The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1896-07-08
Continued from LIST Page)
EACH ARMED WITH A STICK,

with which they in turn belabor the
soles OF the victims feet until the
stick is broken. Before the thrash
ing is commenced the victim is adj
jured to CONFESS If he does not the
torture is kept up until he does, or
until the supply of sticks gives out.
Often 200 to 300 sticks are worn
out before confession is secured,
although tho torture often results
in death il the victim is aged or
sick. All Persians are liable to this
punishment, from the Prime Min
lister downward. The Minister Of
Finance was on one occasion given
400 strokes. The bastinado is by no
means the only mode of torture used
in Persia to make criminals confess.
Needles are run under the finger
nails Of some prisoners until con-
fession is extorted, and it is a
practice TO cut gashes in the soles Of
a prisoners feet, inserting therein
broken glass, 80 it is impossible for
him to run away. Such punish
ments have been in vogue for ages,
Notwithstanding the fact that the
late Shah, years ago, issued firman
prohibiting the torture OF criminals.
During the early part of the late
Shah's reign an attempt was made
to murder him. While he was hunt
ing, three men rushed on him and
wounded him. His life was saved
by his own alertness and the timely
arrival of his followers, who made
prisoners Of the would-be assassins.
They were put to
DEATH IN A MOST CRUEL MANNER.
Lighted candles were stuck in Sits
cut in their bodies and after linger-
ing long in agony, they we're cut
into pieces with hatchets. AS such
was the revolving death of those that
only attempted the life of the Shah,
it is very probable that an even
more cruel fate awaits the man who
murdered him. For ordinary crimes
in Persia the punishment is personal
Disagreement. The evil. doer who
is caught in his evil-doing is marked
for life. For first offence at high
way robbery prisoners may lose some
Of his fingers. For a second offence
he is likely to lose a hand, and for
a third an eye will be gouged out.
The traveller passing through Persia
for the first time is astonished at
the number Of manned and half
blind men whom he meets on the
caravan trails. One man who, as a
result of persistent wrong doing,
had lost hand, foot, an ear, and
an eye, was nevertheless pointed out
as a person to be avoided. Apart
from the inhiction of pain as a
means of extorting confessions, there
is another ll-defned
REASON FOR THE TORTURE OF CRIMINALS.
1t is intended that corporal punish
ment shall be warning and an ex-
ample to other evil-doers. 1t is for
this reason that the several hands,
fingers, and ears of convicted men
are thrown int ono OF the principal
streets to horrify men going about
the ordinary affairs OF business. In
Urumia, last December, anyone
could see hands and ears lying in
the streets of the bazaars. At that
time the governor was suffering from
the pains of rheumatic leg, and
The mills OF justice were grinding
double time. But decapitation in
Persia has lost some OF it's old
picturesqueness. In thinking OF
lecapitation one naturally pictures
q scdne in which the executioner,
posed in theatrical attitude, swings
sloft a glittering scimitar, and with
'one well-directed blow" strikes off
,he victims head. In Persia to-day
'ne finds that sort of thing only in
oicture-books imported from the
christian Vast Az a mattar of