The Delta independent., 1905-01-13
THE RUSSIAN KNOUT
sAReARoUs PUNISHMENT DONE
AWAY WITH BY CAR.
Or. Howard, an American Physician.
Has Left Vivid Picture Of the
crueIties Praeticed on the Unhappy
Inmates Of the Emperor's Prisons.


Inmates Of the Emperor's Prisons.
Russia Is rejoicing over the recent
manifesto Of the car granting amnes-
ties end decreeing certain benefac-
tons for the oppressed people. But
more than all II rejoices that corporal
punishment has been abolished. To
the average American reader the eu-
phemistic term corporal punishment"
fs practically devoid of meaning. But
replace the sugared phrase with the
word "knout" and thing at once hor.
rible and revolving fashions itself In
the minds eye.
The knout 10 q whip of three thongs
or tails. the end of each thong being
fashioned into a knot. and not infre-
Quently. particularly when the weapon
vas to be used on hardened criminals
.he knot was partly composed of q
leaden ball. With scourges Of this ter.
rible kind Russian peasants. soldiers.
ofhcials. suspected offenders. and even
persons In high places have been
whipped.
A little over two years ago the Ap-
Prisoners OF Russia" II was written
by the late Or. BENJAMIN Howard. In
the following manner DR.. Howard Wv
Idly pen-pictvred the terrible knouting
operation:
being divested Of his manacles by
the guard. the man laid himself full
length upon the kabyla. as directed,
face downward. BY straps passed
through perforations In the table. he
was immovably secured to 1t by the
ankles. legs. chest and arms About
eight PAGES in front Of tho kabyla
stood. from right to let. the corporal's
guard. the governor. the civil surgeon
and myrelf. Close beside the culprit,
on the left. stood . subordinate Of
Acial. known a. the marker with Q
large memorandum book In his hand.
IAN being prepared. the executione,
entered and tried the knout in the air,
carefully measuring his stroke Bc-
fore the command to begin was fairly
out OF the governors mouth II was
drowned by the ahrieks and yeiis Of
the culprit ! quickly began to apprc-
ciate what had appeared to me mere
ostentatiousness In the preliminary
stroke practice. For. having onco
been started. the executioner's strokes
were as steady. as rhythmical. as pre-
ciss as II done BY q steam engine. and
a. unrclcnting. Such was the pre-
eision Of them that at the end OF the
NTH stroke there were exactly fifteen
lines on the culprit's back. scoring as
evenly a. II they had been marked
with piece OF chalk.
The force Of the blows % complete
ly expelled the blood from the sur
face that with chalk the lines could
not be made whittier. BY the wrist
maneuver the blows were applied with
such carefully graded force that at the
end OF the hrst stage the part already
attacked looked a. II covered with an
even sheet Of white paper. There was
not . drop OF blood.
The second stage commenced A.
tho blood began to flow. and as this
proceeded more and more freely tho
victim appeared to revive and to como
to life again. As . spectacle. this was
the most horrible part OF the punish.
ment. though for the victim II vas
much less painful. Al every blow
each Of the threc-knotted thongs. like
the claws and beAk cf vulturc
pccked out fragments Of dripping
flesh. which were scattered In all di.
rections by the backward swing Of the
cruel lash. To avoid them the ofhcers,
Who were In white uniforms. and my.
self. had to step back and back for .
considerable distance.
AFTER the skin OF the side attacked
had been completely detached and
scattered the screams OF the poor
wretch subsidized into Groans and sobs
The excavation. now about the sIzo
and depth OF . soup plate. being fllled
with overfowinE blood. which poured
over the edge Of the table. the force
of the executioner's blowa was much
deadened. The deeper and deeper the
blowing the less and the less was tho
pain"
Dr. Howard said that there was q
halt after the nftieth lash. and that
the physicians examined the victim.
Finding that his life was not In peril.
the punishment then went on. in .
sickenips way. until ninety.nine lashes
had been administered. It appears
that the hundrcdth swing of the dread.
full scourge always 10 omitted as an
evidence Of the cxar's clcmency.
Such 10 the hideous corporal pun.
ishment" that Nicholas II. impcriously
declares TO be . thing Of tho pas; 10
his s01lre Of the north.
-
csssr to a,0ooth student.
The twothousandth student at the
f1uiveraitv of rreiburR receivea fron