The herald., 1896-11-06
THE SULTAN'S TORTURE CHAM.
BERS.

The following Is an account, from a
resident of Constantinople, of the vari-
Gus tortures which Armenians now in
the sultan's prisons are being forced to
undergo. Some of them are so horrible
in their Internal barbarity that one dare
not describe them; others, no less hor-
ribie, are unfit for general publication;
but some do admit of a modified de-
scription, ard the reader must read be-
tween the lines and fill In the blanks for
himself. There are dozens of other
methods of torture, almost too common
to excite comment
The twitch is made Of two pieces of
wood, with a cord passed through one
end and forming a loop. This used to
be employed in England to hold refrac-
tory horses if 1t was necessary to admin
lister medicine. When an Armenian is
safely in prison and will not speak out,
the twitch is applied in exactly the same
way, until the cord cuts into the flesh
and the blood spurts.
Two pieces of fiat board, with a couple
of notches on each side Of the board, are
fastened together just like pair of nut
crackers, and then used to compress
certain parts of the body.
Eggs are boiled hard, and while in
tensely hot are inserted under the arm
pits and between the legs of the obsti-
nate Armenians. His arms and legs are
bound tightly and the eggs changed
when they begin to cool.
Washers are the little tongs used to
lift pieces of charcoal from open fires in
mangols. These tongs are made redhot
and applied to the body in the same way
that Edward II was done to death in
Berkeley castle.
At the Turkish prisons in Constanti-
nople the chair torture is in daily force
n onn1iad - 1ci nj in n c
who will not speak out regarding the
whereabouts of their fellow countrymen
who are wanted by the officials. There
Is a cell in every prison in which is a pit
capable of holding water An armchair
is placed in this pit and the back of this
chair is made to lean forward by means
of screws. An Armenian is put into the
chair and band of iron, the ends of
which go through the holes Of the chair,
is fastened across his abdomen. The
water IS then let in and the chair screw
ed forward until the mans head and
shoulders are forced together. When
the mans head is under water he must
either speak or drown.
I have seen in Constantinople an un-
fortunate Armenian bound and thrust
into cesspool in the yard of the pris-
on. The ordinary procedure of the Turk
ish officials is to leave the victim until
lie SihhS anu 10 SunOCdtCQ Vi ClSC lildhCS
a sham confession.
Iron bands are made, with a screw at
the back, to go round the forehead.
trunk and limbs; then the ends are
screwed together and the unhappy Ar
menian forced to speak. The man is
kept for few days until the marks have
worn off and it is impossible to say that
he has been tortured.
Another method of torture Is to sever
the skin of the scalp and insert living
vermin beneath it. Men have been
known to go mad under this frightful
torture.
This mode of torturing imprisoned
Armenian does not admit of publication
in detail A cord is tied round the feet
and ankles of the unfortunate prisoner
and the head and feet drawn up together.
When the unfortunate man is in this
position horrible crime is committed
upon him by the Turkish officials.