Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-02-05
TESTS BY TORTURE.
The World TX Not lct Free From
This RmrI,aric Practice.


England. Us all the world knows
WAS the lSt Of civilized countries to
abolish tie test by torture us L rcgu-
lar legal institution. y historian who
modern methods u tortur has ,liScoy-
erred tl:ii thu ha,'haric practice is still
common in many out vi the WAY cor
ncl,S III The globe. Tho early English
SYSTEM. i"... has been Widely Initiated.
Even III Inc ,ilnr OF Henry III the tor
tui:, lli;,! w;l> IN Vogue. First came
.hrcc DAYS OF preparation by fasting
and prayer. On the solemn day \ cal
&i.;i, Was n:i,lc 10 boil in church ana /,
tt'n'c wa$ placed apparently III the
losliu. water. iWo ,iIricS OF twelve
l1.'h apiece were. present in the interest
nI ;,ccrS,sl :nd accused Both sides
lcSt"l thu, water. AMI ii they agreed
that il was boiling the accused thrust
j! his lparc arm ,lnl took out the stone.
His ann MAS thcu wrapped in cloth
and S'.:1l'sl. on he lhirl day the priest
Inspected The arm. and it it was per
lcc1lN Nestled Tie accused got Off. It
seems rs ii The tcS1in. representatives
may l';'vr been talnrtrc,l With or the
examining priest may have been cor
rup1r,!
EG S:'nic preparation was carried
out Nhcn the other method was tried.
Which w;l> the c;,lTs-iny Of !, reIhot
bar u iro1 fol three steps The hand
was 7iitl1 sealed ana examined rs be
tore. Il has been suggested. rs many
people escaped scathclesS that the
priests had 4 secret cure for burns or
Tor preventing burns. But such Sc
. cret must have been known to the
chemists. and the chemists Of today
are ignorant of any such remedy AS
late as 114l q man was condemned to
The boiling water. IN :lll cases the ac-
cused had been declared guilty ~ Il
july. and even il lie succeeded i'll the
ordeal he was often banished.
In southern India there is :: curious
case of domestic ordeal. The natives
would plunge tho arm in boiling oil
and coltc out scl,hclcSs. 1t is vol
known that the band. protected by it's
natura moisture. can DC placed III moi,
ten metal and not be burned. \ mis-
sionary tells Of 4 native who was vcrv
Jealous Of his wife. At last the poo,,
woman. wcaricu by his rcproachcs. Of
fercl 10 undergo tho ordeal
Inc husband boiled the oil himself.
that there might be no error. and babe
her insert her hand Keeping il there
III he gave her the word to extract it,
re lct her hand remain in the oil for
some time. and when she took it out
there was no sign Of burning. Know
ING the furious Jealousy OF the man. the
missionary had no doubt as to the tenn
pcratnrc of the oil In Arabia there
Is Il more stringent though less danger
GUS test. \ woman carried hot embers
in her veil for twenty yards. IL he,
veil did not burn. her innocence was
established
1t is Well iii considering these things
to remember that the fire tests were
the great coniurcrs' tricks from the
time OF the Greeks TO that Of the red
Indians. In The rituals OF all old re.
ligions treading on hot Goals. tmbers,
DurhlnS stones. etc. was common
il:e. 1t exists in Bulgaria today. In
Borneo a Chinese meat firm intended
TO establish a business not long ago.
lhe European inhabitants OF the place
were astonished to see the street Gov
cred for some distance with rcdhol
embers aud a respectable Chinese mer-
chant walking thereon with naked feet!
lis object Was 10 ascertain by this
means whether or not this would be q
favorable place 70 establish his bust
ness, = travcierin Fiji recently photo
sraphed natives walking barefoo1esl
over redhot stones The bauds OF dry
Ferns about their ankles were not
!, scorched il.