The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-11-27
gaaerapls gatetIIgeueer,
EARLY EXECUTIONS.
Burning Criminsls at the stake and Other
Bnrbarous Punishmonts.

'pufnt DG tu6 btuSSs "hiCu uils Ouo Will
horror, and the thought that any woman
incredible. "The Maid of Orleans" has
persons all over the civilized world of
late, dis we'll as in that of every French.
man, ON account of the monument re.
Gently erected in her honor in her beloved
patrie. But, although it seems absolute.
iy barbarous to make such suggestion
if the old records are to be credited, this
burning was by no means the agoniziBg
death 1t Is generally supposed to have
been. Indeed, in England it was looked
upon as an easy death, and women were
even burnt for the same crimes for
which men were hung, as being The more
humane manner Of putting to death.
But, and hear lies tho whole secret, these
same old records show that the condemn
ed were invariably strangled to death, or
at least into state of perfect uncon.
sciouspess before the flames were allowed
to touch them, so that in reality il was
simply the dead body which was deyour.
ed by the angry flames.
In proof of this a case iB mentioned in
an old English book where the execu.
tioner was severely blamed because, his
hands becoming scorched, he failed 20
pull the rope fastened arour the neck
of the condemned hard enough to kill
her until after the flames had reached
her and caused great agony, In spite of
the efforts Of those about her. Quite q
detailed account Is given Of the execu.
ton of a woman named Eleanor Elsor
In the "Lincoln Date Book" who was
condemned to death for the murder of
her husband and ordered to be burned at
the stake. 1t reads as follows: "She
was saturated with tar, aud her limbs
were also smeared with the same iDflam.
mable substance, while tarred bonnet
r had been placed on her head. She was
brought out of prison barefooted, and
being put on hurdle, was rdrawn on q
sledge TO the place of execution near the
gallGHs. UPgI 5aFf;=al some time wes
passed In pros fer, after which the execu-
toner placed her on tar barrel, height
of three feet against the stake. A. r0Se
ran through pul'o in the stake endwea
placed around ,her, neck, she herself fix
ing it with her hands. She was probably
quite dead before the FIRE reached her, as
the executioner pulled upon, ,lhe rope
several times while the irons were being
fixed. The body was seen amid tho
flames for nearly half On hour. though,
through the dryness of the wood and the
quantity Of tar, the fire was exceedingly
fierce" m!
Burning at the stake was, not so very
long ago, used as punishment for
heretics OF both sexes, or any person
accused of titchcraft. This mode Of
execution was kept mp all during the
middle ages, the frat case on record being
that, of O man named Albap, who was
burned in the year 304, A. d. Many
persons were put TO death for coming,
which was, up to late date, regarded as
an offense meriting death, the latest case
on record of burning at the stake for this
crime being that Of 9 woman named
Christian Murphy, alias Boman, who was
burned on March, Is, 1880.
The case Of burning opposite Nevgate,.
was In 1885, Shen q woman .Ras hanged
on O Low aeaffold, and after life was
extinct tho fire was lighted below her
and the body was burnt to ashes.
George III put stop to this barbarous
method Of execution and provided that
after juno 5, 1890, women should be
hanged, On wall as men. g,.r. ,.,-;I.
~ Etiii more dreadful than burning OF
: the stake was the horrible idea of boiling
people to death, which was at ono time o
legal punishment for the crime of. pois.
oning, tho law putting Il into effect beiGg
passed by Henry VIII, In 1881. One Of
the fewFCases' recorded vas that offacook
in the DIOCESE OF fthe bishop of Rochester,
named. Richard Roose. This man had
put poison in food, causing the death of
twa persops and the serious illncss Of
others, and the sentence Was ssssaed CD
him that he should be boiled to death
without any benefit of the clergy, which
meant without any mitigation of theSI
sentence ouch as was commonly accorded
to those In anyway connected with the
clergy, 90 that be probably really felt The
frig6tful agonies of being boiled. y
8 Ihgnextper9on of wben Sge hesr7
meeting this hiaeous death Hss q woman,
b servant, who had poisoned three lami:
lies with whom she had lived. In the
chronicle Of the Grey Friars, mention ia
made of man who was made fast to n
chain Gnnd lst Gown ;into. boiling water,
until he was dead. The expenses alton.
dsnt on the parboiling and hanging spf
Friar Stone. In 1889, are certainly curl.
ols. The execution came off at Cantes,
bury, and the lowing, vera theadetails
of the expeaseaa I. Ss.a or q ton of timber
TO make q pair Of gallows for to hang
Eria2 Gssas:saz Es5 sha:lsisgs s:s nsnss; 20
q cafpentsr for making the gaiiew5 sandf
the Gray dne chilling four pence 1T ai
iahnrer that digged the holes, three
penc6j expenses setting tipthe same, onBl
chilling for o load ID wood sapd for ilt
. hofse to draw him to a dungeon, two
shillings three pence; paid two men that
ast ut The kettle and parboiled him, one
chilling 70 Eshfee men jthat !sarried his /
quarters. to The gates and Set thorn UP,