The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1889-04-06

fOrefatherS IN QlSpOSlng Oh tnelr
prisoners of war was to sacrifice them
to their gods in the Wicker Image,
which is described as "a statue OF
image OF a man in vast proportion,
whose limbs consisted of twigs weaved
together in the nature of basket-ware;
these were filed with live men and
after that set on fire, and so the poor
creatures were destroyed in We smoah
and flames"
The cruelties OF the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries were terrible, and
In the torture chambers the instru-
ments used were surely the devices OF
hell. The torture instruments in the
Tower of London form a loathsome COL
lection. There is the trough in which
the victim was wracked to confession,
the iron necklace, the "Scavenger's
daughter" which consisted of irons
for the neck, hands and feet, thumb
screws, an axe and hook for the tear
ing away of flesh; then the execution
er's block and Ratchet and mask in use
at the final ceremonies.
In forty years, from 1920 to 1866, the
judges OF the city of Leipsic condemned
at least twenty thousand people to tor
ture and death. A refinement of cruelty
was that committed by the Dutch on
the English in Amboyna. where the
victims arms were nailed to the upper
beam of doorway, his feet tied to the
sides, underneath his soles were placed
lighted candles, torches were applied
to his arm-pits, and then after band
age had been placed about his chin,
beer was poured into his mouth and he
was compelled to swallow it until he
was as full-bodied as an ordinary Dutch
burgomaster. The idea that the poor
wretch was filed with beer may be
secuted, unless it were stale and un-
drinkable. Anyway, it was terrible
punishment for any Briton who had
not been Heidelberg student.
The French method of executing
criminals is by means of the guillotine,
the invention of certain DIR. Guillotin.
The doctors invention has been made
the subject OF painting by Canot, a
pupil Of David. who in his masters
studio had become acquainted with
Talma, Danton, Robespierre, Marat
and Guillotin himself. The picture
represents Guillotin showing the model
of his death-dealing machine to the
Convention, which adopted it in place
of beheading by the axe. The first trial
was given to it on April 25. 1892, when
a dead body was decapitated success
fully. The French excutioner is styled
Monsieur de Paris" who, when his
attendants fasten the wretch to the
fatal board of the guillotine, whispers
in the suavest manner: Courage, my
friend, it will not hurt you much"
The fate of some regicides is not
pleasant to contemplate. Respecting
the death of Damiens, who attempted
the life of Louis XIV, of France, an old
chronicler says: II can scarce guide my
pen to tell you what that insane and
wretched mortal endured before as
well as on the day Of the execution. L
will pass over the trifing tortures he
was put to in private and come to the
day of his public sufferings, first desir-
ing the reader to lay down this paper
II he be not well prepared to hear re-
lated the saddest tale of truth that ever
pen or press produced" 1t can be
imagined that the horrors were some-
thing frightfrh, when it is said that
even four wild horses driven to four
points did not free the victim
rom his sufferings. The old chronicler
says of. this execution: at was OBJ
served that during that last and terri
'ying operation all the mems heads |
we're turned away from the horrid |
sight, but all the women's immovably |
liked on the criminal. Louis XIV. was
| man of perfect good temper, there
ore hope and believe the sufferings
If the assassin arose from the love of |
lis subjects. otherwise would prefer
,eing the departed shade Of Damiens
o that Of a King of France"
And the story Of horrors is not yet
ully described; in fact much of it
would be too horrifying for perusal
nowadays. Some popular ancient meth
Ids ofslaying criminals were the crush
ng of their bones by having spiked
oller dragged over them by horses or
" means of sharp spiked harrows
ragged by spirited steeds, the placing
i thorns upon the victims body and
hen letting huge stone fall upon
hem. A favorite method practiced in
ndia up to recent date was the en-
'loyment of elephants as execationers.
ither by trampling the victims to death
r by having the huge creature do it as
emily as possible by pressing its pom
erous paw upon the head.
In Japan they do the business in this
ray: An official asks the culprit If he
J ready One of the aseiefanfo elite |