The Washington critic., 1889-06-06
ODD EXECUTIONS.
The Manner in which Some Muir
derers Have Died.

An officer of the Danish navy related
The other evening some odd executions
he had witnessed. He began with a
dccapitation witnessed near Homburg.
The victim, notorious scoundrel who
had added the cap.shcaf to career of
Of crime by numbering an officer, was
ordered TO have his head cut of At
The appointed time the victim took his
scat in a chair properly prepared. 1t
was in yard TO which quite II crowd OF
officials and others were admitted The
exccutioner, a powerful man, took his
position just behind and little to the
left Of the chair. after the victim was
seated, precaution being taken that he
should not be seen by the man whose
life he was about to take. He held q
short, very heavy and very broad sword
or knife, the hllt graspcd by his right
hand. the blade resting in the hollow of
the barred left arm. The victim was
smoking pipe, which he puffcd Wig
orously while the preliminaries were be.
ing arranged. AT signal from the Of.
iicers in charge the headsman made one
step backward. and grasping his sword
with both hands let 1t swing down by
his side. The victim during all this
time sat bolt upright, his un-
bound eyes gazing steadily in front of
him. The movement of the exccutioncr
was heard by him and he said in clear
voice: "Macht Schwindt," his pipe
dropping from his mouth when he
opened Il to speak. Almost before the
words were finished the glistcning blade
WAS whirled around the exccutioner's
head, and, the same motion taking u
literal direction with swish, sent the
keen steel through the neck close to the
shoulders with precision of aim that
was faultless and the severed head
rolled to the ground. A fountain of
blood spurted three feet in the air and
the deed was done. At the time re-
fcrrcd TO Europeans were not allowed
10 reside in the city proper but there
was an outer or suburban city, COM
posed largely of foreigners. In this
outer city was an open space or com
mon. devoted to tho punishment of
criminals. On one occasion China
man, who had committed crime pun
ishable by death, was brought into this
open space to be quartcred. After the
pIeliminaries, which were brief and ex
peditiously arranged, the prisoner was
placed in a standing position, with his
legs spread quite wide apart, both arms
extended on level with the shoulders.
and held by man on each side of him.
The chief officer stood directly in
front, and when the prisoner was prop
crly posed gave signal to the heads.
man. who stood few feet away hold
ing sword about two and a half feet
long. the blade slightly curycd-a
cross between q ship cutlass and u
scimctar At the signal he stepped
forward and with q sidewise blow
struck off the victims head, and then
with lightning. rapidity swung the
blade aloft again and brought it down
squarcly in the centre of the spot from
which the had just been severed
with such force as TO almost completely
split the body, which was still held in
an erect position by the men graspine
The extended arms. The two halves
fell apart. and at the same instant two
!, assistant executioners stepped forward,
~apd with swords similar to the one de
scriEed-seyercd these two halves at thC
thighs. "This,' said the narrator,
was probably one of the most bloody
death scenes ever witnessed. - Phila
6elphia Item.