The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1892-08-04
THE ToRTURINe OF lAMs.

The tying up of man by bis thumbs
for thirty minutes, to say nothing of
shaving half his head and face, was
relic of barbarism.- m.-Buffalo Times.
The punishment inflicted upon Priv
ate Iams in tying him up by the thumbs
| was an unnecessary brutality. Disci-
pline is necessary, and soldierly ODE.
dience to orders, but there was no occa-
sion In this instance to add physical tor
ture and maltreatment to the disgrace
! and degradation of dismissal. Philadel.
phia Record.
This was simply dibolical proceed.
ing. 1t was tyTannical and arbitrary
conduct in time of peace. Doubtless
Iams deserved punishment and disci-
pline demanded it. But he deserved no
such punishment as that meted out to
him by the petty little tyrant who hap
pens to be the colonel of regiment for
the time being. We are not living un.
der the rule of the Car of Russia;
neither is this country portion of ST.
berla.-Holyoke (Mass.) Democrat.
For young militiaman at Home
stead to offer cheers for the killing of
Frick was indiscreet and deplorable,
but the selection of hanging by the
thumbs as a mode of punishment was
barbarous.- Washington Star.
Strict military discipline is ex-
tremely necessary, but in the case of
Private lams 1t was carried too far. 1t
was not only unjust to hang the poor
fellow up by the thumbs and subject
him to other barbarities during this
time of profound peace, simply because
he uttered a sentiment against Frick,
but 1t was brutal. The occasion did
not warrant such severe discipline
Youngstown Vindlcator.
The hanging mp by the thumbs for
thirty minutes of a private soldier in
the camp at Homestead was an in
human, illegal ana cowardly act for
which the perpetrators should be
brought to justice. Every American
| citizen is entitled to fair trial before
punishment is inflicted and when pun
ishment is inflicted it should not be of a
sort that would disgrace barbarians. -
GAINESVILLE Signal.
AL men seem agreed as to the Iams
case. Nobody has word to say in de-
| fense of the offenders folly, but every
| body condemns the brutality of the pun.
ishment inflicted upon him without a
trial.-New York World.
| The punishment inflicted on Private
Iams at the Homestead camp is very
generally denounced as intolerably
cruel and unnecessary. The torture of
hanging man up by the thumbs until
he becomes unconscious, with three
| surgeons standing by to watch the
actions of the heart and the condition
of the pulse that the victim might be
cut down before death intervened, re-
calls the military code of Russia OF
Turkey or China, but is disgusting and
horrifying in Pennsylvania. If this
act of barbarism and brutality was
committed on the order OF the com
mander of the National Guards, Gen.
eral Snowden will have a serious ac-
count to settle IN some way or other
with the decency and humanity of the
State.-Pittsburg Post.
The almost incomprehensible brutal
ity dealt out to Private lams, of the
Pennsylvania National Guard, for yell
ing three cheers for Bergman, Is not
as popularity received now as it was al
first thought. Iams should have been
punished, but the days of the savage
inquisition are past, and the torture
and disgrace Iams was subjected to are
almost beyond belief in these days OF
peace ard order. Mansfield Shield.
| However foolish Iams may have been
in expressing his opinion, there car
be no excuse for the barbarous punish
ment he received If there is any author
ity for such heathenish work in Penn
sylvania, that State is disgrace to th'
Union. We do not believe the officer
of the 10th regiment had right to tor
ture Iams. II they had not, it is pit!
that that brute of colonel and Genera
Snowden, who endorsed the brutality
cannot be strung up by the heels. Tall
about anarchists Why, such damna
bic work as this is what breeds anar
chists, and it is a wonder that instead
of anarchists we don't have caunibal
and human vampires by the score! o.
Cleveland Press.