St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-08-22
EUROPEAN HEADSMEN.
THE swoRDsMAN GERMANY
AND SPANS STRANGER.
Reinders Struggle With a Man
About to Die-The Glittering Broa3
Sword-Au Over in a Minute
Cruelty in Austria.

The German executioMer, Rc!n1ei Is
the leader of headslnrn OH the continent.
He is not a mere yinccr of the guillo
tine, but strikes off with his own hand
and trusty sword the head of the victim,
after the fashion of hundreds Of years
ago. Beheading is the highest P naItI
for crime in Germany, and the hcadsmaA
is kept fairly busy, go ng from one State
to another on his hidcous round. An
execution in Germany to-day IS IN no
essential particular different from those
that we read about in English and
French history as to the common late
of political suspects.
The German criminal is handled more
rudely, perhaps, than was King Charles
or Lord Hastings, but in all essentials
the modern German eXecutioncr's work
Is like the old German.
Reindel's most exciting experience was
at Buckeburg, the Capital of S@E'num-
berg Llppc, when he decapitated the
notorious murderer, Hecrwalt. Tue case
aroused great sensation at the time.
Heerwart was refined ruttian, belonging
to good family, and in the habit of
running in debt People to whom he
owed large amounts developed different
habit, that of dying suddenly F; where
upon their administrators would tird
Heerwart in possession of receipt re
Gently signed, for the sum supposed
to be due. At last detection came and
Heerwart was convicted and sentenced
to death.
Reindel, who is a six-footer and a
veteran soldier, arrived at the PRISON,
accompanied by his tire. sous, who
always act as his assistants. The court
yard of the prison was fitted up in the
usual style, every thing but the block
draped in black, the block being covered
with bright scarlet cloth. Reindcl
never binds his victims. He depends
upon his stalwart sons to hold them, and
he Lad no reason to anticipate any resi>-
lance on the part of Heerwart, middle
sized man, not apparently strong and
whose conduct in prison had been ex
ccl.ent
At the stroke of eight the prisoner was
led out, locked arm in arm with prison
officer. Heerwart's eyes appeared to
light on the block, and wandered from
that to table few feet away, on which
lay three broad swords, sharp and I'M
sheathed, for the use of the headsman.
With leap, Heervart was at the table,
and scizing one of the swords, he backed
resoiutely against the wall In an atti-
tude of defiance Two of the sons of
Reindel rushed upon him, and before he
could use the weapon he was heI pless in
their grasp. 1t is hardly necessary to
say that the formality of reading the
death variant was much abbreviated,
and that the rest Of the ceremony was
brief. The three sons bore the prisoner
to the block, two held him by the body,
the other grasped his head. Reindel's
sword was for an instant poised in the
air, then down it came, and the head
rolled away, severed at one stroke.
While crime, of course, varies, Reinlel
performs about thirty executio S a
year
In Austria criminals are put to death
by strangling or shooting, according to
the sentence of the Court. The gibbet
is used at executions Of the former kind,
and Prof Sterneck, as he is called, the
most noted of Austrian cXecutioners, has
been detected in practices very much re-
sembli cruelty.
A few years ago he used to put an iron
gag in the mouths of prisoners, to pre-
vent them from utterance The practice
had for long time passed unobserved,
until at length it was discovered by the
slow going German newspapers. The
professor excused himself upon
the ground of necessity but he
did not do it again. The
shooting of criminals would have been
altogether substituted for strangIlng but
for the objection on the part Of soldiers
to be detailed for any such purpose.
This fact, and the reluctance to use the
gibbet, have tended to bring about the
virtual abolition of capital punishment
in Austria, except in the worst cases.
1t may seem incredible, but it is true,
nevertheless, that retired executioner
is livingin Belarade to-day, who, as late
as 1875, broke criminals on the wheel.
The name of the man is Paulo Jovano-
witch, and the executions took place on
the grassy slopes of the ramparts of Bel.
grade.
The most noted execution of the time
was in 1872, when two men, one Turk
and the other a Hebrew, were put to
death for numbering whole family. The
Hebrew was executed first, and fifteen
minutes elapsed before the executioner
gave him the coupe de grace.
The Turk made violent resistance,
and had to be stunned into subsection,
although the stunning was, perhaps, IN.
intentional. This medieval punishment
was abolished about 1878, when Servia
asserted complete independence. Strang
ling in prison is the usual capital pen
atty.
In Norway an expert executioner IS
requisite, although his services are sell
dom needed. August Claeson is now
an old man, and has held the office
twenty four years, with occasional as
sistance. The laws of Norway are still
harsh in terms, and were harsh in prac-
tice not many years ago. Old man
Claeson can remember that at Trond
hjem about twelve years ago preacher
named Jansen, convicted of numbering
his child, stood in the pillory all day
with his right hand cut off, and had his
head cut off at shutdown. Now, how
ever, the punishment is decapitation,
without the barbarous exhibition that
used to precedc it. The death penalty
is so seldom resorted to in Sweden and
Norway that it is practically obsolete.
Calleja, the Spanish executioneer, who
attends to the garrote in every part of the
Kingdom where its use is necessary, has
held Office only three years. His prede-
cessor, Robledo, was much better known.
ID Il al >nrE hn
garrote that the Sultan of Morocco sent
him a special invitation to go to that
country and give evidence of his skill.
Robledo went, out of humanity as he
claimed, and suggested to the despot of