Posts tagged execution

  The Witch Hunt of 1692 In a time when Puritan beliefs struck fear in society, paranoia swept through the town. By 1692, the God-fearing people of Salem were so consumed by their reverence they even began naming their children One-Who-Fears-God and Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery. January: Two girls, Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams start to show strange behavior, such as seizures and screaming. Betty Parris was the daughter of Reverend Samuel Parris. Soon after, several other Salem girls begin to show similar behavior, including Ann Putnam Jr. After an examination by the town doctor, the were proclaimed as bewitched. February: Once Salem’s village doctor diagnoses that the girls are under the influence of Satan, prayer services are held for the girls. The girls give the names of three women who they believe are witches. Two maintained their innocence, but Tituba, Elizabeth’s slave, confessed and said that there were other witches in Salem.  March: Magistrates perform “witch tests” on the three accused women. Over the next few weeks, many more women are accused of witchcraft, mostly those who are not normal. Those accused included Mercy Lewis, Mary Walcott, Mary Warren, Martha Corey, Rebecca Nurse, and Elizabeth Proctor.  April: Sarah Cloyce, the sister of Rebecca Nurse, is accused of witchcraft after defending her sister. On April 11, John Proctor becomes the first man accused of witchcraft and is put in jail. On April 22, Nehemiah Abbott, William and Deliverance Hobbs, Edward and Sarah Bishop, Mary Easty, Mary Black, Sarah Wildes, and Mary English were examined. Nehemiah is the only one cleared. May: George Burroughs is arrested and put in jail. Margaret Jacobs testifies that he is a witch, and so was her grandfather. Mary Easty is released from prison but arrested again. On May 27, Governor Phips sets up a special court to try the witchcraft cases. The witches are judged on appearance, and evidence such as confessions. June: Bridget Bishop is the first person tried in the new court, found guilty, and hanged on June 10. After this, accusations escalated, but some townspeople tried to start petitions in order to save the innocent. Roger Toothaker dies in prison on June 16. Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Sarah Wildes, Sarah Good and Elizabeth Howe are all tried and sentenced to be hanged.  July: Joseph Ballard decides to start hunting all witches, with help of the girls of Salem. Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Sarah Wildes, Sarah Good, and Elizabeth Howe are all hanged on the same day, July 19. Prisoners begin to write to various religious leaders for help.  August: George Jacobs, Sr., Martha Carrier, George Burroughs, John and Elizabeth Proctor, and John Willard were tried for witchcraft and sentenced to be hanged. They were all hanged on August 19, except for Elizabeth, who was pardoned because she was pregnant.  September: Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Dorcas Hoar, Margaret Scott, Wilmott Redd, Samuel Wardwell, Mary Parker, Abigail Faulkner, Rebecca Eames, Mary Lacy, Ann Foster, Abigail Hobbs, and Mary Bradbury were tried and sentenced to be hanged. Giles Corey was ordered to have rocks piled on him because he refused to testify. He was pressed to death. Dorcas Hoar was the first of those pleading innocent to confess. Eight more witches were hanged in this month.  October: On October 3, Reverend Increase Mather, publicly denounced the use of spectral evidence. 20 people had been executed, but Thomas Brattle was criticized for his witch hunting, which was brought to the attention of Governor Phips. The Governor prohibited further arrests of witches.  November: The rest of the witches were tried, but because of the ban on spectral evidence, 49 out of the 52 remaining were released in the following January, bringing the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 to an end. 

 

The Witch Hunt of 1692

In a time when Puritan beliefs struck fear in society, paranoia swept through the town. By 1692, the God-fearing people of Salem were so consumed by their reverence they even began naming their children One-Who-Fears-God and Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery.

January: Two girls, Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams start to show strange behavior, such as seizures and screaming. Betty Parris was the daughter of Reverend Samuel Parris. Soon after, several other Salem girls begin to show similar behavior, including Ann Putnam Jr. After an examination by the town doctor, the were proclaimed as bewitched.

February: Once Salem’s village doctor diagnoses that the girls are under the influence of Satan, prayer services are held for the girls. The girls give the names of three women who they believe are witches. Two maintained their innocence, but Tituba, Elizabeth’s slave, confessed and said that there were other witches in Salem. 

March: Magistrates perform “witch tests” on the three accused women. Over the next few weeks, many more women are accused of witchcraft, mostly those who are not normal. Those accused included Mercy Lewis, Mary Walcott, Mary Warren, Martha Corey, Rebecca Nurse, and Elizabeth Proctor. 

April: Sarah Cloyce, the sister of Rebecca Nurse, is accused of witchcraft after defending her sister. On April 11, John Proctor becomes the first man accused of witchcraft and is put in jail. On April 22, Nehemiah Abbott, William and Deliverance Hobbs, Edward and Sarah Bishop, Mary Easty, Mary Black, Sarah Wildes, and Mary English were examined. Nehemiah is the only one cleared.

