The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-08-14
HEBREW DEATH PENALTIES.
Ancient Nfethodf % Stealing, Burning.
stransilns and besspitation,

In work on the Criminal Code of
the Jews" Mr.. Benny gives an inter-
esting account Of the various modes of
punishment under the Hebrew law of
Capital offenses. In accordance with
the Mosaic creed four kinds of death
were inflicted, each corresponding
with the crime. Nothing can be more
absurd than the notions about some of
these. The stoniDg of the Bible and
the Talmud were not pell-mell cast
ing of stones at a criminal; the burn
ing had nothing to do with the prac-
tice of the middle ages, nor did the
strahglihg bear any resemblance to the
English methods.
The st6ning to death of the Talmud
was as follows: The criminal was con-
Quoted to an elevated place. Invested
of his attire if man, and then hurled
to the ground below. The height of
the eminence from which he was
thrown was always more than fifteen
feet. the higher, within certain limits,
the better. The violence of the con-
cussion caused death by dislocating
the spinal chord. The elevation was
not to be so high as to greatly disfg-
ure the body. This was tender point
with the Jews; man was created in
Gods image, and it was not permitted
to desecrate the temple shaped by
heavens own hand. The first of the
witnesses who had testified against the
condemned man acted as exccutioner,
in accordance with Deuteronomy xviii,
z. If the convict fell face downward
he was turned on his back. II he was
not quite dead, stone, so heavy as to
require two persons to carry it, was
taken to the top of the eminence
whence he had been thrown; the sec
ond Of the witnesses then hurled the
stone so as to fall upon the culprit be-
low. This process. however, was sell
dom necessary; the semi-stupefied con-
ditiou of the condemned, and the
height from which he was cast insur-
ing, in the generality of cases, instant
death.
1t may be we'll to mention, in this
connection, that previous to carrying
into effect sentence of death, DEATH
draught, as it was called. was admins
tered to the unfortunate victim. This
beverage was composed of myrrh and
frankincense (tebd'aa) in a cup of vim
egar or light wine. 1t produced
kind of stupefaction, a semi-conscious
condition of mind and body. rendering
the convict Indifferent to his fate and
scarcely sensible to pain. As soon as
the culprit had partaken of the stupe-
flying draught the execution took place.
A criminal sentenced to death by
burning was executed in the following
manner: A shallow pit about two feet
deep was dug in the ground. In this
the culprit was placed. standing up
right. Around his legs earth was
shoyeled and battered firmly down I'M
til he was fixed up to his knees in the
soil. Movement on the part of the
condemned person was of course inn
possible; but care was taken that the
limbs should not be painfully con-
strained. A strong cord was now
brought, and very soft cloth wrapped |
ground it. This was passed once
around the offenders neck. Two men
then came forward; each grasped an |
end of the rope and pulled hard. Suf-
was immediate. As the con-
demned man felt the strain of the cord, |
and insensibility supervened. the lower
jaw dropped. Into the mouth thus
opened a lighted wick was quickly |
thrown. This constituted the burning. |
Decapitation was performed by the
Jews after the fashion of the surround
ing nations. II was considered the
most humiliating, the most ignomin-
ious and degrading death that any
man could suffer. 1t was the penalty
in cases of assassination and deliberate
1t was incurred by those
who willfully and wantonly slew a
man with a stone or with an imple-
nent of stone or iron. 1t was likewise
he punishment melted out to all per-
IONS who resided in town the inhab-
tants of which had allowed themselves
% be seduced to idolatry and pa
yaniSm.
Strangulation was a form of death
" suffocation. 1t was effected as in
The culprit stood up to bis
Knees in loose earth. A soft cloth con-
aiming cord was wound once round
lis neck. The ends being pulled in
opposite directions, life was soon ex-
met. This mode of death was the
of one who struck his
ather or his mother; of auy one steal
ng fellow Israelite; of false
prophet; Of an elder or provincial
Judge who taught or acted contrary TO
BE- assislss Of the great saphsdfirs Of l