Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-10-04
Egyptian KeeIhauIinu.


Egyptian KeeIhauIing.
The Alexandria correspondent of the
London Advertiser, who witnessed the
late keelhauling in the harbor, saws that
be tried to write description of the hor-
rible sight, but it was so revoltingly cru
ell, so barberous, SO UNANIMOUSLY brutal
that he at first gave it up, "Still it was
right that the people of England should
know what sort of people even the friend
ly Egyptians are" The correspondent
heard that two sailors, one fireman
from the khedive's yacht, were to be
keelhauled on board the Mehemet Ali
for one of those uncomfortable crimes,
which, by the way, do not take place
as crimes in most Ottoman countries %;
and he witnessed their punishment from
the steamer Sumatra. The men were
brought on deck at noon, and their SEN
tence was read out before the assembled
crew. The tackle, consisting of two ropes
running from leading blocks made fast to
the mainstay and passed under the keel
of the ship, was prepared and attached
to the culprits' bodies. The crew were
then divided, half of them put on each
rope, and the two wretches being led to
the side, were showed overheard. They
both screamed as they fell i'll the water,
and as the distance from the gangway to
the surface was quite fourteen feet, they
must have been more or less hurt. But
this was only the beginning of their
miseries. The men on the side hauled
the rope underneath the ship, and then
the order to "walk away :" was given.
The band played solemn tune, some
thing like the Carnival of Venice" in
movement, except the tune was changed,
and stamp, stamp, stamp went the men.
We saw the two wretches go under,
and then the only movements were the
ropes going through their blocks, one
side paying out, the other coming in, but
slowly. We had no measurement of the
ship, but as the rope acted directly
that is there were no moving bIOcks--the
distance around the bottom was exactly
that covered by the men as they walked
the deck drawing the rope behind them.
Thus we were able to make sure estimate
of the distance, and calculate it 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 we're
hoisted was made fast and coiled up
ready to pay out again. An officer
probably a doctor-went down and ex-
amined them. The one upon whom the
strain of the rope had fallen was appar-
entity lifeless. His face was turned to-
ward us; it was bleeding and torn; his
clothes were hanging in shreds and his
hands were dripping with blood. His
eyes were open but they seemed to be filed
with blood. The ships bottom, covered
with barnacles, rasped upon the poor
devils like nails. The other man seemed
to be conscious. His back, as he hung
in the air, was toward us, but he moved
his head, we thought, and apparently to
beg for mercy.
Evidently the officer reported them
still alive, for when he had come on deck
again the two men were lowered into the
water, and the crew manning the rope
that led up from the other side marched
away with it, and once more the victims
disappeared. From the time they went
under the surface of the water until they
reappeared on the other side of the ship
was just twenty-four seconds. 1t seemed
to us to have been an hour. The first
frightful journey had terminated by their
being scratched and torn; at the end of the
second they were mutilated. The nose
of one wretch was torn almost away, one
ear gone, and the shreds of the clothing
he had worn chung to him only where
they were held by his bonds. He was
blood literally from head to foot His
companions condition was equally hor-
rible. This time they were hoisted up
to the rail and swung on board. Then
we could see something of the action of
this barbarous punishment, for they
were not held off the side, but were
scraped up along the ship, striking
againgst the ringbolts, the chains and
every cruel obstruction until they were
swung in free on the deck. Then they
were lowered down and released. They
were both unconcious, probably even
then dead. It may be hoped they we're.
Death must have been welcome re-
lease.