The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-02-06
IVAN TIE reRRlsLE.
Hsrhsric czar Who Loved 70 Burn,
Eoll ard Torture His sublests.

Rsrhsric czar Who Loved 70 Burn
Boil ard Torture His sublc-ts,
Some of the reasons Why Ivan. car
Of Russia. was called 1.-THE Terrible
have been reiold by X walishewsh in
bis recent book. Persons who displeas-
cd he would saw asunder by the con
stan, rubbing Of rope AROUND his
waist, OF sprinkle alternately with ice
cnli water cr hmling water He
II arked his sense of bad jest by
dcluging the perpetrato- with boiling
soup and then running him through
with a knife He rebuked an unman-
nerly envoy by summontng a carpen-
ter and ordering him TO nail the mans
hat on his head There we're also
wholesale orgies. as az the punish.
,uent Of Novgorod when he had a hun
drcd persons roasted over a slow are
by new and ingenious process and
thon run down on sleds into the river
n be drowGed. At Moscow the czar
hal disaryointment. There was to
be grea, execution OF 300 victims.
who had already been tortured to the
Lass exirem " and loyal subjects had
heer summoned to the function. To
vans astonishment the great square
was empty The instruments Ct tor
ture stood ready-the stoves and red
her pinccrs and iron claws and needles
I the cords the great coppers full Of
hoiling water-hsd failed to attract
this time.
But there had been too much OF
this sort Of thing lately and the ex-
ecutiouers we're growing tired. Every
man sought to hide deeper than his
uelchbor The czar had to send reas.
suring messages all over the town
"Come along! Don't be afraid. Nobody
win be hurtl" Az last out OF the cei-
lars and garrets, the necessary spec
saiors were tempted forth. and forth
With Ivan, inexhaustible and quite un-
crashed. began a lengthy speech.
7 Could he ao less than punish the
I traitors? But he had promised to be
n,crciful and he would keep his word.
out OF the 500 who had been sentenc-
\ ed. $50 should have their lives. Tor.
\ ture and execution were, however in
\ the case of Ivan very much more than
l the mere instruments Of barbaric JUS
tice They were his recreation and
!, cclight AS a boy his amusement was
i ia throw dogs down from the top Of
one Of the castle terraces and watch
their dying agonles. AS "a man he used
10 20 the round of the torture cham.
Ter after dinner. One Of his first
crimes was the execution Of his ear
lest friend. Feodor Vorontsov: one OF
his last was the murder Of his own
son
According to waliszewk It was the
recognized thing IN Russia for the up
per deg to make things as uncomforta
HE for the under dog as knouts and
slow fire could make them. SO "Tht
Terrible" only talked to his subjects
IN the language they could most read
ily understand. Ivan was by no means
unpopular with the people In many
Ways he was an enlightened and pro
g1essive monarch. He took the frs
step toward the founding Of Russia'I
gIeat Eastern Empire; he made mor'
OF less successful attempts toward %
rucal and legal reform, and he ha'
q certain gift Of leadership and in
siinct Of siatemanship which he use'
the best advantage. Personally h
ne coward, as was shown at tn
( seige OF Kssan, when he kept diligent
al ly to his devOtions. In spite OF the rt
peated entreutes Of his men TO com
,ud help them. Chicago News.