Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-12-26
CRUELTY OF THE PeRslANs.
All Sorts Of WIckedDess ConcealeI Under
Thin Veneer of Hospitality.

Under q thin veneer of good nature,
hospitality and pOliten ass the modern Per
sian conceals every one Of the seven dead
ly sins. II is q significant fact that no
words corresponding to our love, graft
tude. virtue, honor. patriotism, conscience
or penitence exists in his language The
words serving as substitutes have alto
gether different meanings. ''Takewah"
means piety OF rather observance Of the
rtualistic laws; hummer means not
honor but smartness and cunning;
"nemeki haelal' and "nemeA haeram"
Oterally, good salt and ,ad sails only
refers to the rules Of hospitality; ''peshi-
mani is not peuitenCe but grief at the
non success of an enterprise, and ''ishk'
is not love but the only feeling the Per-
sian knows under that name.
Like most towards the Persian is fond
OF infiicting pain wnere he may do so
safely. Cruelty seems inbOru with him. l
have seen little children Of both sexes
stOning poor cur to death and literally
hacking n miserable cat TO pieces just for
the fun of the thing, and without any in
reference from, often even with tho
active cooperation Of, the parent.
The death penalty is usually executed
with a view of making the culprit
undergo the most horrible tOrtUres and Of
affOrding welcome sight to the CallOus
populace.
On the KooP Kapu IN Tebcran, the
square in the heart of the city where the
executions usually take place. half score
OF delinquents are often placed on the
raised platform sUrmOuuted by n pole
painted brilliant scarlet hue, and in full
sight of the rabble they have their thrOats
cut, their hearts torn out, their ears and
noses slit, their tongues pulled out, theI
eyes scared, or boiling pitch poured oyes
their naked bOdies-to eyerybOdy's great
delight except that OF the parties directly
concerned. Along the highways cne
meets, stuck in the ground, short, hollow
pillars with the Opper opening closed with
gypsum. Each Of these contains n man,
condemned criminal walled up alive
Faint grOans may often be heard by pas
sersby, for this mode Of death is slow and
very painful, but nobody thinks it worth
his while to lbcrHte The poor wretch or
to terminate his sufferings by merciful
blow. "Kismet!' they say, "such is
fate Very much depends at executions
upon the hangman. 4 bribc 10 him or
the guarantee that qualification will be
paid him by the friends Of the condemned
man after his death always insure a more
OF less speedy death and decrease OF ths
tortures otherwise inflicted.
But woe TO the poor delinquent who
either has no more means left TO buy the
good offices OF the exeCutiOuer or else
chooses to make over his last few tOmans
to his fam:ly-he will surely rue II in his
last hour and made to suffer twice as
acutely as would otherwise be the case.
There were, for instance, four criminals
hanged up by their feet and nailed to the
boards outside the gates of Teheran less
than a year ago who could be seen there
slowly dying for thirty six hours. we'll
speut bribe to the exeCutiOner would have
shortened their troubles, and il remained
finally for one Of the diplomatic corps to
bestow a few kraus TO have these unlucky
malefactOrs put cut Of their misery. The
average Persian will look entirely uD-
moved on a spectacle Of human suffering.
| There is no chord in his nature to respond
to an appeal for mercy. Money alone
will induce him to take compassion on
another mans pain--Wolf Won Schier-
brand ill New York Graphic.