Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-11-11
EARLY EXECUTIONS.
.suo Grim mails at the stake. and
Bsa...sy Hsmrbarous Rmml@lAsmemea.

..ad;t,le. ssThe Maid OF Orleans has
sA,bf e.s been in the minds Of many
aO.o oas an over the civilized world Of
~ "a well as in that Of every French
~ IN account of the monument re-
D .a,Iv erected in her honor ia her beloved
s.,re. But, although it seems abso-
Ps.cIv btrnarous TO make such suv-
-a.,ion il he old records are TO be cred
sed this burning was by no means the
.conizing death it is generally supposed
= have been Indeed, in England it
sss looked upon as an easy death. and
Somen were even burnt for the same
crimes for which men were hung, al be-
;oo the more humane manner of putting
~ death. But, and here lies the whole
secret. these same old records show that
,be condemned were invariably strangled
10 death, or at least into a state Of per
feet Inconsistencies before the flames
we're alIowed.to touch them. 80 that in
reality il was simply the dead BODY
which was devoured by the angry
danes.
In proof Of this case is mentioned in
an old English book where the execu.
tioneer was severely blamed because, his
hands becoming scorched, he failed to
pull thesrope fastened around 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 execution
Of woman named Eleanor Elsom in the
"Lincon Daie Book, y who was con-
demned TO death for the murder Of her
husband and ordered to be burned ut the
stake 1t reads as follows: ssShe was
saturated with tar, and her limbs were
also smeTed with the same iniiammable
substance, whilea tarred bonnet had been
placed ON her head. She was brought
out Of prison barefooted, and being put
on hurdle, was drawn on sledge to the
place of execution near the gallows.
Upon arrival some time was passed in
prayer, after which the executioner
placed her on tar barrel, height Of
three feet. against the stake. A rope ran
through pulley in the stake and was
placed around her neck, she herself fix
ing it with her hands. . She was proba-
bly, quite dead before the fire reached
her, rs the executioner pulled upon the
rope several times while the irons were
being fixed The body was seen amid
the flames for nearly half an hour, though,
through the dryness of the wood and the
quantity OF tar, the fire was exceedingly
fierce
Burning at the stake was, not so very
long ago, used as punishment for here
tics of both sexes, or any person accused
of witchcrlft. This mode of execution
was kept up all during the middle ages.
the first case on record being that Of a
man named Alban, who was burned in
the year s0A AID. Many persons were
put to death for coming, which was, up
to a In Q date, regarded as an oEfcnse
mcriting death. the latest case ON record
of burning ut the stake for this crime
being hat of woman named Christian
aliss Bowman, who was burned
on March IS, 1889.
The last case of burning opposite New
gate was In 1856. when woman was
hanged on a low scatfold, and after life
was extinct the fire was lighted below
her and the body was burnt TO ashes.
George Ill. put stop to this barbar-
Gus method of execution and provided
that after June 5, 1890, women should
be hanged as well as men.
Still more dreadful than burning at
the stake was the horrible idea Of boil
ing people to death, which was at one
time legal punishment for the crime OF
poisoning. the law putting it into effect
being passed by Henry VIII. in 1881.
One of the few cases recorded was
that of a cook in the diocese
Snf~ So
named Richard Roose. This man had
put pc son in food, causing the death of
two persons and the serious illness of
others, and the sentence was passed on
him that he should be boiled to death
without any benefit of the clergy, which
meant without any mitigation of the SEN
tence such as was commonly accorded TO
those in any way connected with the
clergy, so that be probably really felt the
frighrful agonies of being boiled.
The next person of whom we hear as
meeting this hideous death was woman,
q servant, who had poisoned three fnuail-
les with whom she had lived. In the
chronicle of the Grey friars, mention Is
made of d man who was made fast to q
chain and let down into boiling water
until he was dead. The expenses at
tendant on the parboiling aud hanging
Of Friar Stone ia 1889 are certainly curl
Gus. The execution came off at Canter-
bury. and the following were the details
Of the expenses 8 For d ton Of timber
to make pair Of gallows for TO hang
Friar Stone, two shillings six pence; 10
q carpenter FOR making the gallOws and
the dray, one shilling four pence; to 4
laborer that digged the holes, three
pence; expenses setting up the same, one
! sllss,s.. -. In.a - sns,ra ns,1 x.,a !