The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-07-12
Inipnlctl.

The implement Of persons sentenced
to death for great crimes has been
practiced in the East for many cen.
turlcS. In Turkey, where this punish
ment was most frequently inflicted
asSaSslnS whose crimes were of an
aggravated character were always con-
demned to die on the pole; and the
traveller who penctrates into Asia
Minor Will now and then, even in our
times, ride past slender posts erected
along the roadside, Oh which the slcle-
tons OF the lmfortunateS are hanging
who have been put to death in this hOrri-
bic manner.
Saint Edme in his Dictionnaire de In
l'cnalitc describes the manner in which
this punishment is inflicted as follows:
NIhe unfortunate man who is to
suffer death by implement is laid flat
ON the ground, face downward. His
hands are tied on his back, and one of
the eXccutioner'S assistants sits down
on his back, 50 that the victim cannot
move. n second assistant holds the
cuIprit'S head firmly to tho ground
and third assistant seiZes his legs.
which he holds so that he cannot move
them. The executionnr NOW ap-
prOacheS with tho instrument of death,
Il long stake or pole, which he pushes
:nto the body from bohiMd. Tic pulu
tapers almost to a point, but is rounded
Off somewhat at the end, 80 that it win
not penetrate the entrails all at once.
The eXecutiOner pushes this pole into
tie flesh as far as he can with h,s
hands, Whereupon fourth assistant
drives it in still further with mallet.
Now the pole, which has penetrated
deeply into the body of tho doomed
man, is set upright into the ground.
and the victim is left to die lIpon it..
The weight of the body presses it
further down upon the stake every
moment, and the point finally protrudes
from the breast or side of tho culprit.
Some of those upon whom this horrible
punishment has been inflicted, died
quickly, and their suffering was soon
over, but others are said to have suf-
fered untold agony for hours, and even
days, before death put all end to their
tOrmentS."
Implement, horrible as it is, is not
the cruelist punishment inflicted in
Oriental countries. Particularly the
Chinese and the inhabitants of Anam.
Cochin China and Siam seem to have
exhausted all their powers of invention
in devising new and insutrerable tor
mcnts for criminals or persons who had
incurred the hatred of tho rulers of
those countries.
In China rebels and traitors are lite
rally cut into thousand pieces. The
cXecutioner who is to carry out this
dreadful sentence fastens the prisoner.
who is tied hand and foot, with chain
| osD
the forehead Of his victim. lie pulls
the skin Of the forehead over tho ewes off
the sufferer, so that he can no longer see.
A largo basket with small knives is
now placed beside the eXccutiOner, who
shakes them up several times. and
then takes them up, one by one. On
each knife IS written the name of il
part of the human body whicl, the
iiend who takes the instrument Of tort
ure from the basket proceeds to lace
rate slowly. Little pieces of flesh and
skin arc cut from the struggling wretch,
and when the eXccntionor has cut and
slashcd one part, in his opinion, sulli-
GENTLY, he takes another knife from
tho basket and proceeds as before,
until at last all the knives have been
taken from the basket. But while tho
victim suffers horrible tormcnts The
executioner operates Oh him with such
skill that no vital parts are touched,
and death does not come to the relief
OF the sufferer. And when all tho
numbers OF this terrible lottery of
knives arc drawn, tho bleeding body of
the unfortunate man is thrown to rave
nous dogs, who, more mcrciful than
their masters, soon put an end to the
agonicS Of tho doomed man.
Another punishment said to have
been inflicted in China Oh great crmi-
mails consisted in being ''bruslhcd to
death" The instrument employed in
this torture was a wire brush, with
which tho eXecutiOner brushed, or
rather scrapcd off the flesh of the cul- |
Drit, proceeding which naturally |
Il great deal of time. The |
with consummate skill,
brushed around all great veins and
arteries to prevent the victim from
bleeding to death, and kept him alive
aOr q long time.
In Siam the death penalty was in
llicted OH rebels by having them tram
pied to death by elephants. Others
had a small cocoanut forced into their
mouth SO that they had to starve.
Other horrible punishments have
been inflicted by Oriental despots, anu
many Of them have taken particular
pains to vary the pains, changing the
mode Of their torment with every suf-
erer. But the above instances will
uiiice to show what cruelties are prac-
iced in those countries.