Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-31
THE SPANISH GARROTE.
HOW DESPERATE CRIMINALS
ARE EXECUTED,

tho Very Blood to Run Cold-The
Day of Execution Observed as q Hoii-
day-The Arg ola and Its Appearance
The Work Accomplished.
kad,%d Cor. Neao Orleans Times Democrat.
To-day, at 10 o'clock in the morning, !
Alvarez OLIVIA, the murderer OF Juan
Ximones, the notary, was garroted. AS
an enterprising tourist, DESTROYS of see
Ing everything possible to see, l was pres
ant at the execution and l make the fol-
dents of this dismal holiday while not
more than two steps away from the place
Of execution.
! use the word holiday desgnedly.
The foreigner who this morning beheid
the Puerta del Sol for the first time would
have thought Madrid had gone wild with
noisy merrlment, just as upon the occa-
sion OF some royal ceremony at the
ancient church OF ADtocha or OF some
great bull fight exhibition under the man.
sgement OF Cartijo or Mazzantlni.
The manolas never looked more at
tractive. Their great black eyes were
lustrous with Joy, and amid a fluttering
Of fans and marvellous bursts of laughter
they wendell their way in groups to the
latest popular malaguenas, swaying their
hips as they walked and Insolently lost
ling the honest market people who bur-
dened the sidewalk with heaps of enor-
nous pimentos and calabashes of the
queerest shapes.
Riding superb Andalusian horses with
small heads and finely arched necks-
horses that seemed to have stepped out OF
some canvas by VelasqueZ-the elegant
of ha al
ter, all delicately gloved and wearing
tuberoses at their buttonhole as if they
were going to the Retro to wait for the
advent of the open carriage OF some belle.
IL was O'Clock in the morning when
| left my house. Although the heat was
already overwhelming, resolved to go on
foot from the corner OF tn Gale de Alcala
to the place of execution.
The nearer / approached the euuare
the more compact became the crowd.
To proceed at all soon became impossi-
BILE. The crowding and pushing, how
ever, only Increased the merriment OF the
mischievous girls of Madrid, who were
being amorously pinched every once in a
while by the soldiers of the line, and in
regard to gallantry the Spanish soldier is
quite match for his French brother.
Suddenly the crowd halts. and a great
silence falls. A close carriage, with
blinds down, escorted by picket of civil
guards, slowly passes through the press,
We can follow it without hurrying our
selves.
In little while tn e place of execution
appears before me, thronged with a mU.-
titu0e swaying like tide; and up from
the sea of heads energies the white mast
Dt the scaffold.
approach.
Lying upon stool, covered with q
snow-wh1te cloth, is the garrote itself,
shimmering like crown of steel. In a
little while the executioner will attach it
TO the post against which the criminal is
to be fastened.
The final preparations consumed con-
siderable time, go that | was well able to
make leisurely examination of the sim
lister locality whittier curiosity had
drawn me for the purpose of studying the
physiognomy of the great pushing and
squeezing crowd.
AS always and in all places the women
were the most numerous.
The plaza where The executions take
place is on very high ground, and the
pure air one breathes there must increase
the criminals regret for lie ut the mo-
ment when his respiration is about to be
cut short forever. The houses surround
ing it-mostly of humble aspect-are
widely interspaced. Between them
stranger who loves classic landscapes can
obtain a good view of the sun-burned and
yellow plains of Nueva Castillo, with the
blush mountains of Guadamara in the
horizon.
The deploy of military forces about the
scaffold was considerable. i counted no
less than six attachments of different
corps.
There were lancers with Prussian-
shaped helmets of brass, gendarmes
in black. with yellow straps and belts
and white trimmings, blue uniformed
light cavalry, infantry, provincial guards
with red caps.
The martial department of these men,
nearly all young, strong and handsome,
impressed me very much.
Now there is a great movement around
the scatfold. The soldiers close their
ranks and three men approach the scat
fold. One OF them ascends it. 1t is the
executioner. He is thin, low-sized and
looks about 40 years old.
While waiting for his victim he keeps
walking nervously to and fro, with his
hands behind his back and his head
down.
From time to time he looks at the
argolla, the ''garrote," with a suspicious
expression of countenance. Perhaps he
is afraid Of the power of resistance pos
sessed by the oervical vertebra of Al
varez, and is therefore afraid of losing
his bounty.
Noisy as it was little while ago, the
crowd now suddenly becomes quite ST.
lent. Some women are turning pale; and
one can feel that great nervous excite
ment weighs upon the crowd.
A low rumbling is heard. 1t is the
black carriage that bears tue condemned
man. 1t stops at the foot of the scaffold,
and the prisoner is soon painfully climb
Ing the twelve high steps OF the dismal
scaffold, leaning on the arm of priest.
Another priest precedes him, lifting very
high an immense crucitix, toward which
the condemned man strives to strain his
ierror-stricken face.
AlavareZ Olivia is not yet % years
old, and 1t was generally believed
that the savage energy which he had dis
played in committing bis crime, together
with his vigorous youth, would give him
strength to face death.
But nothing of the kind is now shown
by him; and really it was too much TO
expect OF a man who knew his fate forty
eight hours ago, and who, while listening
to the funeral chants in the prison chapel
must have behed all kinds of hideous
visions passing before him.
AS stood on an elevation overlooking
the scaffold | WAS able TO observe all the
details OF the last scene OF the tragedy.
The condemned man mechanically
Welded himself I'D TO the executioner.