The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-11-24
PENALTIES OF THE LAW
SOME OF THE INGENIOUS TORTuRES
INFLICTED IN CLOEN TIMES.

Eetinements of Cruelty That Should
Cause the Civilized World to Blush will,
shAms-The Notwithstanding on
tho Whsei-Elowing from the Cannon.
The abolition of the lockstcp ut Sing
sing does not seem to have interested
the community in the slightest degree.
II Is hard TO imagine Sing Sing the
same old Sing Sing without it. For
many years it was the distinguishing
feature of New Iork's method of treat
ing convictS. In the famous Philadel-
phla prison. which in the early days of
the century attracted the attention Of
the world, complete isolation and 81
lence We're the lule. The
convict was paced in a
cell freely ventilated from above.
well warmed and lighted. but he saw
none Of the other Inmates by day or
night, nor could he discover the plan
and arrangement Of the building. His
meals he ate alone in his cell. Even
ut divine service he was hid behind
curtains.
Lafayette often visited this prison.
and 1t was his belief that the principle
| was not humane, protracted solitary
confinement, in his opinion, causing in
| sanity. Experience proved that he
was wrong. 50 long as the prisoner was
Kept at healthful labor. In Sing Sing
the c0nSictS worked together. ana III
| going to and fro marched after II sing
ular fashion with bodies close together
ana legs moving as one: and each one
| at meaitime would take up his plate
III the kitchen without stopping Or
dropping out of line. eating its con-
tents In his private quarters" Neither
silence nor solitude is now cnforc, d in
American prisons.
America has produced few greater
men than Edward Livingston. and it is
past understanding that lie should
nave proposed rs 4 substitute for cap
ltal punishment solitary confinement
FOR life in cell painted black. with an
epitaph on the door for the beholder
to shudder at, his food the coarsest
bread and water, his cell a living
grave. While his code never was di-
rectly accepted By Louisiana it in
fluenced legislation in several coun-
tries, and parts Of it were adopted en-
tirely in Guatemala.
There is nothing cruel in the lock-
step. but 1t debases a man. and in this
humane age not even criminals shall
further be doblsed. Stocks and the
whipping-post disappeared about 1881.
while abroad 1894 saw hanging in
chains, or sibbeting. forbidden by stat
ute. Death hy torture was common at
the beginning OF the nineteeuth cen
tury, while n step back to 1850 carries
us to Fefinements of cruelty that should
cause the civilized word to blush with
shame for countless years. We have
Just had some illustrations of Chinese
torture, but they seem merciful in COM
parison with the methods adopted in
past years by civilized white races.
Some examples of killing by inches
were the iron coffin of Lyssa." the
"baiser de Ia Vierge." the 'chambre a
crucer' and the "bermicles." In the
iron coffin the prisoner was laid so
that he saw the iron lid descending by
an almost imperceptible movement I'M
til it crushed him. the torture lasting |
several days and nights In the
"baiser de la Vierge" the victim was
lowered to the bottom of a shaft pin
ioned and blind-folded. The bandascs
being removed from his eyes, he was
ordered to walk down a long corrider
and kiss the braZen statue of the Vir- |
gin, which stood in a niche at the end
The instant his lips met those Of the
statue trap door opened under his
feet and he fell on wheel of spikes
set In motion by an unseen agency.
Boiling to death was legal mode
of capital punishment in England in
the reign Of Henry VIII. The "cham-
bre crucer' was French variant Of |
the English custom of pressing to death.
the "chambre" being shallow, heavy
chest filed with sharp stones, in which
the victim was packed and buried
alive. The "bermicles" We're Il favorite
of the Inquisition. The prisoner was
fastened by the neck to a mattress.
while his legs We're crushed between
two great logs Of wood, on the upper
most of which sat the executioner.
The rack was used in England until
1910, where 1t went by the name of the
Duke of EXcter's Daughter" The
British were fond Of hanging, draw
ing and quartering.'
The "maZzolata' was an Italian bar
barity The victim was borne to
scaffold and forced to his knees AS
he attempted Ia rise the eXecutionar
struck him in the left temple with
mace causing him to drop like an cx
and roll over ou his back. The excel
Lioner then drew his knife and with
A single stroke opened his throat. and
on his abdomen, stamped
with his feet. At every
stroke jet OF blood spranS from the
wound. l have seen hogs killed in the
in a similar fashion. The his
tory of Venice is full of killing by inch
rs In the most diabolical styles.
Breaking on the wheel was the eli
max of torture in France. The vie
tim being tied 20 the wheel. the exc
.utioner with a heavy mace broke his
arms and legs in two places each. then
added two or three strokes on iii.