, as we'll SIS slitlitg the nostris, was
always il fllcted upon knocted criminal uatil
the humanity Of the Emperor Alexander
prompted him to abolish both practices. The
! marks ere now mado with cold instrument, and
are, l believe, easily efaced.
Ihe crimlnaHs back now exhibited hoir;d
| spec:Acie. 1t was one maDgled, bIoated mass,
Of deep crimson bue; yet still, nGnged as il
| vas, 20 blJod ran from it, Aoommou cart hav
| iug been drawn toto tho equare, the execution
ers united the strap y which the meletactor was
fastened to the sto ke, aud, with the assistance
| OF the geus-d arms. Carried him to and placed
| him in the cart throwing his shirt lightly upon
| him, then his cafsn, then mat over all. When
| removed from the stake he WAS quite nsensible
| so much 50 that did not suppose he would sur.
| vive till he reached the hospts; but was mis-
| taken, tor upon observing him st.entively after
| beng plsced in the cart, perceived that be had
20 TOR recovered as TO attempt TO nova one M
| | could not observe any surgeon attending the
| execution; nor indeed would it hsvs been Of any
consequence, as the number of stripes is spec
fed. and whatever hsppels, they must be sc.
mil l:tered
Ee WAS driven off to the prison with the same
guards and attendants as at frat; the whole sf
fair, from the arrival till the departure of the
criminal not exceeding twenty mil u.es. What
became OF MIN stterwsrd l could no. learn but
have little dontttnat in few days be died from
the fever and N 1rlifcation tha. were likely, or
| rather Certain 10 follow such severe injury. On
the event OF his recovery he would be Sent 10 end
| his lit3 IN the mines Of Sibe!la. and this could
scarcely be called the least part Of his punish.
mens. Such is the knout.
ASK YOUR GROCER FOR THE ALEXANDRIA
BRooM augll-lm
i BELFAST GINGER ALE Just rec:ived at
MCBURNEY's.
Bass j. Co. S ale Ald DoUBLIN STOUT Just
lrec.lVed at NlCBURNEY's.
| ORCHARDS Il CLINE'S