Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-07-26

cut purses; a second offebse cost them tn
other ear; death was the penalty of tn
third Cffense When the first larceny wa
considerable ii was the left ear which wa
cropped.
Teeth also were within reach of tn
executIorer. 1t was the wont to pull tn,
teeth Of Jews to make them give up theil
money, and Louis NJ. after the death o
Jaques dArTagnac, whom he caused tC
be skinned alive, ordered that his children
should be taken to the Bastile and have
their teeth extracted. Amputatlon of the
feet was common, as well as the hands.
They were simply chopped off with sword
or axe and the stump plunged in boiling
oil or cauterized with an iron. These pun
ishments were frequently inflicted on
women.
Pouring boiling oil on the feet was a
common form OF torture. Death was
caused by pouring boiling oil INTO the eaIs,
the nostrils and the throat. Molten lead
was applied 10 the same purpose. One
executloner received q liberal reward for
inventlpg crescent shaped knife, by
means Of which criminals heart might
be ripped out so rapidly that he had not
time TO de under the operation.
Cases were common in which the victim
had his lips Topped OF one by one, and
being ripped open and disemDoweled be-
fore the death stroke was given.
II would take q volume to enumerate
the tortures the devIlish ingenuity Of man
was father ~ in those ghastly times. The
Parliament of Paris applied only two kinds
water and the boot. In Brittany the
sufferer was tied 10 an iron chair and his
legs broght by degrees in contact with the
fire. AT Besancon the horse, which COR
sisted of mounting the victim on log
garnished with spikes, was In use. Estra-
pade prevailed at Orleans At Rouen, the
thumb, fingers and legs were crushed.
The boot was an instrument consisting
of four pianks pierced with holes, through
which ropes were passed to hold them to-
geiher. Between the two innermost
planks the victims leg was fitted. The
executioner then drove wedges between
the outer ones. Ordinary torture included
four wedges, but en- extra occasions eight
were used. AT any rate the leg was re-
duced to pulp of riven flesh and ruscle
and splintered bone.
Tcrtdre by water consisted in seating
the culprit on a stone stool, after his sem
tence had been read to him. His wrists
were attached behind his back to two iron
rings distant from each other. All the
cords then entwined round his limbs and
body were hen pulled as much as possi-
bic, and when the body of the sufferer
could not be stretched any more trestle
was placed under his back. The Ques
tiOndire held q horn IN one hand, and
with the other he poured water in, and
obliged the crImIrai 10 swallow four pints
In question OrdiRaire and eight pinis in
question ertraordinaire. Death was
commonly the result OF this torment.
Torture comprised several graduated
torments inflicted upon prisoner, either
To compel hun 10 confess his CRIME or to
obtain the name of his accomplices
While he was subjected to these sufferIngs
a Judge, standing close to tine torturer or
quest,Onaire, called upon the accused to
say the truth, and wrote down his decla- |
ratlons, whence the name of question which
was given to this torture. Question was
Of two sorts. either definite or preliminary.
These two cafegories were subdivided into |
question OrdiRaire and ertrdordindire |
Through the first it was sought 10 exact |
from the accused the confession of his |
guilt; through the accused 1t was endeav-
ored to discover the names of the accom- |
pllces who had helped HIM in the perpe-
tration of his crime. Torment carried to |
l certain limit constituted question ord,-
aaire, 1t was doubled in question ertra- |
which, as rule, was only in
iicted upon culnrIts previously sentenced
10 death. Yet there are people who re-
yret the ''goDd old times!"