Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-04-02

vision Of the Triumviri Capitales. The
accounts given in the Gospels OF the.
execution Of Jesus Christ are in entire
agreement with the customs and prac-
! tees OF the Romans in this particular.
| The punishment continued in the Ro-
man empire until the time OF Constan-
| tine, when it was abolished through the
! influence OF the Christian religion. Ex-
amples OF it are found in the early
part of the Emperor's reign, but the
reverence which at later period ne
| was led to feel for the cross induced
! him to put an end to the inhuman
practice.
| Physically considered, death by cruel
/. fixion is to be attributed TO the sympa-
| thetic fever which is excited by the
wounds, and aggravated by exposure TO
| the weather, privation CT water, and the
| painfully constrained position OF the
| body. Traumatic fever corresponds, in
| Intensity and in character, to the local
| Inflammation CT the wound. In the hrst
stage, where the inflammation OF the
| wound is characterized by he-}t, swell
| ing and great pain, the fever is highly
| inGanmatory. and the suffered COM
plains of heat, throbbing headache, in
| tense thirst, restlessneGS and anxiety
AS soon as suppuration sets in the fever
somewhat abates, and gradually ceases
! as suapuration diminishes ard the sf2Se
of cicatrisation approaches. Eut If the
wound be prevented from healing and
suppuraticn continue, the fever assumes
hectic character and will sooner or
! later exhaust the powers CT life. When,
however, the Inflammation OF the
wound is so intense as to produce NOR
LITIGATION nervous depression is the H.
, mediate consequence; and if the cause
Of this excessive Inflammation OF the
wound sill continues, as il the case II
crucifxion, the sufferer rapidly SINKS.
He is no longer sensible of pain, but
his anxiety and sense of pr0straitlon are
excessive hiccough supervenes, his
skin is moistened with cold clammy
sweat, and death ensues. 1t is in this
manner that death on the cross must
have taken place, in an ordinary
healthy constitution. The wounds III
/ themselves were not fatal; but, as long
as the nails remained in them the in
fiammation must have increased in in
tensity until it produced sangrene.
Here are some illustrative eases, his
torically vouched for: De la Conda-
mine witnessed the crucifxion OF TWO
| women of those fanatic Jansenists cali
ed Convulsionnaires. One OF them,
! who had been crucified thrice before,
remained on the cross for three hours.
/ They suffered most pain from the pera-
ton OF extracting the nails, and it was
not until then that they lost more than
a few drops Of blood from their wounds.
After they were taken down they seem
ed to suffer little, and speedily re-
covered. The probabilities Of recovery
after crucifxion N-a.ld of course de-
pend upon the degree Of constitutional
irritation that had already been ex-
cited. Josephus relates that of three OF
mis- friends, for whom he had obtained
release from the cross, only one sur
vived. The period at which death oc-
Cured was very variable, SIS it depend
ed on the constitution Of the sufferer, as
well as On the degree OF exposure and
the state Of the weather. 1t may, how
ever, be asserted that death would not
take place until the local Inflammation
| had run its course, and though this pro-
cess may be much fastened by fatigue
and the alternate exposure to the rays
of the sun and the cold night air, it is
not completed before fOrty-eight hours,
under ordinary circumstances and IN
healthy constitutions so that we may
| consider thirty-Six hours to be the ear
Hest period at which crucifXion would
occasion death in A healthy adult
Many of the wounded at Waterloo were
brought into the hospitals after having
lain three days on the field, and even
then sometimes recovered from severe
operations. 1t cannot be objected that
the heat of an Eastern climate may not
have been duly considered in the above
estimate, for many cases are recorded
of persons having survived much
longer time than is here mentioned,
even as long as eight Or nine days.
Eusebius says that many of the martyrs
in Egypt, who were crucifed with their
heads downward, persisted by hunger.
This assertion, however, must not be
mis- understood. 1t was very natural to
suppose that hunger was the cause OF
death, when it was known that no food
had been taken, and when, as must
have happened in lingering cases of cru
cifixion. the body was seen to be enact
ated But as has been shown, the nails
in the hands and feet must inevitably
, nave given IISe " Sucu u6SIGS VI III
Illumination as to produce modification,
and ultimately death; and it is equally
certain that food would not, under such
| circumstances, have contributed to sup
port life. Moreover, it may be added
that after the first few hours, as soon
| as fever had been fully excited, the suf-
ferer would lose all desire or food. The
want Of water was a much more i'm
portant privation. 1t must have caused
! the sufferer ineXpressible anguish, and
have contributed in no slight degree to
hasten death.
As-Sujuti, celebrated Arabic writer,
gives an interesting account of young
Turk who was crucided at Damascus
A. d. 1247. 1t is particularly mention
ed that his hands and feet were nailed.
and even his arms, but not as if it was
in any way remarkable. He complain
ed of intense thirst on the first day,
and his sufferings were greatly increas-
ed by his continually seeing before him
the waters of the Barada, on the banks
OF which he was crucified. He surviv-
ed two days, from the noon of Friday
to the noon of Sunday.
MONTHLY POLICE REPORT.
The number of arrests made by the
police last month was 105. meIe, cont