The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-04

81 think I could make neat job of it,
SIR" suggested the accommodating Her
cules, whose eyes were still Illuminated by
an ugly glitter.
The topic was not agreeable, SO changed
the drift of conversation.
''How many necks have you brokenW /
asked.
six or seven," said Hercules.
While this conversation was in progress
the various parts of the machine were being
rapidly adjusted. The upright is pierced
by two holes high enough to be just above
the shoulders of the individual who is to go
to the other world, and far enough apart to
permit the insertion of steel bars. one on
each side of the subjects neck. These, with
the addition of cross-piece, form what is
called the collar" The cross-piece
bangles from the end of one of the
bars until the Inflated neck is
in position, when it is fastened to
the end of the other bar, directly across the
throat. If the cross-piece is not in actual
contact with the flesh the whole collar is
drawn back from behind, not, of course.
far enough to cause the doomed man i'm
mediate discomfort, but sufficient, as it
were, to make neat fit. The snugger the
fit the more expeditions the work which
follows the blood-curdling preliminaries
The collar, being thus drawn back, is rem
dered Immovable by appliances behind, aud
everything is in readiness for the finishing
touch Back of the neck, and waiting, SO
to speak. to administer the fatal thrust, is
the pointed bar with which the African has
SO often indicated the Cuban capital code.
Il is set in motion by poHe rful screws,
which are in turn operated by a lever.
One turn of the lever results in many
turns of tie screws, and many turns of
the screws send the bar of iron upon its
mission Of destruction. 1t is easy to i'm
aglne that the nervous fbers and ganglions
which the spinal cord includes at the point
of entry, are in O highly disorganized condi-
tion when that bar has doue its work. The
stroke for which Astur was indebted to
Horatius is one of the most famous IN all
history. 1t is recorded of the hero of the
Tiber that
Through teeth, through skull, through helmet
So fierce a thrust he sped,
His good sword stood a hand breadth out
Behind the Tuscan's head
Not whit less effective than the trusty
Roman blade is the weapon of which Her
cules is the master. He grasps the lever
very much as the helmsman grasps the
spokes of the wheel. The movement is cir
cular and just about ore-fourth of revolu-
ton accomplishes its purpose. 1t is SO
powerful q lever that the exercise of muscu-
lar exertion called for is not really great
enough to test the strength Of Hercules.
There is not single feature about the whole
grizzly performance that has about it the
flavor of experiment or doubt. For the
yetebra the.e is no possibility of escape.
''Do you see the ideaw asked Hercules.
quite plainly"
LET me show you what it does" he con-
tinued.
In moment his brawny hands had forced
into the cellar the twig end of q broom. It
filled the place just about as a human neck
might have done. In another moment by
mighty turn of the lever the broom had
been garroUed. Electricity might have done
the work perhaps the fraction of a second
quicker, and there would have been a onspic-
uous absence of the disagreeable crunching
sound by which the operation was accom-
panied, but million volts, alternating or
continuous, could not have left a deader
man behind if Hercules had been perform
ing on a genuine subject. As the twigs
yielded to the remorselesS bolt you could
actually feel the bones and tissues giving
away.
Quick work, isn't it?" asked my friend.
Quick and sure"
eyes, there's no bungling abautit
"a sort of all orders executed with
neatness and dispatch machine" l sug-
gested.
had looked full into the face of the At
rican as he turned the lever. His share in
the display was as realistic as that of the
neck-bearing contlivance itself. He took
long breath, expanding to the full his mas
sive chest set his teeth hard, and choked
the broom with as much energy a; he ever
displayed in public.
"Yol bit the mark every time" I said, as
paid him for his trouble.
II haven't missed it yet"
An American hangman would spurn an
offer of the sum for which Hercules winds
up the mortal miseries of Cuban murderers.
have somewhat vivid imaginatioa. To
all intent and purposes l had sen man
Garroted. DAVID WECHSLER