Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1905-08-12
IVAN THE TERRIBLE.

Barbaric Gar Who Loved to Burn,
Boil and Torture His Subjects.
Some Of the reasons why Ivan, car
OF Russia, was called the Terrible"
have been retold by X. Waliszewski in
his book. Persons who displeased him
he would saw asunder by the constant
rubbing Of a rope around their waists
or sprinkle alternately with Ice cold
and boiling water. He marked his
sense of a bad jest by deluging the
perpetrator with boiling soup and then
running him through with a knife.
He rebuked an unmannerly envoy by
summoning a carpenter and ordering
him to nail the mans hat on his head.
There were also wholesale orgies, as
at the punishment of NovgOrOd, when
he had hundred persons roasted over
slow fire by a new and ingenious
process and then run down on sledges
into the river to be drowned. At
Moscow the car had a disappoint-
ment. There was to be a great exc
cutiOn of 300 victims VINO had already
been tortured to the last extremity,
anu IVY o. oahJtAAo haa DNNh NhAhAAAOAAth
to the function. ITO lvan-s astonish-
ment the great square was empty
The instruments OF torture that stood
ready-the stoves and red hot pinchers
and iron claws and needles, the cords,
the great coppers full of boiling water
had failed to attract this time.
But there had been too much of
this sort Of thing lately, and the exc
cuioners were growing too long
armed. Every man sought to hide
deeper than his neighbor The car
had to send reassuring messages all
over the town. Come alongl Don't
be afraid! Nobody will be hurtv AT
last out of cellars and garrets the nee
essary spectators were tempted forth,
and forthwith Ivan, inexhaustible and
quite unabashed, began lengthy
speech. Could he do less than punish
the traitors? But he had promised to
be merclful, and he would keep his
world Out OF the 300 who had been
sentenced 100 should have their lives!
Torture and execution were, however
| III llit NuSt VI ivan NtAl blh1h AhNAt
than the mere instruments of barbariC
justice. They were his recreation and
delight AS boy his amusement was
to throw dogs down from the top OF
one of the castle terraces and watch
their dying agonies. AS a man he
used to go the round of the torture
chambers after dinner. One Of his
first crimes was the execution of his
earliest friend Feodor Vorontsov
One OF his last was the murder OF his
own son.
According to Waliszewski, 1t was
the recognized thing In Russia for the
upper dog to make things as uncom
Portable for the under dog as knout'
and slow fires could make them. 81
the Terrible" only talked of his sub
jects in the language they could mos
readily understand. Ivan was by M
means unpopular with the people. II
many ways he was an enlightened
and progressive mOnarc.. He tool
the first steps toward the founding o.
/ Russias great eastern empire. HI
made more or less successful attempts
toward political and legal reform. ant
he had certain gift OF leadership anC
| instinct of craftsmanship which h
used TO the best advantage. Personal
ly he was a coward. as was shown a
the siege OF Kasan. when he kept dill
gently at his devotions in spite Of th'
repeated entreaties Of his men to com'
out and help them.