The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-02-09
hETHODS OF TORTURE.

Cruelty.
Speaking with st. Louis policeman
in one of the stations, reporter ven
tured upon the subject of corporal
punishment, when the policeman sud-
Only became interested and said "Oh.
hanging don't amount to anything.
I've seen men killed in manners far more
horrible. I've seen them die all sorts
of ways. 1 will only say in what man
ner have seen men punished for
crime. When very young L entered
the Danish navy, and remained in the
service until 1 was thirty-nine years
old. During all the time 1 was cruis-
ing mostly in the East and about the
coast of Africa. 1 was young, and
having an uncle in the Admiralty, 1
always had such voyages as 1 liked
them. One of my earliest cruises was
along in 1884 along the Chinese coast.
On that voyage witnessed my first
tlogging, and saw several insubordinate
seamen keel-hauled, two or three of
them being killed by the punishment.
Keel-gauling is gone out of fashion
now, but it used to be quite common.
A line was passed from b'rd to stab'rd
under the vessel. The sailor was fast
ened to one end of the rope and drag
ed him out on the other side. This
was often repeated two or three times.
If the sailor who was being keel-hauled
was a good swimmer he would not be
badly injured by the punishment; but
if, as often happened the sailor, could
not swim and the gang pulled the rope
taut, the sailor was often pulled up
dead. The vessels bottoms were lined
with copper, which Clipped off and
stuck out from the bottom. The sailor
being dragged against these sharp
points was often terribly lacerated, if
not killed.
While in China I witnessed some
very horrible executions, and was the
means of having a native of the Cele-
stial Kingdom soundly bastinadoed. In
business, trickery and scheming the
heather Chinee certainly is peculiar,
and it was in those early days 1 landed
at small town on the coast; and de-
string to purchase some curiosities
went into store, where l picked out
a number of articles and turned over
the necessary money in silver to the
Chinaman. Then started out, when
the Chinaman demanded the full price
of the goods. 1 informed him that he
was paid, but he said no, and putting
his hand into his money-boX, laid my
money upon the stand and called for
his goods. gave him his goods, took
the money and, walking out, went into
a store near by and bought some more
goods, turning the money over to the
store-keeper. He looked at the money,
and then a soft grin spread over his
features. "No good" he said. What
1 said wouldn't look well in print, but
1 maintained the money was good. 1
was convinced thai 1 was in error, how
ever, when the store-keeper threw
three dollar pieces down upon the
counter and they shivered to pieces
Then 1 realized that the first
Chinaman had exchanged my good
money for counterfeit, and 1 imme-
diately laid the case before the Man
DARN; in fifteen minutes the swindler
was before the Mandarin; in fifteen
minutes more he was tried and basti-
nadoed, and limped away to his shop
after having paid me my good money.
In another part of China witnessed
the execution of a number of rebels
who had been captured some time be-
fore. Some distance inland from the
town there was an open piece of
ground, and one condemned criminal
was taken out there. A hole about
five feet deep was dug near an ant-hill,
and the man was placed in the hole
with his arms tied to his sides. Then
the dirt was thrown in and patted
down around him. He was completely
buried up to the chin. When buried
gag was placed between his teeth
and his mouth kept wide open. The
inside of his mouth and far down his
throat was then thoroughly smeared
with sweet, honey-like substance, and
he was left alone. Immediately the
ants perceived the smell of honey they
started from an adjacent hill in a
swarm and went in stream down the
throat of the victim. He was de-
voured by the ants, and his sufferings
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