The suburban citizen., 1902-11-08
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what had appeared to me mere ostenta
tlousness in the preliminary stroke
practice. For. having once been start
ed the executioner's strokes were as
steady, as rhythmical as precise, as II
done by steam engine, and as unre
lenting. Such was the precision OF
them that at the end of the fifth there
were exactly fifteen lines, scoring the
buttocks as evenly as If they had been
marked by piece of chalk. TheiI
force so completely expelled the blood
from the surface that with chalk the
lines could not have been made whittier,
BY the wrist manoeuvre the blows
were applied with such carefully grad
ed force that at the end of the first
stage the part already attacked looked
as if covered with an even sheet OF
white paper. There was not drop Of
blood"
Up to this point, or about the twenty
fifth stroke, so violent were the at
tempts of the prisoner to struggle and
to yell, that death from sutfocation
seemed as likely as from the flogging
itself. Then came a dead silence.
''The second stage commenced when
the blood began to flow, and as this
proceeded more and more freely, the
victim appeared to revive and come to
life again. As spectacle, this was by
far the most horrible part Of the pun
ishment, though for the victim it was
much less painful. AT every blow each
of the three knout-ended thongs, like
the claws and beak of vulture, pecked
out fragments of dripping flesh, which
were scattered in all directions by the
backward swing of the lash. TO avoid
them the ofilcers--who were in white
unform-and the doctors had to step
back and back for considerable dis
tance. After the skin of the side at
tackled had been completely detached
and scattered, the screams of the poor
wretch subslded into groans and sobs.
The excavation, now about the size
and depth of a soup plate, being filed
with overfowing blood, which poured
over the edge of the table, the force or
the blows was very much deadened.
The deeper and deeper the plowing, the
less and less was the pain. At last.
when 1t seemed as if the time would
surely never arrive, the marker, all out
of breath, shouted out, in loud and
prolonged voice, FIFTY" and the
governor cried, 'Halt!"
At this point DR.. A. stepped for
ward, felt the prisoners pulse, stepped
back to the governor and made q re-
port Of the mans condition, After a
pause of about FIVE minutes the execu.
tloner and marker changed sides, like
crlcketers;
again the executioner went through
the same process as at the first start
ing Again the final command was
given, and with the same shrleks and
yells on the part Of the culprit and the
same mechanical rhythm, persistence
and relentlessness on the part of the
executloner, the scene continued until,
to the infinite relief of everybody, the
marker shouted out the welcome word
Ninety n-i-n-e' The hundredth
stroke is always omitted as token Of
imperial magnanimity. When what re-
malned Of this poor wretch had been
unstrapped he was not dead, and his
quiverlng body was borne away to the
hospital"
The hogglng table was swilled with
buckets Of water, and during the dry
ing Of 1t DR.. Howard examined and
experimental with the bloody knout
He says:
"Tbe handle Of this instrument was
of thick wood, about eighteen inches
long. The main thong was Of stout
rawhide, tied into knot about eight
feet from the handle, where 1t was
split into three smaller thongs, These
were about three feet long, the ends
terminating, not in lead or iron hooks,
as 1 have seen falsely alleged, but In
knots so short and hard as to amount
to almost the same thing. At the time
examined 1t the thongs were nearly
covered with blood clots and clinging
of flesh. 1t was a most sick
ening object"
Later, DR.. Howard accompanied DR..
A to the hospital, and found the
hogged assassin in one Of the best beds
in the best ward, where everything had
been carefully prepared for his recep'
ton. The writer adds:
"In the dressing Of his wounds, the
selection Of his diet, as well as in the
hospital attention of the nurses, there
was neither stint nor Limitation so far
as the resources Of the hospital depart
ment permitted. In the nature Of his
case his treatment called for very little
but rather for moderate
stimulation and all the nourlshment he
could take, and as he suffered very lit
tie actual pain, his condition and pros
poets were regarded by some of the
other patients rs being rather enviable
than otherwise. 10 an ordinary OBJ
server, and, indeed, to anybody, his
wound was certainly sufficiently shock
Ing, for the entire surface fell into a
shade Of gangrene, and sloughed away
In pultaceous masses, leaving an exca-
Vation which, for size and depth, l
never saw equalled except In a fSw
cases of she'll wounds on the field of