May: George Burroughs is arrested and put in jail. Margaret Jacobs testifies that he is a witch, and so was her grandfather. Mary Easty is released from prison but arrested again. On May 27, Governor Phips sets up a special court to try the witchcraft cases. The witches are judged on appearance, and evidence such as confessions.

June: Bridget Bishop is the first person tried in the new court, found guilty, and hanged on June 10. After this, accusations escalated, but some townspeople tried to start petitions in order to save the innocent. Roger Toothaker dies in prison on June 16. Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Sarah Wildes, Sarah Good and Elizabeth Howe are all tried and sentenced to be hanged. 

July: Joseph Ballard decides to start hunting all witches, with help of the girls of Salem. Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Sarah Wildes, Sarah Good, and Elizabeth Howe are all hanged on the same day, July 19. Prisoners begin to write to various religious leaders for help. 

August: George Jacobs, Sr., Martha Carrier, George Burroughs, John and Elizabeth Proctor, and John Willard were tried for witchcraft and sentenced to be hanged. They were all hanged on August 19, except for Elizabeth, who was pardoned because she was pregnant. 

September: Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Dorcas Hoar, Margaret Scott, Wilmott Redd, Samuel Wardwell, Mary Parker, Abigail Faulkner, Rebecca Eames, Mary Lacy, Ann Foster, Abigail Hobbs, and Mary Bradbury were tried and sentenced to be hanged. Giles Corey was ordered to have rocks piled on him because he refused to testify. He was pressed to death. Dorcas Hoar was the first of those pleading innocent to confess. Eight more witches were hanged in this month. 

October: On October 3, Reverend Increase Mather, publicly denounced the use of spectral evidence. 20 people had been executed, but Thomas Brattle was criticized for his witch hunting, which was brought to the attention of Governor Phips. The Governor prohibited further arrests of witches. 

November: The rest of the witches were tried, but because of the ban on spectral evidence, 49 out of the 52 remaining were released in the following January, bringing the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 to an end. 


(Source: russeyfamily.com)

30 notes

The witch chair was the most frequently used torture equipment during modern witch pursuit. The chair was a wooden arm armchair, whose seat, backrest, Fussbrett and arm rest were provided with metal points. The accused, who was suspected of being a witch and being in league with the devil, was completely undressed and forced to sit in the chair.  The accused was not allowed to move in order to relieve the pain of the metal points digging into her flesh. This procedure could drag on up to 36 hours. Many chairs had a device under the seat with which it was possible to kindle a small fire. The iron points could also be heated and increase the agony enormously. If a woman survived this torture, it was proven that she is a witch and the accused became condemned to death. The logic behind this conclusion was that only the devil and/or black magic could have given the woman the strength to survive the torture. If the woman confessed her misdemeanours before completion of the torture, she was condemned also to death. Therefore, once accused, no woman could escape death. Many women died, before they were allowed to leave the chair.

The witch chair was the most frequently used torture equipment during modern witch pursuit.

The chair was a wooden arm armchair, whose seat, backrest, Fussbrett and arm rest were provided with metal points. The accused, who was suspected of being a witch and being in league with the devil, was completely undressed and forced to sit in the chair.  The accused was not allowed to move in order to relieve the pain of the metal points digging into her flesh. This procedure could drag on up to 36 hours.

Many chairs had a device under the seat with which it was possible to kindle a small fire. The iron points could also be heated and increase the agony enormously.

If a woman survived this torture, it was proven that she is a witch and the accused became condemned to death. The logic behind this conclusion was that only the devil and/or black magic could have given the woman the strength to survive the torture. If the woman confessed her misdemeanours before completion of the torture, she was condemned also to death. Therefore, once accused, no woman could escape death.

Many women died, before they were allowed to leave the chair.

(Source: economypoint.org)

81 notes

Execution Method: Scaphism

Scaphism is an Ancient Persian method of execution. According to Wikipedia, a naked person would be firmly fastened within a back-to-back pair of narrow rowboats (or in some variations a hollowed out tree trunk), the head, hands, and feet protruding from this improvised container. The condemned was forced to ingest milk and honey to the point of developing severe diarrhea, and more honey would be rubbed on his body so as to attract insects to the exposed appendages. They would then be left to float on a stagnant pond (or alternately, simply exposed to the sun somewhere). The defenseless individual’s feces accumulated within the container, attracting more insects, which would eat and breed within his or her exposed (and increasingly gangrenous) flesh. Death, when it eventually occurred, was probably due to a combination of dehydration, starvation and septic shock.

