The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1893-01-05
STONED TO DEATH.


Summary .Iustcc "sH:i 60 "a TIC b'o'
lic:i :: va = s..a..issan.
Gan cvc en- ~ 80 aid a tooth
for q toctl," T = ~ Of the old
law s4.l - - lf.7hanistan.
saws tn -. FL /. In fact,
the rla:..,lo:.:. q =. -. :i,:lroundings
of the ..i-,,..ni To- light be pro-
totypct, il Il" -o nc old tesla
mcnt g.; f.. IL. ~ Sc lie Of the Is
raclitcs. ! u IS &c Mohammc-
clans, 1t is tr:,c .ll t,.cir religion is
built Oh old lavr l:,."g II their social
life il as si,n.le I'll -.iarchal as when
the great lav.-,i.-c ..'scs ruled the des-
tinics Of the rcorlao1 Israel.
For i'll Aiyhal.ista1l Ct today oxen
tread out tic co,-.l anil slow the fields;
and the plov: iss,li is E, counterpart OF
the Mosaical ilett-;il2cnt Corn is
ground in hantl-:-.i.::; and goatsl1in
serves as 'wajcr-bottlc." Household
and farming utensils have changed
nothing daring TIC centuries that have
elapsed since the Israelites tra1npcd the
desert by tao led sea. In short, you
could find q series Of ''tablcauX wants
in the SURROUNDING C AfGhanistan OF
to-day to i'll NJ cfa2tc;. By chapter the
scenes depicted il tho Old testament. 1t
is said that TIC Af.;;l2crG ere one of the
lost tribes, aid certify SO far as a
logged adherence to leraeiitish notions
is concerned they might be.
There is 10 installing the Mosaical
81
..esent themselves: bat was aston
ished one evening, during the Russian
scare, when I was on the Afghan from
tier, to sec the very sirlilitude OF the old
law punishment Of stoning to death put
in practice.
A yelling mob Of people came rushing
from all directions toward the outskirts
of the village CT Puclsta, picking up
pieces of stone by the way and piling
them in little heaps by their feet. l
thought at the time they were going to
have a pitched battle, with stones as
missiles. But Ghcrtly { man came rum
ming forward. followed by splitting,
hooting mob. shouting: Sag! Sag!'
(dog! dogD. The unfortunate runaway
evidently knew lis fate, for his long,
earnest appeal to Hcavcn as he stopped
short and threw his arms up was but
the preliminary to his fearful fate-llis
final appeal fer mercy on his soul, for
from that bowling mob he we'll knew
he need expect none.
The man ha.i scarcely time to finish
his invocation, when from al directions
literal shower of stones fell on him.
For a moment he swaycd to and fro
under the onslaught. Soon the terrible
shower had battered him into q jcllied,
blood bespattercl mass, hisvery clothes
showing great rents through which the
blood found vent and aprrted freely.
He wavered for moment with his chin
bobbing his chest, and then, after
doubling up at the knees and middle,
fell in heap, dead.
Still the bowling mob continued their
terrible fusillade of stones until around
the already lifcless body cairn was
formed, completely covering in the
corpse. And then the mob clapped
their hands, crowed, and went their
way. "That dog is done for said
they. Done for! Yes, it was terrible
doing; for there under the heap Of
stones the mans nerves and muscles
still vibrated in their post-death
struggle, causing the stone heap to rise
and fall as if in labor with thing Of
life; rose and fell in their horrible
parturition for few moments until the
twitching Of nerve and muscle ceased,
and all was still. ''Consummatum est.
The murderer of Afghanistan has
breathed his last and his iacet is writ
ten around the tombstone in those blood
marks that bespatter the ground about
his grave cairn.