The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-02-28

sud unnamed rottlng away In the
Spanish dungeons to-day. under con
ditiOns more horrible than that pic
tured by Dickens IN his Tale Of Two
Cities" Ia the character Of the old
doctor confined IN the bastlle for
twenty-five years. Men who took part
IN the previous Cuban rebellion, near
~ generation ago may stlll be- living
In the dungeons. Thirty years hence
some of the men who are now lighting
30 valiantly Ia Cuba may be- rottlng
away In the same pest. holes. II Is this
prospect which makes them desperate
aud hloodthlrsty. aud eager 10 accept
a thousand risks 10 shake OF the tor.
ture that awaits them.
Each week patches ~ Cuban sus-
poets are Forwarded 10 spain. To b.
a suspect Is equivalent 10 being guilty.
aud those who 20 Will. la all proha.
bility. never return. u a wealthy
planter H. suspected OF furnishing u.
nancial aid 10 the Insurgents be- is
bounced upon and shipped on. lnhn-
ltely better would have been hls fate
had De- Joined the lnsurgent army and
hcrn Killed GA the Held ~ battle.
The ordinary suspect l. not exc
rutci. but u Dee be- proved guilty of
treason the garrotc will speedily end
his troubles. The garrutc j. the official
form ~ punishment IN Spain.
Nearly all of the death sentences are
executed in the rmdam de- Ia Nsldro,
Ga Madrid Al executions are public.
ard arr usually hold early Ia the morn.
INK. The criminal u always mounted
upon the back of tiny Spanish don
key. aud gors Ia the pllce of eXccu-
tiun iu q procession. which consists ~
citizens. priests and soldiers
Prior To leaving the prison In which
the condemned has been confined mass
Is celebrated. aud the death sentence
is read To the guilty wretch When
the prisoner reaches the nlacr " ex
,-cntlOn be- mounts a scanold. back
handkerchief T. tied over his face. and
he Is manaclCd ~ chair. Then
around his neck Is placed the baud ~
the garrote Two turns of powerful
thumh-screw brushes the neck of the
victim and almost sewers the head
from the body.
Death Is claimed To- be- absolutely In.
Simultaneous After the execution, the
body " the victim Is allowed Ia re
main Tor several hours la hain view
~ the crowds. which have seen the
accomplishment ~ the deed NJ Justice.
An executions arr looked upon by the
lower Spaniarl ~ being excellent en-.
tertalnmrnt
While torture has brcn nomluany
abolished. the prisons themselves.
combined with the system. are such
that the agony OF the culprit ga con-
tlnuous and long-endurlng.
As far a. possible the Spanish gov
crnment sends all of her greater Grim.
inals tn her convict colony In Africa.
or In the Canary or Raledric islands.
IN the few towns which remain In
Spain from her once conquest of
Northern Africa she houses her dcs-
peute cOnvlcts. They are hardly a
fitting relic Of the once magnificent
colonial empire ~ the kingdom The
largest penal colony of the Kingdom 9,
on the two Islands Of the Ralrarcs. sit
uated IN the Mediterranean, near the
coast ~ Valencia. iu Spain. There the
convicts arC housed Ike dogs IN Rem.
nels. Day and night they are forced
% wear chains a foot long. which arr
suspended from a glulic.
spains Penal Colonies
They work In the cultivation OF
wheat. barley. vans, dates and figs.
aud In coffee plantations, the result OF
their labor being shipped TO Europe.
when In African colonies aud tlll the
soil for its products equally IN the
canary aud Balearlc islands. The
largest penal colony In the Canary
islands II on the island ~ Fucr,even.
tura, which Is sixiy-three square