Plutarch writes that it took Mithridates 17 days to die by this method of execution. Native American Indians also used a similar method of execution where they would tie the victim to a tree, smear him and leave him to the ants. Because he was not previously force-fed, he would generally starve in a few days.

(Source: listverse.com)

8 notes

Necklacing is a type of execution in which a rubber tyre is filled with gasoline, forced over the arms and chest of the victim, and set alight. It was a common practice in South Africa during the 1980s and 1990s anti-apartheid struggle. Necklacing sentences were sometimes handed down against alleged criminals by “people’s courts” established in black townships as a means of circumventing the apartheid judicial system. Necklacing was also used to punish members of the black community who were perceived as collaborators with the apartheid regime. These included black policemen, town councilors and others, as well as their relatives and associates.  Unfortunately, Necklacing is still quite common today.  IN recent years, it has also occured in Brazil, and Haiti, and at least one person was killed by this method in Nigeria during muslim protests over the Muhammad Cartoons.

Necklacing is a type of execution in which a rubber tyre is filled with gasoline, forced over the arms and chest of the victim, and set alight. It was a common practice in South Africa during the 1980s and 1990s anti-apartheid struggle.

Necklacing sentences were sometimes handed down against alleged criminals by “people’s courts” established in black townships as a means of circumventing the apartheid judicial system. Necklacing was also used to punish members of the black community who were perceived as collaborators with the apartheid regime. These included black policemen, town councilors and others, as well as their relatives and associates. 

Unfortunately, Necklacing is still quite common today.  IN recent years, it has also occured in Brazil, and Haiti, and at least one person was killed by this method in Nigeria during muslim protests over the Muhammad Cartoons.

(Source: listverse.com)

5 notes

The Brazen Bull was invented by Perilaus of Athens (a Brass worker) in the 6th Century BC and offered to Phalaris, Tyrant of Agrigentum, as a gift. It was a large brass bull that was completely hollow inside with a door on the side large enough for a man to enter. Once the man was inside the bull, a fire would be lit beneath it in order to roast him to death. In the head of the bull, Perilaus put a series of tubes and stops that were designed to amplify the screams of the victim and make them sound like the roar of a bull. Interestingly, Perilaus was the first person to feel the pain of the Brazen Bull. After Perilaus said to Phalaris: “[his screams] will come to you through the pipes as the tenderest, most pathetic, most melodious of bellowings”, Phalaris was so disgusted that he tricked Perilaus in to entering the bull.  Perilaus was removed from the Bull before he died and Phalaris had him thrown off a cliff. The Brazen Bull became one of the most common methods of execution in Ancient Greece.

The Brazen Bull was invented by Perilaus of Athens (a Brass worker) in the 6th Century BC and offered to Phalaris, Tyrant of Agrigentum, as a gift. It was a large brass bull that was completely hollow inside with a door on the side large enough for a man to enter. Once the man was inside the bull, a fire would be lit beneath it in order to roast him to death. In the head of the bull, Perilaus put a series of tubes and stops that were designed to amplify the screams of the victim and make them sound like the roar of a bull.

Interestingly, Perilaus was the first person to feel the pain of the Brazen Bull. After Perilaus said to Phalaris: “[his screams] will come to you through the pipes as the tenderest, most pathetic, most melodious of bellowings”, Phalaris was so disgusted that he tricked Perilaus in to entering the bull. 

Perilaus was removed from the Bull before he died and Phalaris had him thrown off a cliff. The Brazen Bull became one of the most common methods of execution in Ancient Greece.

(Source: listverse.com)

10 notes

: Glasgow smile and Colombian necktie

tamburina:

A Glasgow smile is a nickname for the result of cutting a victim’s face from the edges of the mouth to the ears. The cut – and the scars it leaves – form an extension of what resembles a smile. Sometimes further to hurt or even kill the victim, he or she would then be stabbed or kicked, most notably in the stomach (or in case of kicking, the groin), so that the face would be ripped apart when the victim screamed. The practice originated in the Scottish city of Glasgow, which gave it its name. It also became popular in Chelsea, London (where it is known as a “Chelsea grin”) and other areas of Britain, for gangs hoping to leave a message to rival gang members. If cut deep enough, the victim may bleed to death. Mutilation of this kind is commonly inflicted with a utility knife, glass or bottle. A popular example of the Glasgow smile is the Black Dahlia.

A Colombian necktie is a method of execution where the victim’s throat is slashed (with a knife or other sharp object) and their tongue is pulled out through the open wound. It was a frequent method of killing during the Colombian history period called La Violencia that started in 1948 after the leader Jorge Eliecer Gaitan was murdered. The Colombian necktie is sometimes erroneously credited as having been invented by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, but this infamous method of killing was already present since 1950, during La Violencia in Colombia’s civil war, it was performed on enemies as psychological warfare meant to scare and intimidate those who later encountered the body.


162 notes