Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1891-08-21
1 - y - 1savsnk PoWefU. Govt Report Aug ~ 1880
@!A!!'!!! e! Bsti9s BsMissz
-. ABSOLUTELY PURE
A6S0OTElY PURE
FROM THE DARK ACES.
wnst sne Earl OF shrewshurt Found
NureAbsrg - In plsth snes a Tertur.

AsEA % enfeWsbufy Found ID
rAosre - lDplstAsnss q Torture.
The Earl u Shrewsbury recently
ParohAsed the torture implements Of the
Castle Of Nuremberg, and they are now
on exhibition in London. The most
valuable, . IL II the farest 81 the whole
oollseeloa y the iron msiden { Eiserme
gun8trau1 q This tezror-inspirinu -.
sure instrument Is made 81 strong wood.
bound together with iron bands, II
opens with two doors to allow the pris-
oner to be placed inside. The entire
door is fitted with long, sharp iron
Spikes 30 that when the doors are
pressed TO these sharp pronss force
their way into varjons portions of the
victims body. Two entered his ewes.
others pierced his back. his chest. and.
IN TACT, impaled him alive in such
manner that he fingered in the most ap-
onlzlng torture. When death relieved
tne poor wretch from his sgonies-per-
maps after days--a trap door in the base
was pulled open and the body was al
io~ed to fall into the moat or river be.
low. Persons were condemned to death
by the embraces of the Iron Maiden for
plots against the governing powers,
parricide. and religious nnbeIief. The
GATE OF this rare specimen is the ff.
teenth century. A great number Of
torture machines were apparently con.
structed with such deviiish ingenuity
that they would twist and rack the
delicate human body to the point Of
madness, and yet not actually endanger
The torture bench, about ten feet
long, was used for stretching prisoners,
the feet being fastened to Que end, the
hands to the other, across a roller stud.
ded with wooden spikes, called spiked
hare"
The torture chair, the seat being
completely covered with sharp wooden
spikes; body, arms, and legs being
strapped to the chair, and in some cases
TWO heavy stone weights attached to the
The metal boots, which. being placed
on prisoners feet, molten lead or
boiling oil was poured into theuf.
A ghastly relic in black box of cof-
nn.like appearance Is the dried head of
. child-murderess, still transfixed on
rusty spear-hesd.
There are tongue-tearers, thumb
screws, mouth-gags, Spanish CATERS for
squeezing the legs to pulp, branding
irons, foot-screws, iron.chain gloves. to
be used whed red-hot; iron nippers,
iron-wire whips, heavy stones to be
worn round the neck, thief-catchers,
and large number of oftwo-handled exc.
cutioners' swords. OF the humorous
articles-if. indeed, humor can enter
into such grim companionship-we may
instance the shame-masks, or branks,
worn ss signs Of degradation for slight
odenses by men or woman, those for
the nobility having visors to them like
helmets, 80 that the features were con-
cealed till the penance was over;
wooden collars, with bells and tassels,
ducking-stools and churn-shaped boxes,
known - drunkards' cloaks-an un.
comfortable garment fitting too tightly
round the neck to allow the head to be
"i.hdrawn, and, while too heavy to walk
about in for any great length of time,
yet not quite short enough to permit
the wearer to kneel down in them.
Among the pictures is one of Damien,
Of whom it may be remembered that,
after four horses failed to pull him
asunder, he was afterward tortured with
boiling oil, and that not killing him, was
finally bound to stake and burned to
death. Appropriately enough, the in
struments are placed in series Of dun.
geon corridors and cells that the Messrs.
Tusssud have erected in the basement
of their establishment. The two cells
selected for illustration are copied from
the Museum Of Antiquities, formerly
the Prison of the Inquisition, in Ant
werp, and have oil the semblance of
reality. The first dungeon cell is .
small room about 8x5, so constructed
that the air in it could be pumped out,
20 that the inmate died slow. suffocat.
ing death. Perhaps the refinement of
cruelty was reached in the plausible
escsptacell. II was false beacon to an
escaping prisoner, . bait to q poor
wretch who, NO doubt. thought he was
about to regain his freedom, may be
connivance bought; he would hurry
down the dark stone corridor to where
the rusty gate unlocked or carelessly
left ajsr would welcome him. to where
the bit Of shiuing sky seen through the
barred window would gladen his heart,
and pushing open the gate with eager
hands would at once step into . deep
we'll Of water with perpendicular sides