Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-09-19

ments of the condemned, and to minimize
| the horror of the inhuman Spanish custom
| of placing the criminal for tWenty-four
hours in a chapel open to the public, and
where all the naughty senoras and Washers
of Madrid congregate to stare at the unfor-
tunate, who is being incessantly preached
at by relays of monks during the entire
time spent in the chapel. Higinia occupied
an arm chair placed between two rows of
"Freres de la Hernandez" who were
chanting the prayers for the dying. The
bell tolled increasingly, and every time the
clock struck another hour which marked
the approach of death to the woman,
shudder ran through her frame. Still, hope
had not fled from her bosom. She believed
that the regents pardon would be handed
to her by the eXecutioner.
| shall never forget the
EXPRESSION OF ANGUISH
on her countenance as l saw her in the
Chapelle Ar}ente on the night before her
execution. Her large eyes wandered rest
lessly around the chapel walls, her face
was of an ashen hue, save where two hectic
spots burned feverishly on each sunken
cheek. She held large wooden crucifixin
her trembling hand, and from time to time
she would press it cOnvulsively against
breast. She hadbeen very handsome at the
time she murdered her mistress, but her
beauty faded like that of a flower cast into
a glowing oven, during the long contlne-
ment. Her frame was thin to emacia-
ton, and the glitter of her dark eyes gave
one the impression that she was partly
bereft of reason.
GIVEN UP TO THE EXECUTIONER.
She was already half-dead when the ex-
ecutioner presented himself at the chapel
to claim his victim, and according to tradi
tional usage. knelt before her and craVed
her pardon for being obliged to obey the
orders given to him by the Justice. He then
proceeded to pinion her arms and legs with
fine whip-cord and slipped over her head
the sinister black cloth robeand hood worn
by the condemned criminal on the way to
the scaffold. Two monks thereupon led
the woman out of the chapel and supported
her across a large courtyard and up tie
steps of the platform where the garrote
stood.
The vast yard was crowded by 10, 900 spec
tators in gay holiday attire, who whiled
away the interval BEFORE the execution by
hurting curses at the eXecutioner. AL
though neither strange nor unprecedented,
this occurrence almost paralyZed the man
while preparing for his disagreable task.
The unfortunate woman took her place in
the seat Of
THE HORRIBLE MACHINE OF DEATH. 7
And Immediately the iron collar was adj
justed around her neck. The collar is Sc
cured to a stout, upright post by means of
an apparatus which, by few turns of the
lever, causes the band of iron to instanta-
neously contract, thereby choking to death
surely, if SLOWLY, the unfortunate victim
of the garrote. hardly had the collar been
set in its place when the eXecutiOner gave
three rapid turns to the lever and his ottic-
ial acy was completed.
Among those nearest to the scaffold the
sounds emitted by the lips of the woman
were plainly heard. The head moved from
side 70 side and a we'll defined movement
of every part of the body was observed. In
about minute the motion of the head had
ceased. but the tremor-1ike movement of
the body continued for short time after
ward. Then the head fell slightly to one
side and all was still. She was dead. The
horrible death of the murdereSs did not
seem to produce any revulsion of feeling
in the hearts of the spectators, but when
the handkerchief covering her face was re-
moved a cry of horror and disgust arose
from the crowd. Women tainted away, |
children screamed, and men started aghast. |
And yet during the ten hours for which |
the body remained exposed to the public, |
almost every inhabitant of this city came |
to have look at it.
In the dead of night the monks of Her
mandad carried away the body, which, |
clothed in a nuns garb, was inferred in a |
corner of the cemetery devoted to the burr |
al of criminals. On the next day a mass |
was@telebrated for the repose of her soul, |
at which the Judges who had pronounced |
her death sentence and the prison officials
and the eXecutioner were present.