San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-11-02
KEELHAULING.
The Punishment Inflicted Upon Delhquent.Isyp
tian Msrines-Dsseription o. he Terrible
Ordeal by an Eyewitness Thereto.

The Punishment Inflicted Upon Delhquent.Esyp
tian Msrines-Ds seription 81 tie Terrible
Ordeal by an Eyewitness Thereto.
A correspondent OF the London Id
pertiser gives the following horrible
details of the keelhsnlipg Of two sailors
on an Egyptian man-of-war:
The two men were tied side by side,
and both ropes were tied to them, one
rope being to the mast and the other
around the shoulders of the men.
The arrangement of the tackles was to
drag the men under the ship from
either side by hauling them on the fall
or running end of the rope that fell
from the leading blocks on the
mainstay. These ropes, TO enable the
hauling parties to walk slowly away,
were led through the snatch-block on
the deck. ,etfrgl- itit
The crew were divided, half on each
side, and the two wretches, fainR led
TO the side, were showed overheard.
Both screamed as they fell into the
water. AS the distance from the
gangway to the surface was fourteen
feet, they must have been more or less
hart. But this was only the beginning
OF their miseries The man on one
side hauled taut the rope underneath
the ship, and then the order 30 walk
away was given. The band played
solemn tune, something like the
Carnival of Venice" in movement,
except that the tune WINS changed, and
STAMP, STAMP, STAMP
went the men. We saw the two
wretches go under, and then the only
movement was that of the ropes going
through, the blocks, one paying ontand
the other coming in but slowly. We
had no measurement 'of the ship. but
rs the ropes acted drecily--tbat is,
there were no moving blocBs-the
distance around the bottom Was { xactly
that covered by the men as they
walked the deck drawing the rope.
Thus we were able to make some
estimate Of the distance, which we
calculated at fifty feet from surface to
surface. Presently the two victims
appeared on the other side. They
were hauled quite out of the water, and
the rope by which they were hauled
was made fast and !coiled up, ready to
pay out again. An officer and doctor
went down and examined them. The
one upon whom the train Of rope had
fallen was apparently lifeless. His
face was turned toward rs. 1t was
bleeding and torn. His clothes were
hanging in shreds, and his hands were
dripping with blood. The ships
bottom was covered with barnscles,
which rasped upon the poor devils like
nails. The other man seemed to be
conscious. His back, ar he hung in
the air, was toward us, but
HE MOVED HIS HEAD,
we thought, apparently to beg for
mercy. Evidently the officer reported
them still alive, for when he had come
to the deck again, the two men were
lowered into the water, and the Grew
manning the rope we're marched away
With it, and once more the victims dis
appeared. From the time they went
under tho water until they reappeared
at the other side Of the ship was
twenty.four seconds. 1t seemed to us
to have been an hour. The first
frightful journey had been terminated
| by their being Scatched ana torn; at
the end of the second they were mutt
lated. The nose of one wretch was
torn almost away. One ear was gone,
and the shreds of the clothing he had
worn chung to him only where it was
held by the bands. He was blood, lit
orally, from head to foot His COM
panion's condition was as horrible.
This time they we're hoisted up to the
rail and swung on board. Then we
could see something of the action of
the barbarous punishment, for, al
though they were held off the side, no
efforts were made to prevent them from
striking against the ringbolts, chains
and every cruel obstruction. Then
they were lowered and released. They
were both unconscious-possibly, even
then, dead.