The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-01-16
Punishments in Persia.
From the Boston transcript.

FROM the Boston TRANSCRIPT
The ordinary -punishments in vogue in
Persia are fogging, fines, simple impison-
ment, imprisonment in irons, manning and
death. Flogging, or the bastinado, is ad
ministered upon the bare soles of the feet
1t is never carried so far as to cause death
nowadays, though it used to be in ancient
times. 1t is exceedingly painful, but is
not considered particularly humiliating or
disgraceful Sometimes rich men are
punished in this way for slight otfenses,
but as rule it is the punishment inflicted
upon the rabble for minor misdemeanors.
1t is also much resorted to in the army.
If soldier is asked which he would pre-
fer, to be fined two or three dollars or to
be fogged, he is certain to choose the lat
ter. 1t must be borne in mind that Per-
slams, as a rule, 60 barefoot. The soles
of their feet are, therefore, much tougher
than Europeans, and the fogging is, there
fore, less painful. Cases are on record in
which men have received 5000 Or 5000
blows on the soles of their feet without
serious results.
Filming is more serious punishment.
The amount of fine levied depends less upon
the enormity of the offence than upon the
wealth of the offender and the rapacity of
the Judge. Simple imprisonment is a still
greater punishment. 1t is generally dealt
out to those who are guilty of grand lar
ceny or of the still greater crime of not
paying their taxes. Next TO it comes i'm
prisonment in irons or the chain gang. 1t
is the punishment for crimes of violence,
house se-breaking, pocket-picking and count
erfeiting. Manning or mutilation of the
person is inflicted upon horse-thieves and
those who rob shops The usual practice
is to cut off single joint of one finger for
first offence. For second offence the
whole hand is cut off In some cases the
criminal is made permanently lame by cut
ting some of the cords of the ankle. In
former years ears were cut off, noses slit,
and sometimes eyes blinded, but these
punishments are now exceedingly rare.
Except among the lowest classes Of society,
manning is considered scarcely less ter
rible than death, on account of the indel-
ible disgrace and loss of caste causes.
The death penalty in ordinary cases is
inflicted by cutting the throat with an ex
ceedingly sharp knife Death is thus
caused almost instantaneously and with
slight pain. 1t is thus that ordinary muir
derers and traitors are disposed of Mem
bers of the royal family or very great
mobiles or officers of state are generally
either poisoned or strangled. More ter
rible forms of death are sometimes resorted
to, especially as punishments for murder or
attempted murder of the sovereign or any
of his favorites. Among the forms still
in vogue are crucifxion, burying alive,
burning, trampling to death and blowing
from the muzzles of cannons. Crpcifxion
is probably the most painful Of all. The
sufferers generally live many hours in ex-
treme torture Highway robbers who have
committed a great many crimes and who
will not share their plunder with the of
fcers Of the district are sometimes walled
up alive in hollow brick pillars erected at
the scene of their crimes. At Shiraz in
1879 no less than eleven highwaymen
were thus disposed of. At about the same
time very celebrated Dervish who had
committed a number of atrocious crimes
was burned at the stake in the public square
at Shiraz