The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-04-13
DEATH BY THE CROSS.
The Terrible Punishment of
Crucifixion = Mode of Con
Quoting This Form of Pun
ishment-Nature of the Suf-
ferings-A Lingering Death.
written for the Citizen.)
BY CHARLES L. SHIPLEY.

Every reader of the Bible is
familiar with the terrible mode
of death melted out to the Son of
God on the day that Good Friday
is ever an yearly anniversary.
Crucifixion, or "death by the
cross" as a mode of punishment
was practiced at a very early per-
iod of tie worlds history. The
renowned Queen, Semiramis, who
reigned over Assyria two thOu
sand years before the Christian
era, is credited with being its in
ventOr. There is also good his
torical evidence to prove that it
was practiced in Egypt, Persia,
Assyria, Scythia, India, Germany
and Rome. This terrible mode of
punishment was abolished by the
Emperor Constantine some time
towards the close of his reign,
when his acceptance of Christi
anity and consequent reverence
for the cross led him to put an
end to the inhuman custom.
Whether it was ever practiced to
any great extent by the Jews has
been matter of dispute, but the
weight of evidence appears to be
against it. What they termed
crucitixion, or hanging upon the
tree, appears to have been rather
an exposure of the body after
death. This mode was not a rare
one, for, according to Pliny, men
were first killed in mercy and
were then thus exposed as a post
norton disgrace to prevent the
prevalence of suicide. If the
Jews ever practiced this mode of
punishment, as we of the present,
understand the term, it was at a
later period, after they had learn
ed it from the Romans. 1t was
unanimously considered the worst
form of punishment that could be
inflicted upon the human body;
even worse than the torture of
fire. For a Jew it possessed
special horror because of the
curse pronounced in DeuterOn-
omy, and the Romans considered
it particularly degrading, since it
was rarely meted out to any one
except slaves, the exceptions be-
ing those convicted of robbery,
assassination, piracy, perjury
and treason. Christ was con-
demned by the popular cry Of the
Jews of sedition against Caesar,
and when PLATE was reluctant to
pass Judgment upon him he was
warned that if he let the man go
he was not Caesars friend nor
true to his government.
Roman citizens were exempt
from suffering this form of pun
ishment, an illustration of which
is seen in the case of the Apos-
tie Paul, who being Roman cit
izen, was beheaded, while his
companion in suffering, st. Peter,
was crucified. Both these illus
trious men suffered martyrdom at
the same time under the infa
nous Emperor Nero.
The criminal doomed to under
go this punishment was first
scourged. There was nothing
mild in the character of this pre-
liminary intiiction of torture. The
soldier who carried out this part
of the sentence generally appear
ed to think the castigation should
bear some proportion to the ter
rife ordeal that followed. Int
the scourges the soldiers Otter
stuck pieces of bone. nails o.
other missiles to Increase tn,
pain, which many times became
so intense that the victim dice
under the punishment. Ii h
survived the scourging he wa
compelled to bear his cross, or a
least, portion of it to the plac,
of execution. This portion wal
usually. the cross beam on which
his arms were afterwards extend
ed. Very often ne was scourge(
while struggling onward to tn,
place of execution.
The place of execution was al
ways outside of the city, often OIL
the public road, or some othel
conspicuous place. On reaching
the appointed place the doomed
man was stripped naked. Thi,
was always done in thorough
manner. as the clothing Away,
went to the executioners. Til,
cross was firmly planted in til,
ground SO that the feet Of the vic
tim were about three feet from
the earth. Some times he wa,
stretched upon it as 1t lay upor
the ground, and then again h,
was lifted up to it. The latte
method generally prevailed. Be
fore the man was fastened to tn,
cross he was given drink from
q cup that contained a medica
mixture that confused the sense