TORTURE BT ELECTRICITY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 113, 13 May 1881, Page 4

TORTURE BT ELECTRICITY.

According to a diepnfch from Geneva, RuseahofF and Jaliboff, the killers cf Ibe Czar, bave been mercilfesly put to torture in the presence of General Loris Melikoff. Russakoff was electrized by powerful battoriee, anfl fcrced by the intolerable agony he Buffered to answer the questions put to bira. Park Benjamin, the scientific expert, said recently, "The idea of torturing criminals by electricity is not original with the Russians. It is a British invention, and was first suggested, about five years ago, by an English mechanical journal, in commenting upon the execution of criminals by electric shock instead of by hanging. The EDglish writer wanted to do away with the cat o'nine tails, which is administered in England to garrotters and other criminals of certain classes, and use tbe electric battery, as he somehow : grimly expressed it, so as to produce; absolutely indescribable torture (ucac-j companied by wounds or even bruises), X thrilling through every fibre of euch miscreants. There was an American inventor who bad a design for inflicting tbis species of punishment. He fitted bracelets of iron on the arms and thighs of the criminal, and placed in them wet sponges. When connected witb a current of electricity the shock would by this system pass tbrough the legs &nd shoulders, and avoid the vital parts of the body. The torture inflicted by electricity is of two kinds — by contraction of the muscles at rapidly recurring intervals and by burning with sparks. The tortures of old days, when not done by fire or compression, were the straining and tearing asunder of tbe muscles. Of this kind were tbe scavenger's daughter, and the cages of Louis XiV., in which a man could not stand up or lie down. Tbe electric shock exactly reverses these conditions, It produces an enormous rapid contraction in tbe body of the muscles at very abort intervals. -The degree of pain produced is about the same. The foroe of the electricity hag to be nicely graded; a too powerful shook would numb or kill a man. The other method ik.by condensing, a number of intermittent sparks on'the flesh. "* This burns tbe ekin, and at the same time produces contraction of the muscles. If put to the side of the jaw it would make every tooth ache:" A distinguished surgeon of whom questions were asked concerning the machine said : "The best way to explain it is to give you actual experience ; then you will know exactly how it feele. Here is a Faraclio ; induction coil. Now, let me place this electrode to your band. There." : " Oh 1 " exclaimed the enquirer, as a ! tingling, thrilling sensation ran through i every finger, and bis hand olosed in an ■ involuntary graep. "Does it hurt?" asked tbe dootor, "A little." , " Well, we'll try again. Now, you see, ! I pull this tube further out. I* again ' touch it to your hand and " "Whoop!" shouted the victim; |"take it away !" The feeling was as iif the hand was crushed in vice. ; Every nerve ached and trembled with | pain. "That hurt, did it? Why, -that's nothing. Here is something of |a very different sort." He fastened to one wire a small wet sponge, and to the other wire something like a paint brush, with the brush part made of line wire. He put the sponge into the visitor's hands, and then touched the back of the hand with the wire brush. IThe pain was unbearable. The sur•face of the skin was scorched and the jmuscles of the hands were contracted in a violent manner. " That is called Jthe electric scourge," said the doctor. "If it were dark you could see sparks fly from each wire. Imagine the effects if the electricity were ten times more powerful." " Could any man bear that torture?" "I think not; any man yculd confess under it, but it is a question what confidence could be placed in such a confession. A man would confess anything tb escape the agony." " What could you compare the pain to ? '•' ' ' It would be the same as burning alive." " Would it injure the man?" "No — not unless the pain drove him insane. If the battery was too powerful it would kill at once. Applied to some parts of the body the scourge hurts more than on other parts."