TURKISH PUNISHMENT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2126, 18 November 1890, Page 3

TURKISH PUNISHMENT.

In Turkey twenty years ago men were hanged for trifles. Tradesmen who sold short weight might be nailed by the ear to their own doorposts, and petty thieves as well as men who were impertinent to officials, or who refused to pay their taxes twice over, were bastinadoed on the soles of the feet (says Temple Bar). This last punishment, by the way, was light or cruel according as the patient was accustomed to go barefooted or spend his life in bubachoes. The water-carriers, porters, street fruit-sellers and peasants generally, whose soles were like horn, cared little for twenty-five cuts with a bamboo; but to women, the tradesmen, and clerks stripes were excruciatingly painful, and brought weeks of lameness. The present Sultan has abolished the bastinado in the European part of his dominions, and has practically done away with capital punishment, except for brigandage and for attempts of assassinating high officials. Even brigands, however, are only hanged when they have laid hands on foreigners and caused an outcry in the European press. Genuine Turks seldom find their way into goal, save for murders or inability to pay taxes, and the murders often committed under the influence of religious fanaticism, when the Mussulman, driyen mad by the Bamadan ior by the rejoicings of Bairam holi-

days, runs a muck with a knife among a crowd of Giaurs. Huch offenders, however, are always leniently dealt with by the Pasha, unless, of course, they happen to kill a foreign Christian having an Ambassador to avenge him. In Turkish prisons Mussulmans and Christians are kept apart, and the former, a grave and gentleman-like looking set of men, |bask in the sun most of the day smoking, and they perform frequent abultiona at the trickling fountain in the middle of their airing yard. They give do trouble, and wait with the utmost patience until it shall please Allah to open the prison doors for them, The Christians, a herd of G-reeks, Bulgarians and Macedonians, with the most villainous faces, morals and manners imaginable, have to be ruled with a tight hand to be kept from strangling one another. When it becomes necessary to hang one of the gentry the Greek goes to hie punishment struggling and bowling; the Turk makes no more ado about the matter than if he was going to have his head shaved, As the Turkish exchequer provides no hangman or ropes for executions, some curious things occasionally happen. Not long ago a Turk who had to be banged at Kirdjoli walked about the town for an hour with two soldiers who had been ordered te execute him. These soldiers did not mean to buy a rope with their own money, and they failed to borrow one. Eventually they broke into a stable, stole a rope and hanged their man from a nail over the door.