The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-10-02
AN EXECUTION IN PERSIA
Burying Men Alive In Wet Plaster z

Burying Men Alive In Wet Plaster -
Paris
A hideous form of execution, which
has rot been practiced for 90 years, vas
revived the other day to strike terror
into the hearts of the people The muir
der Of the shah was followed by q sue
cession of robbcries on the road between
Bushire and Isfshan, TIE nomad tribes
going out in large parues and footing
villages and caravans, and an English
man was even stripped naked and beat
en- with sticks. One hundred thousand
pounds was estimated rs the value Of
property that changed hands during
one week. Every day individuals came
naked into Shiraz, and the roads were
strewn with merchandise that the rob
bers found unsuitable TO carry OF. At
this juncture Il. Z. H Ruhkn-ed-
Dowleh, governor of Shiraz, marched
out of prison five men. who, common
report said, had been there for the last
five months, and had had nothing what
ever to do with the matter, but had
merely been brought from the south,
because they refused to pay the exces.
sive taxes imposed on them. These
mn were to be executed to Brighten the
people by being buried alive in plaster
OF Paris. This form of execution ID
called catching" and consists of a hol'
low pillar being erected over q hole
about two feet deep, so that the whole
forms q well into which the prisoner is
put. sometimes (the most rierciful
method) head downward, and NJ others
with his head sticking out over the top;
plaster of paris is then emptisd in, and
between each basketful water is poured
down the well. The Catch then swells.
and when it hardens it stops the circu-
lation, causing the most excruciating
ngony. About nine r. m on Sunday.
May 10, the five prisoners, chaiped neck
TO neck, were marched ont of prison,
and slowly escorted by n large mob.
who were kept from pressing too close
by soldiers with fixed bsyonets and
others with long sticks. Thsywere taken
to the Koran gate, near the Bagh-i-No.
on the town side of which, alongside
the road. their wells had been prepared.
1t took one hour to reach the Bagh-i-Nc,
but the torture of this form of execu-
ton being unknown TO the prisoners
they walked along without q sign Of
fear.
They were taken into a high-walled
garden, a guard being placed at the en-
trance, and in a short time the first to
be executed was brought ont Round
his neck was q steel collar with chain,
which his guard held tightly in his
hand. Some one offered him pitcher
of water, from which he eagerly drank,
and then, not knowing to what awful
death he was doomed, he walked calmly
and without a word to his well. IL
took nearly half an hour 10 fiji the well
with catch, during all which time the
sticks Of the soldiers were in use TO
keep the crowd from pressing too close
and hamperiny the movements Of those
employed with the Catch. After this
the second was brought out, and as the
crowd moved to the well prepared
for him j took photograph.
which shows the man buried up
tO ZIG GILL, LIS A4IC ~
dered Catch and his eyes closed, SO as
not to see the crowd standing round;
the catch has not begun TO set, and the
man Is suffering no pain.
When the gaoch became solid and
tightsnedon the poorprisonerR the yell:
were frightful to listen 70, and as they
were carried over the walled garden
those watching their turn realized that
the death to which they were doomed,
20 far from being the painless enc they
had hoped for, was instead of terrible
nature. As the fourth man was led
from the garden he begged tie execu-
TONER to take him to the Bazaar, where
he would find some one TO give him ten
humans cay after which he could cut
his head of. The fifth man became
even more frantic as the yells issued
from the mouths of his oonpanious.
''Spare mel Spare mel" he cried. "and
] viii show you where 1900 humans
400 lie hid" but his offer came too
late. When, three days later, / passed
along the road, found capitals had
been added to the pillars, covering the
heads OF the poor men, who had thus
horribly been done to death
The governorship Of the state is held
yearly by The man who gives the shah
the largest presents during his period
Of Office, be collected from the people
the taxes, ths present he has given the
shah and q good substantial sum into
the bargain fog himself. Absolutely
pitiless. hin D<n will often seize the
last stick Of an old man, and IL the peo-
pie, seeing starvation staring them IN
the face. resist, they are liable 70 lie
put 20 death by torture. a. In this case,
IL what was IN the mouth Of every one
was true. In the old days IL was rece<.
sary to make a frightful example Of
few caravan robbers 20 keep the road
through the Kotsbs safe. In q coun-
try where Il IS customary 20 commit
suicide In 8 fAnztical way. as. for In
stance, when wives throw themselves on
their husbands funeral pyres in India,
an outcry L. often made IN England,
and yet In country full Of Europeans,
men arc taken out In broad daylight
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