The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-05-09
THE SWATER-CURE"
TORTURE.
EMPLOYED IN EUROPE DURING MIDDLE
AGES TO EXTRACT CONFESSIONS.

If there be misapprehension any.
where as to the real character of the
''water cure" if there be anyone who
honestly considers it "form of college
hazing," he can be easily set right by
Il little study of the high place of the
''cure" among the tortures employed
in Europe during the Middle Ages to
extract confessions from persons ac-
cused of crime, or from heretics, or
from prisoners of war. For purposes
of public enlightenment, the case OF
the Marquise de Brnvilliers in France,
over two centuries 20, may be related.
That noblewoman poisoned her father,
NJ. dAubrey, and her brother, in order
to inherit their money. She had been
instructed in the use of the poison by
the Seigneur de Sainte Croix, and
when afterward he was found dead in
his laboratory, killed by poisonous
fumes, the recipes for the poison were
discovered. An accomplice named La
chaussee was put to torture by the
authorities, and he implicated in his
confession the Marquise de Brinvillicrs,
who was Immediately arrested for the
murder of her father and brother.
Our present interest in that celebrated
criminal case lies entirely in the kind
of torture 70 which the Marchioness
Was subjected, in order to force a con-
fession from her. Her trial began
after Lachaussee had been broken on
the wheel.
In July, 1876, at Paris, the Mar
chioness was put to the test. 1t is re-
lated that as the judges retired ''the
terrible apparatus" was revealed. The
woman surveyed it with the utmost
tirmness; then, perceiving three buck
cts of water, she turned to the regis
trar, not wishing tc speak to the exc
cuLioner, and said: at is to drown me,
doubtless, that so much water has been
brought here; for surely, Monsieur,
considering my SIZE, you have not, |
trust, the desire to make me swallow
it," The accounts say that the water
was thus handled and administered to
the tortured prisoner: The executioner
had near him four jals full of water,
each containing about q pints, and for
the extraordinary torture eight Of the
same size, making for the ordinary 10
and for the extraordinary 90 pints OF
water which the victim was forced to
swallow. The eXecutioner held a ves-
sci like a wine strainer in his hand; he
placed this against tie mouth, pouring
p pints down it, leaving an interval
for the prisoner to confess, or reply to
the questions put. An extract from
the records of the trial goes on to say:
"The torture by the injection of wa
ter was renewed, whereupon she cried
several times in great agony ,beseechlng
the mercy of Heaven. Again admon-
ished to confess, she said they might
kill her, but she would not lay the
guilt Of perjury upon her soul. The
torture was repeated; she was again
convulsed, but was silent. The
torture was thrice repeated, but she
spoke not upon the third time she
answered only with deep groan and
an ejaculation to Heaven. Upon which
she was unbound, removed from the
rack and placed before the fire in the
customary manner"
The sickening details of the Cham
Der of Torture in Paris q centuries
ago need not be related beyond that
pon. The story proves-what it
seems necessary to prove-that the
water cure" which has been in use in
the Philippines to force confessions
from natives, tar from being 'form
of college hazing," was recognized
mode Of torture in Europe in the Mid
die Ages, and was employed along
with the thumb screw, the wheel and
the red hot iron to eXtort confessions
from persons charged with offenses
against State and Church. Doubtless,
it was introduced into the Philippines
by the early Spaniards. AS taught to
our soldiers by the native Macabebe
scouts, the torture now seems to be
even more cruel than it was when
practised upon the Marqnise de Brin-
villiers; for in the Philippines, after
the internal organs have been distended
with quarts or gallons of water. agony
to the victim has often been caused ly
violently striking the stomach or knead-
ing the abdomen in order to cause
sudden election of water from the
mouth-Sprin. f,:ii Republican,.
Bridget and Pat were sitting in an
armchair reading an article on The
Law Of Compensation"
"Just fancy exclaimed Bridget;
"accordin' to this, whin a mon loses
wan av 5 sinses another gifts more de-
veloped. For instance, blind mon
gifts more sinse OF hcarin' an touch,
AM"
"Shure, ant It's quite thrue," an
swercd Pat.
"Oi've noticed it meself. Whin a
mon has wan leg shorter than the
other, bcgorra the others longer"