Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-07-17
HORRIBLE RELICS.
Instruments Of Torture Used in
the Dark Ages.
A Rare Collection from the Castle of Nu-
remburg on Exhibition in the
City of London-Ghastly
Inventions.

OASJ
Inventions.
The earl of Shrewsbury recently pur-
chased the torture implements of the
Castle of Nuremberg, and they are now
on exhibition in London. The most
valuable, as 1t is the rarest of the whole
collection, is the iron maiden (Eiserme
Jungfrau). This terror-inspiring tor
ture instrument, says the Albany Ar
gus, is made of strong wood, bound to-
gether with iron bands. 1t opens with
two doors to allow the prisoner to be
placed inside. The entire door Is fitted
with long, sharp iron spikes so that
when the doors are pressed to these
sharp prongs force their way into va
rious portions of the victims body.
Two entered his eyes, others pierced
his back, his chest, and in fact, impaled
him alive in such a manner that he
fingered in the most agonizing torture.
When death relieved the poor wretch
from his agonies--perhaps after days
a trap door in the base was pulled open
and the body was allowed to fall into
the moat or river below. Persons were
condemned to death by the embraces
of the iron maiden for plots against the
ligious unbelief. The date of this rare
specimen is the fifteenth century. A
great number of torture machines were
apparently constructed with such dew
ilish ingenuity that they would twist
and rack the delicate human body to
the point of madness, and yet not
actually endanger life.
The torture bench, about ten feet
"a, %ol
the feet being fastened to one end, the
hands to the other, across roller stud
ded with wooden spikes, called ''spille
hare
The torture chair, the seat being COM
pletely 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 feet.
The metal boots, which, being placed
on prisoners feet, molten lead or boil
ing oil was poured into them.
A CHASTITY relic in black box of cof-
fn-likc appearance is the dried head of
child-murderess, still transfxed on a
rusty spear-head.
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 when red-hot; iron nippers,
iron-wire whips, heavy stones to be
worn around the neck, thief-catchers
and lal ge number of two-handlcd eX-
ecutioner's swords. OF the humorous
articles-if, indeed humor can enter into
such grim companionship-we may in
stance the shame-masl1s, or branks,
worn as signs of degradation for slight
offenscs by men or women, those for
the nobility having visors to them like
helmets, SO that the features were con-
cealed till the penance was over; wood
en- collars, with bells and tassels for
scOlds; ducl1ing stools and churn-shaped
boxes, known as drunkards' cloalks-an
uncomfortable garment fitting too
tightly round the neck to allow the head
to be withdrawn, 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 had failed to pull him
asunder, he was afterward tortured
with burning oil, and, that not killing
him, was finally bound to stake and
burned to death. Appropriately enough,
the instruments are placed in a series of
dungeon corridors and cells that the
Messrs. Tussaud have erected in the
basement of their establishment. The
dungeon cell is small room about
eight feet by five, so constructed that
the air in it could be pumped out, so
that the inmates died a slow, suffo-
eating death; perhaps the refinement
of cruelty was reached in the plausible
escape cell. 1t was a false beacon to
an escaping prisoner, a bait to a poor
wretch, who no doubt thought he was
about to regain his freedom. maybe a
connivance bought; he would hurry
down the dark stone corridor to where
the rusty gate unlocked or carelessly
left ajar would welcome him, to where
the bit of shining sky seen through the
barred window would gladden. his
heart, and pushing open the gate with
eager hands would at once step into a
deep well of water with perpendicular