Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-04-06

Scarcely romance exists of olden days
of whatever country without some ref
erence to the thumbscrews, used to force
confessions from supposed criminals. They
were here in plenty-thumb, toe, hand and
leg screws. If IL man was charged with any
crime or supposed to know of any plot
against the church or government, the
thumbscrew was used to make him reveal
his secrets and betray his confederates. 1t
was not in human nat -, save perhaps in
very rare cases to stand this ordeal long
and under its heartbreakinS torture who
knows how many perfectly innocent people
confessed to and were convicted of crimes
they had never thought of:
Children supposed to conceal evidence
that would help to convict their relatives
often their parents-of suppoSititious crimes
We're not spared. No one was spared in
those days of so called "chivalry"-not the
tenderest youth, not lisping babes, not old
age nor delicate women. l shall not soon
forget the shadowy pain that ran through
me when under one of the galleries l stood
above the cradle of unrest. How fifty and
horribly named! 1t was made of iron, the
rockers very wide, and the interior was
thickly covered with short, pointed spikes.
Scarcely had | turned from this when
felt soft cloth brush my cheek. looked
up and scarlet mantle headed by
black mask. / in the shadow of an
executioners cloak, the sword beside it,
having marks cut upon it proving a record
of 200 heads.
No Figure of Speech.
Very curious are the iron gags. These
were small and could be placed easily in
the mouth, but so subtly were they ar,
ranged by means of springs that they could
be distended to a size which prevented any
utterance.
The rack and the wheel were duplicated
here many times They We're very large,
with variety of ropes and screws attached.
The saying breaking on the wheel is
not at all figurative.
Among other interesting things, not com,
ing under the head of torture, yet connected
with them, noticed "A condemued's cru.
cifiX, which criminals innumerable had car
ried on their way to execution. There was
also mask that was worn by one of the
judges of the secret tribunal-the notorious
Nehmgericht-in which all We're masked
completely, so that the accused might have
stood for Judgment before his dearest friend
or father So memorable was the oath OF
secrecy regarding the personality of these
judges that they were forbidden to disclose
their identity one to the other each being
secretly appointed by the crown. Fancy a
prisoner confronting this iron masked tri
buna! whose judgment none might gainsay
The atmosphere of horror and mystery
would have been terrible enough without
further punishment.
There was also witch's idol, Il carving
of devils head in wood. This was worn
by the supposed witch on her way to be
burned at the stake. Another curious thing
was piece of the cloak worn by the Chris
tian martyr, Johannes Huss, who vas
burned at the stake at Constant. l saw also
a veritable hair shirt once worn for penance
by some monk.
l saw the lecturer pacing between the
rows of knotted wire ropes and CHASTITY
shame masks, and l ventured to ask him
one question
A Chinese Fine Art.
The world is too enlightened for torture
of any sort now, is it not9 Does it still
exist anywhere" ! asked.
Only in China. There they have re,
duced it to a fine art, he said, with half
pitying smile. They make no weapons
such as are here in CHASTITY profusion.
Those days are forever gone, but as piece
of interesting information let me tell you