The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-07-17
Early Executions.


Maid of Orleans" has doubtless been
in the minds of many persons all
over the civilized world of late, as
We'll as in that of every Frenchman,
on account Of the monument recently
erected in her honor in her beloved
patrle. But, although il seems abso-
inteIy harbarous 10 make such sug-
gestiOn if the old records are to be
credited, this burning was by no
means the ag0nizing death it is gen.
serally supposed to have been. In
deed, in England it was looked upon
as an easy death, and women were
eyenShQrnt for the same crimes for
which men were hung, as being the
more humane manner Of putting to
death. But, and here lies the whole
secret, these same old records show
that the condemned were Invariably
strangled TO death. or at least into
state Of perfect unconsci0usnesS be-
fore the flames were allowed to touch
them, so that in reality it was simply
the dead body which was devoured
by the angry flames.
In proof of this a case is mentioned
in an old English book where the eX-
ecutlOner was severely blamed be-
cause, his hands becoming Scorched,
he failed to pull the rope fastened
around the neck of the condemned
hard enough to kill her until after
the flames had reached her and caus-
ed great agony. in spite of the efforts
Of those anout her. Quite detailed
account is given of the execution of
woman named Eleanor Elsom, in the
"LincDIn Date Book" who was con-
demned to death for the murder of
her husband, and ordered to he burn
ed at the stake. 1t reads as follows :.
''She was saturated with tar, and her
limbs were also smeared with the
same iDfiammable substance, while a
tarred bonnet had been placed on her
head. She was brought out of prison
barefo0ted, and being put on hur-
die, was drawn on a sledge to the
place of execution near the galloWs.
Upon arrival some time was passed
in prayer, after which the execution
er placed her on a tar barrel, a height
of three feet, against the stake, A
rope rau. through pulley in the
stake and was placed around her
neck, she herself fixing it with her
hands" She was probably quite dead
before the fire reached her, as the ex.
ecuti0ner pulled upon the rope sew
eral tines 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 eX-
ceedingly fierce.
Burning at the stake was. not very
long ago, used as a punishment for
heretics of both sexes, or any person
accused of wltchcraft. This mode of
execution was Kept up all during the
middle ages, the first case on record
being that of man named Alban,
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 ofense meriting
death, the latest case on record of
burning at the stake for this crime
being that of woman named Chris
tian Murphy, alias Bowman, who
was burned on March IS, 1850.
The last case of burning opposite
Newgate was in 1856, when woman
was hanged on a low scaffold, and
after life was extinct the fire was
lighted below her and the body burn
ed to ashes.
George III. put stop to this bar
barOus method of execution and pro-
vided that after June 5. 1890, women
should be hanged as well as men.
I 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 putting it into effect
being passed by Henry VIII. in 1881.
One of the few cases recorded was
that of cook in the diocese of the
bishop of Rochester, named Richard
R0ose. This man had put poison in
food, causing the death of two per-
sons 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 sentence such as was common
ly accorded to those in any way con-
necled with the frightful agOnfes ol
being boiled.
The next person Of whom we hear
as meeting this hideous death was a
woman. a servant, who had poisoned
three families with whom she had
lived. In the chronicle of the Grey