Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1904-02-18
SAVAGERY OF LAWS
aARBARIc PUNSHMENTS THAT
ONCE WE'RE COMMON.
Quality of Mercy Evidently LpSnc"n
in the Good Old Times'-Three
Samples OF FiendIsh Ingenuity OF
Executi ons--"The Maiden"

In all savage countries which have
organized monarchy OF considerable
extent the office OF public executioner
is one OF the most important. Even
in some European states within less
than a century ago surviving traces
of tsis dignity were very recognizable.
When the state executioner OF the
duchy Of Wurtemberg had completed
a certain number of hangings, decapi-
ltions, breakings-on-the-wheel, burn
ings-at-the-stake, rackings, thumb
screenings, lodgings, ETC.. he always
received an honary degree OF doctor
of medicine" from the national univer.
sity.
Toward the end OF the first quarter
of the nineteenth century Karl Lud-
wig sand was beheaded in Heidelberg
by Doctor" Wiedemann of that city
for the assassination of Kotzebue,
about a year before. The resources
of the more purely fiendish ingenuity
sometimes displayed by homo sapiens
would appear to have been exhausted
in the details of the execution of the
weak-armed and weak-minded Dami-
ems for a penknife scratch inflicted on
the cutaneous surface OF the worth
less sensualist Louis XIV. of France.
The right hand and forearm of the
eulprit were roasted in a slow fire, his
flesh was nipped off in pieces with
red.hot pincers, boiling pitch, resin.
wax. etc, were poured into the wounds
tnh hA lac t
remnants of vitality were obviously
evanescing, his arms and legs were
dashed to four wild horses, which were
then vigorously whipped in different
directions. 1t is a very noteworthy
anatomic fact that the attempt so
made to have the wretched culprit
torn to pieces proved an absolute fail
man was actually carved on the scat
fold by the eXecUtioners!
A comparatively frequent mode of
execution for political and other ag-
gravated forms of crime in France was
by breaking on the wheel" This
instrument had four spokes, placed in
the form OF an Y, or st. Andrews
the doomed man was firmly bound.
Opposite the middle of each arm, fore
arm. leg and thigh was a hollow
eight in all. over each of these places
the executioner smashed the limb
with stroke OF a heavy iron Lar. A
ninth blow was enthusiastically known
as the coup de grace, II was over the
,.rt Ill AZ
been recommended for mercy. this
stroke enueu nls suherings; il not, il
was a mere touch, and the victim
sometimes fingered in agony for 4S
hours
The Maiden c'Jungfrau") Of Nurem-
! berg Is another Of the horrors OF the
history of criminal law. A gigantic
wood and iron doll, of feminine out
lines, opened vertically on one side,
Icing hinged on the opposite The
interior was a cavity of size TO re-
ceive the human body. From the
movable side Of this maiden" doll
projected half dozen spikes of some
six or seven inches in length. The
two uppermost were intended for the
eyes; there was one meant for the
heart, and the others for the princi-
pal abdominal viscera. When a per-
son was legally prepared for the SEN
tence of the maiden" his feet were
placed on the stand and the door was
torcibly closed and bolted. The Jung.
frau was placed over pit covered by
a trapdoor through which his body
was dropped after sojourn of twenty.
four hours In her embrace.