Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-14
CUBAN METHOD OF EXECUTION
Description of the Instrument Usa.
Tor INJECTING the Death Penalty.

From the Times of Cuba
Inc most interesting object at the Caroa,
IS the garrote, the Spanish instrument for
lhhictlng the death penalty 1t is kent in
Separate room IN special Dox in which
IL Is packed away piece of machinery,
"A seVenteen-year convict who has l,illa,
fourteen different men with this instrr
ment set the machinery together and av
planned the manner of performing an exa-
cution. The garrote consists of q bea,,,,
wooden post standing up back of a chair
poth or which are firmly fastened in II.
Hea'y PLATFORM In the front and at the
.op VI the post is strong steel bar about
Twelve inches long and shaped exactly liIls
an Indians bow, except that in the cantar
VI inns steel bow is a small knob about
d quarter OF an inch high and half an
at ~ ~ IA, 9lameter This knob is made to
III INTO the hollow in the back of the head
at the base of the brain Two iron bars
connected with contriyance rnnning
through the strong upright post run out
OF one OF the bars is kind of throat latch
resembling a slightly bent bride bit Tba
clHtlilal TO be executed is seated M, A.
chair and his head placed between the iron
i parS PACK against the steel bow, with the
KNOB hitting into the hollow of his nack
Inc blt-shaped bar is brought across the
throat and fastened to the end of the on
pcslte pa, par with a key. which prevents any
The m
head Is thus virtually placed in a steel
collar His hands are tied in front of hin,
ana IRON ankets at the end of chains ave
snpped upon him. so that he is firmly
pound TO the chair. Nothing is put over
ms eyes, and he is left to see and haar al
that goes on around him. The contriyanca
at the back of the post connecting with
me IRON bars passing each side of the
neck ana drawing the bit-shaped instru-
ment up against the throat looks like
great anger, except that the handles are
slightly bent backward to give the onerator
greater leverage. The threads on this
strong and run through the spiral grooves
OF heavy, brass-lined collar at the back
or the post so that when the handles are
turned 1t draws the throat latch tight up
against the steel bow, If nothing is placed
between them, in the same way that turn
ing the lever Of a letter press brings the
upper ana lower parts together. This part
;,. tne mechanism Is kept highly oiled and
us parts work with perfect freedom One
nalf revolution of the handles does the
deadly work. tin can was placed in the
collar and the lever given one quick turn
to illustrate the working of the garrote
Inc can was smashed in an instant. In
the same manner a mans neck is Instantly
broken. one or more of the vertebrate being
forced out OF position and the spinal cord
thus crushed or severed The PLATFORM On
which the garrote is placed has seven
steps, and the black coat of the execution
er has seven white stripes representing
them.
When an execution Is to take place the
garrote Is sometimes erected in the plaza
at the side of the prison and sometimes
at Santa Clara Battery. priest Is in
attendance and gives the signal to the
executioner. AS soon the man is killed
black mantle Is thrown over him to shut
or the gaze of the public. The last exc
cution with this garrote was that of a
highway robber on January IA, 1888.
There Is nothing particularly cruel in
the look of this convict executioner When
asked how the men seated in the chair
with the steel collar about their necks
acted and whether he felt sorry for them
or not, he said they often trembled till they
shook the garrote and that sometimes he
was sorry and sometimes he wasn't.