THE STEEL MAIDEN.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4490, 26 May 1883, Page 3

THE STEEL MAIDEN.

A, German correspondent of the Toledo Blade tells of the steel maiden, which is kept in her room precisely as she was' in the days of her usefulness. Yon are shown what at first sight appears to be the rnde statue of a woman clumsily hewn out of wood. The guide noiselessly opened it, one door swinging to the right and the other to the left. The statue was I hollow, and just the size of the average \ man. Inside were straps by which the offender was bound so that he could not move an inch. All the doors were lined with long sharp steel spikes, strong and thick. When the victim was firmly secured the door on the left was slewly but firmly shut, and the long spikes went into his body, two being so arranged as to pierce his eyes. Then the door on the right was closed in a similar manner, and he would receive another complement of spikes, the closing of tbe doors being done very slowly, that tbe - torture of the man in the embrace of the maiden might be as long as possible. The very last spike pierced his heart. After remaining shut up for a while the straps were unfastened from the ouleide, a spring was touched and tbe man fell 15ft into a cleverly constructed machine that ground him up as'fine as mince meat, and dropped him into the river below, making food for fishes. ' .