The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-04
IT BREAKS THE NECK.
SENDING CUBAN MURDERERS TO
THE OTHER WORLD.


The Garrote ct Havana and the
Swarthy Giant Who Manipulates It.
Capital Punishment in the Ever Faith
full Isle.
COPYRIGHT,
NEW YORK, May San African her
cules with a spreading nose and faultlessly
white teeth, is among the convlcts in the
prison of Havana. He is not as black as
the traditional ace of spades, but a cup of
the darkest coffee would need the addition
of not more than teaspoonful of milk to
closely resemble him in complexion. He is
not by any means an ill-favored specimen of
his race. Most people would be apt to look
at him twice under any circumstances; in
his present environments they would be
| more than likely to honor him with unusual
attention. There is certain barbaric
| grace about him which is as free from
assumption as the leisurely movements of a
panther not engaged in the occupation of
| hunting down its prey or in any other of
| the more serious affairs of animal life.
| Hercules owes his loss of liberty to the fact
| that he was injudicious enough to antici-
| pate neture-in other words, he is a MUIR
derer. His cell is on the ground floor in
/ Oilc Ol Jue COTHetS Oh Gue pFlSOD, WHICH
| Is built about a courtyard, forming a
! square and monopolizing an entire block
| The cells face on the interior Of the square,
and very much Of the courty ard is at
| the disposal of the convicts. One of the
| results is that they have a comparatively
unrestrained time of it. No pent-up Utica
of an eight-by-four apartment contracts
| their powers Of locomotion during the day.
| They are privileged TO lounge about in the
SUnGhina q wi ha
sunshine is not too fierce, and to take refuge
in the shadows when it is. If they are in
funds they smoke cigarettes, and the man
who is too poor to buy cigarettes in Havana
must, even for a convict be impoverished
indeed The rallied enclosure within
which Hercules can take all the
exercise he needs is almost large enough to
give regiment room to drill in. When
anything unusual is in progress the inhab-
itants of one wing of the Jail can hasten to
the center Of attraction in the other and
crafty their curiosity as to the cause of the
commotion. These accommodating condi-
tions, which would be regarded as revo-
lutionary in an American prison, do not
seem to be attended with serious con-
sequences. It would be difficult for
the Cuban convict to generate steam enough
to do anything alarming. If In durance
vile he can have mission in life he has it.
The ambition of his day begins and ends
with the consumption of cigarettes. OF
course, no atiiiction could assume a more
intolerable shape than the necessity for
personal exertion, but to be deprived of ciga-
rettes would be even worse, and is in all
probability the only earthly affection which
would result in a revolt. Hercules is,
in more than an ordinary sense of the word,
an object of interestto his fellow prisoners
| and to visitors. The former regard him
| with peculiar emotions, II they have any
emotions, not because the whites of his eyes
are singularly white or even because he is
a specimen of muscular magnificence. As
already intimated, there is blood on his
hands, but few drops of human blood,
| shed III murder, do not explain the concern
! with which he is contemplated. AS Il
| matter of fact for the eminence he en-
| joys Hercules is indebted to the circum-
| stance that he has dislocated the necks of
| half a dozen people. About the time that
he fell into the clutches OF Cuban law the
Office Of public executioner became vacant.
| Hercules was q lusty, hkely-looking fellow
| and he had already shown that little
| thing like taking human life would not
bother him III the least. He was offered the
| distinction and accepted it. He did not CO.
! qaeote with the proposition when it was
| made and takes proper pride in the per-
| torrance of his functions. 1t is, therefore,
as the autocrat of the Carrots that he
| stands head and shoulders, as it were, above
any other inmate of the jail at Havana.
| was conceded the honor of al interview
/ with him net very long ago. It was not
necessary to explain tie object of my visit.
| II suppose you want Co see it," he asked
| IF it is rot too much IroGble," I replied.
mot at all, sir" was the rejoinder
lost sight Of Hercules for few mo-
ments. Thirty or forty of the convicts
| languidly lounged to the spot, so that they
might become spectators of the exhibition,
with which many of them were probably
already familiar. There is evidently grim
| fascination for them in the display of
which duplication does not seem to have
worn off the edge. When Hercules reappeared
he was dragging from his cell box about
| five feet in length. 1t was heavy enough to
| test his strength, and the suberb physical
development of the swarthy giant was all
that made him equal to the task. There was
| something of the devil in the wicked CLEAN
of his ewes as he Strengthened himself up
when relieved from the strain, aud yet
genter voice never spoke in soft, caressing
| tones
IT'S heavy" remarked.
80, not very" he answered.
| II the box had actually been coffin in
stead Of remotely resembling one, it could
scarcely have been more suggestive of
death. The clasps which secured it were
soon relieved of the paddock, and in a few
seconds the lid was thrown back. 1t took
| Hercules about seven minutes to get the
machine in working order. None
of the different parts of the CHASTITY
continuance were connected as they
! lay in the tox. The base of the
| garrote is exceedingly heavy Into this is
fitted the upright, against which, and with
his back to il, the condemned man sits on
what would be as much like a cobbler's
stool as a cobbler's stool itself, had it three
| legs instead of four. The front legs are fur
nished with straps by which the feet of the
man to be executed are secured.
Can offer you seat. sirl" asked Her.
culeS, politely.
well. the back is scarcely comfortable
enough answered
"Oh, sit down, and let him operate on
| you" remarked the friend who had accom-
| panied me.
THANK you, 1 will imagine the sensation,
| If its all the same to you," replied.