, 1888-05-31
DEATH ON THE GARR0TE.
A DREADFUL PICTURE or CAPITAL
PUNISHMENT IN SPAIN.
How u Holiday Is Celebrated In the
Land of tho Oiive-The Trepldation
with Which . Criminal Met His


Doom.
Suddenly the crowd halts and a great
silence ftilIs. 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 n little while the place of execution
appears before me, thronged with null
titude swaying like tide, and mp from
the sea Of heads emcrges the white mast
OF the scaffold.
approach.
Lying upon stool, covered with snow
white cloth, is the garrote ftself-shim-
mering like q crown of steel. In little
while the exccutioncr will attach 1t to q
post against which the criminal Is to be
fastened. The final preparations con.
sumed considerable time, so that I was
well able to make n leisurely examination
of the sinister locality whittier curiosity
had drawn me for the purpose OF studying
the physiognomy of the great pushing OF
squeezing crowd. AS always, and in all
places, the women were the most numer-
Gus.
Now there Is q great movement around
tho scaffold. The soldiers close their
ranks and three men approach the scaf
fold. Ono OF them ascends 1t. It Is the
executioner. He Is thin, low sized and
Jocks about 40 years old. While waiting
2pr his victim he keeps walking nervously
20 and fro with his hands behind his bacl,
snd his head down. From time to time
he stops and looks at the argolla tho
''garrote'D with suspicious expression
OF countenance. Perhaps he Is afraid OF
the power Of resistance possessed by tbHy
cervical vertebrp Of Alvarez, and Is there
fore afraid Of losing his bounty.
THE DISMAL sCAFFoLD,
Noisy as IL was n little while ago. the
crowd now Suddenly becomes silent,
Some women arc turning pale; and one,
can feel that n nervous excitement weigh
upon the crowd. A low rumbling Is
heard. II Is the black carriage that bear
the condemned man. It stops at the foot
of the scafrold; and the criminal IL Soon
painfully climbing the twelve high steps
of the dismal scaffold leaning on the ariu
If a priest. Another priest precedes him.
Hitting very high an immense crucifix
toward which the condemned man strives
60 turn his terror stricken face Alvarez
Olivia Is not vet 25 years old; and it was
believed that the savage energy he had.
displayed IN committing his crime, to-.
g1 her with his vigorous youth, wo,ildl
give him strength to face death. Eut
nothing Of tic kind IL now shown by him
and really Il was too much to expect Of \.
ago, and who, while hsfe1ing ~ the ~;
neral chan, ~ III tne prison chapei, musf-
have beheli All KINDS OF hdeous visions
passing before him.
This rule OF oolging the condemned to'
listen during the two nights preceding MT
execution 10 an 1nterminapie serieJ o.
prayers, requiems, De Proiundis chnnFo
uttered fcr the repose OF MS soul py ~
fellow criminals, seems TO me sonetnlAfr
atrocious; and | cor see In 1t the .la +
Festige OF the ferocious medieval niySu--
cism or SPAN, with all its unconselouia
cruelty. Az STOOD on an eieVation over
looking the scauoid, was aoie 10 ooserv'S
all the details OF the last scene OF tl'S
tragedy. inc condemned man methah'
icasy yielded hlInselI up 10 the executioneE
The latter sat down at the Ioot OF the'
post, with his back 10 1t and then ueo ~ p
hands ana feet nara ana tast. ne ara a.'
this without hurrying himself IN the i'ts'
and with all the dlgnlned ihoine-eNae'
which characterizes the spanish runs ~
| ary In the discharge or MS uuty' 9
| preparations had lasted even aIew Sc --N
longer l believe should nave los.
own self control. could near my
humping In my breast, ana every -
| nient or two something ike o veil o.. .
oeiore my eyes.
| TIE IRON COLLAR.
You could not even hear whist : in
| the crowd While one of the Iricsss
pressed n cruciflx to the colorless Ii ~ OF
the sufferer, another was murrnurinx
words OF consolation and hope into his
ear. But the wretched man wa not
listening. His expressionless face lad u
waxen pallor, and his eyes, as they wan-
| dered over the ocean OF faces before him,
already seemed dim with the dullncss Of
death.
| He started considerably when the exc
| neck, and / observed his mouth contract