The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-12-08
BarbarOus Punishments.

The punishments to be witnessed even
to this day in the East arc most peculiar,
and, to European minds, vindlcllve In
| the extreme. The bastinado is dispensed
on the so!es of the bare feet, but it IS
not often carried out so far as to cause
death. The sti ks used in Turkey are
usually heavy slaves, in other countries
thin rattan canes ending in fine taper
ing point. From the fact that the lower
classes in the East 60 about everywhere
barefooted, their feet become, as it were,
case hardened. AS many as 1000 sticks
have been broken over the feet of Grim
inal, and that would mean upward of
6, 600 blows. Imprisonment is reserved
| for burglars, and manning is carri ID out
ordinarily only on professional thieves.
The method of intlicting this punish
ment is generally by cutting off the joint
of finger for the first otfense, and q
hand for the second. Sometimes man
will be famed by taking away part of the
ma tendon Of the leg. Binding is
scarcely ever resorted to, but OCCASION
al y the ears are cut OF, the criminal in
this, as in other cases, being taken
through a large crowd of gazers in the
bazaar t. the pla of execution. The
punishment OF death is inflicted in most
cases by simply cutting the throat of
| the prisoner, much in the way that a
butcher slaugh! ers a sheep.
In England there have been several
very curious methods of punishment.
Quartering and manning the body was
common in the earlier days of British
history. The pillory was also used for
the exposure and ridicule of offenders.
At tim: s, too, ''the cell of little ease''
, was occupied by some offender. This
| cell was constructed on the principl. that
no comfort should be given to the person
imprisoned; there was neither sufficient
room for standing, lying, nor even sitting
comfortably.
But of all the kinds of punishment that
of boiling to death was surely the most
indicative and atrocious. 1t was made
capital punishment in England by
statute 90, Henry VIII, 1881. One
Rouse, cook in the service of the Bishop
of Rochester, had poisoned some soup,
which caused the death of several per-
sons, and it was to guard against such
heinous actions that the punishment was
enacted. This death penalty was not
long in force, being repealed during the
next reign of Edward VI.
Burning was the usual punishment
/ mctcd out to those changing their doc
trinal faith. This method dates back to
the first dawning of English civilization,
for our Druidical ancestors used to sacri-
fee to their gods by burning all the con-
demned criminals.
Beheading with the ak, maiden or
guillotine long held sway in Great Brit
ain; indeed, up to the year 1147, when
Lord I.ovat was tho last to suffer this
kind of death. This method was after
ward followed by the more humane plan
of strangling, which, however, like the
former kinds, was done openly.
Witclcraft was very common four OF
| FIVE hundred years ago in Great Britain.
Any person taken and accused of having
occult dealings with "the realm of spir-
its" was punished by drowning. Which,
by the way, is said to be the pleasantest
deith imaginable.
The French had also some curious pun
ishments. Prisoners were chained to gal
lcys, which they were forced to row all
|! day and night. Hardly any cessation of
toll was allowed, and the poor wretches
held ou. simply to escape the drivers
lash. To enumeratc all the methods is
not our intention; suffice that we should
mention the strangest of them all, viz. :
wearing the iron mask for life. Into this
mask the PERSONS head was placed once
| and for all; nothing was seen of his fea-
lures save his eyes and mouth; death
alone relieved the languishing victim
ChimSo Tribune.