Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-10-15
KEELHAULING
As If ia Practiced by Christian British
Seamen-The Most Infamous OF
Brutal fortunes
Continued Until the Poor Creatures Sub
jeeted TO it were Killed Outright
BIood.Curdling Details.

LONDON. October 13.-The Posts Alexan-
dria Correspondent writes that two sailors,
one a fireman from the Khedive's yacht,
were 10 be keel-hsuled on board the Me-
heme, Ali for one OF those "uumentionsble
crimes which, by the way, do not take a
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 sentence 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 to each rope, and the two Sretcbes,
being led to the side, were showed over
board. They both screamed as they fell in
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 one side hauled
taut the rope underneath the ship, and
then the order 10 "walk away" was given.
The band played a solemn tune, something
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 ss the
rope acted direcily-that is, there were no
moving blocks-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 10 make
some estimate of the distance, and we calcu-
lated 1t 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
hoisted was made fast and coiled up, ready
to pay out again. An oficer-probsbly a
doctor-went down and examined them.
The one upon whom the strain of the rope
had fallen was apparently lifele-s. His face
was turned toward 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 filled
with blood. The ships bottom, covered
with baruacles, rasped upon the poor devils
like nails. The other man seemed to be uu-
conscious. His back, as he hung-in the sir,
was toward as, but he moved his head, we
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 ether 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 frigh'ful journey had ter
minated 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 bad worn chung to him only
where they we're held by his bonds. He was
blood, literally, from head to foot. His COM
psnion's condition was equally horrible.
This time they were hoisied up to the rail
and swung on board. Then we could see
something OF the action of this barbsrous
punishment, for they were not held of the
side, but were scraped up along the ship,
striking against tine ring bolts, the chains and
every cruel obstruction until they swung in
free over the deck. Then they were lowered
down and released. They were both uncon-
scious, probably even then dead. 1t may be
hoped they were. Death must have been
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