Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1891-08-01
sTErN AND ITS VICTIMS.
Ancient Prison In Which A"'u'
Deeds Were Done.

mass by the Steen prison on their way
~ the hotel This historical edifiee Is
believed to have existed from tae
foundation of the burgh. In other
words, it is nearly thirteen centuries
old. 1t was the seat of the induisltion
IN Flanders and more than seventy-hve
thousand lives were sacrificed in agony
ard sbame within its subterranean
chambers.
In an article on this house OF o
rors and the other sights of Antwerp q
writer in the Illustrated American says
the average tourist will first visit the
| celebrated cathedral. Then he will In.
spect the great pictures of Rubens and
finally he will visit the famous prison.
A narrow street leads to 3 broad
archwav and a porte-cochere, through
which one enters the prison of Steen.
A very ancient castelated structure IL
is, with a tower at two Of the corners,
and tlving buttresses, ~emerasures, port
holes and varied rough ornamentation.
| The prison of Steen is believed to have
| existed from the earliest history OF the
burgh. and TO have been established IN
the seventh century, when, perhaps 1t
NAV have received its name 70 distin-
cuish it from the general architecture,
or, IS Heeren-Steen, as il was known
in the most ancient days, residence OF
the seigueur. and was the equivalent
perhap, OF our manor house. ASeariy
As the twelfth century 4 feu6as edihoe
5 known 70 have existed on the spo.
and to have been old a. that time
Three centuries later !; had fallen into
decay and was restored. although.
doubtless, en- The original foundations
Its architectue presents features - 4
god deal cteie=aace Sad grace
Here, during the period whtch plunged
the low countries into acCrlitiol whose
bloody souvenirs a-e only eQua,sd II
horror hv those 81 the later Frer,h
revolution. were enacted scenes -
cruelty and torture from whose dis
closure the mind sh-icAs II a maze a
Sorb. and iis;rcs: that such things can
Be possible - human nature, Ate.
passing the portal o! this prison Of nor
tots leaving the arartnent Of the con-
c.e--e on the right. the visitor, being
srs, furnished with q lighted candle,
proceeds s,-aigh, forward, and turning
. - tie .et. begins 10 descend the mas
>iye stone steps which lead 70 the cells
ana underground apartments and pas
saces q the prison q Steen.
On the right as you leave the foot Of
the staircase, Is a large room, now bare,
s. we have said. Of every article Of
furniture Walls floor and ceiling are
= stone. though 70 discover this fact
ron must carry your candle TO within a
Jew Zee; OF either, so dense and thick
and black IS the darkness with which
Won are surrounded The sir is heavy
and oppressive Some nsee and I'M
imagined horror appears TO occupy the
place Walking with careful footsteps
il IS observed that the floor declines
toward the center. 4 blow upon j,
with & cane returns a hollow echo
from beneath. In the very middle
there IS a little aperture in the
stone. through which can be measured
is thickness at this point It IS only
a few inches The stone floor ha,
been worn away by the footsteps, thu
tramping march 10 the grave, Of thost
thousands who have yielded up thei
lives here in this scene Of terror and o
crime. The room in which we stand i
the council chamber. Yonder stoo,
the desk. Or table, raised upon its dais
where sat the judges. Here the strug
Cling prisoner, gasping clutching
struggling in the hands of the men.at
arms was Piled with impossible que:
/ tons, leading only to the certain sell
tence OF torture or death
leaving this room. with its memorie
Of vile hypocrisy and fendish chicaner
9 employed in the alleged service of Go
! and Of religion, we enter a long pa
, sageway, which, passing the staircase
5 leads 70 another room Of about tn
same size al the other end of the builC
= ing. Here were carried 10 completio
and fulfllment the DEGREES of th
e council. Here the writhing, miserabl
r victims, male or female, were brougf
: for the execution Of their sentenc,
/ This was the torture chamber. Hel
2 no light entered, save that which we
r made by the torches OF the attendant
while air sufficient only for existenc
came through passages connected wit
the exterior. Here at the left WI
o the rack. Yonder in that corn,
was the bronze figure, modelled after
s human being, known as 1.-The Maiden
e Kiss" the whole front of which was
I door, whose interior was lined wit
c spikes, and within which the victim
e this final torture was thrust, the do,
4 being closed upon his few and feeb
cries, his anguish and his death.
. These holds in the ceiling held gre
y iron hooks from which ropes, with pu
e leys attached, swung, while betwee
the ceiling and the floor the form
e the poor tortured creature was draw
d joint from joint, bone from socket, u
til insensible, or until a shrieking co
It sent to recant or disclose was the sign
q lOE Ills titdsc. oNtT On tHdb Sluc
the room stood the iron FRAMEWORK
upon which the victim was bound viii
Z, the soles of his feet were burned wi
ID slow fire. There was the thumb-scre'
just beyond stood a vat wherein &C
tain victims were subjected 10 the slo'
n est and most merciless death by drow
1t ing. A stone still stood, in anoth
e, corner, on which the tortured wret'
G, was seated and held while boiling {
was poured down his throat The fc
Id midable thickness of the walls stiff
the groans and cries of the miserat
L. victims All of these instruments
V. torture which we have described exis
NJ to-day in one of the upper rooms of t
museum above those in which tn
were employed.
is Facing the foot of the staircase, t
f. visitor sees before him a square, ma
" i've half-door Of wood, rising from
height. in the stone wall about that
tie a mans waist Opening this 1t swim
II on hinges toward you. Your candle
10 nearly blown out as a damp gust of
comes out Of the darkness beneat
Hither, when the soldiers and after
ants had wreaked their will upon the
hP when their frail humanity finally
10 sented unto death the fearful agoni