Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1921-03-04
INSTRUMENTS OF TORTURE SEEN BY
 HUNT AND .PARTY

Prescott, Ariz., Feb. 27-The sword is still used to dispatch men convicted in capital crimes in Siam and decapi- tation is the means of carrying out the mandate that man shall pay with his life, according to letter from former Gov. w. P. Hunt, now United States minister to Siam, received here.
 Concerning his recent trip to Korat Siam, in search of trees and plants to be used in relief of leprosy, the gov ernor wrote:
 "Korat is situated on the table land of northeast Siam, one of the most forbidding places in the world It covers many millions of acres of land, alhin the tropics and nearly all jungle. Owing to certain physical reasons, no air currents reach this section and it is one of the hottest places in the world. In this dense jungle the tiger, elephant and many species of poisonous snakes live and no doubt will continue in wild state until the end of time. Korat is about thirty miles from where the wild ele- phants still roam, monarchs of all they survey.
 "We were the only white people in that town, and when we went out crowds of people followed us for some distance. No doubt it was the first time some of them had ever seen a white skin. While there I inspected the prison. Korat is the capital of the state, or monarchy as they call it here. We went into the prison with out any.formality and found it rather primitive, surrounded by walls on which are the guards station towers They climb up on crude ladders which are taken away as soon as they go on guard. After the inspection they showed with a great deal of pride the old instruments of torture that were used years ago. have seen the old instruments of torture in the tower of Lndon, but in this out of the way place l have seen some of the most cruel things of torture l have come across. As they took pride 1T showing us the discarded instruments of torture I realized prison reform had arrived in Siam, for if they usec them they would not be shown witt much pride. They told' 'me it wa: many years since they had been used
 "The first instrument of torture shown us was a great bamboo bal with spikes driven into it. The vic tim was put inside this ball and theI the elephants rolled it along; and il this manner the victim was impalet until he died. This exhibition wa done in full view of the populace t' impress them as they do in Arizon' and elsewhere when they hang man Then two narrow boxes resembling collins having two small holes in then where the victim was placed and slow ly suffocated. Another instrument O. horror was a large iron hook whicl was fastened to the lower jaw of th' victim. When the victim was hooked he was hauled up with rope, and a. his weight came on the rope the hool . pierced his lower jaw and came ou his mouth and he was left to die slow death. Another instrument wa made of two bamboo poles which wer' fastened over the head and when the! were pressed together they pierced thu temples.
 "Next we were shown the moderl instrument, the sword, to decapitat the victim, and as this country stil has capital punishment that is thu method of disposing of those con demned to die.
 "They have about one execution month here in Bangkok.
 "The headsman is, I believe, con fined to one family, and he gets Al ticals, about $16, if he cuts the heal clean off with the first blow, but i it takes two strokes he receives yer, much less, so they generally take tn head off with the first stroke"