[figure description] Page 074.[end figure description]

We were &longs;oon paraded and
marched to the plain, to be amu&longs;ed with
the promi&longs;ed &longs;pectacle, which, notwithstanding
it might probably fru&longs;trate my
attempts for freedom, I anticipated with
a plea&longs;ing curio&longs;ity. When we arrived
at the plain, we found, &longs;urrounding a &longs;pot,
fenced in with a &longs;light railing, a large
concour&longs;e of people, among whom I could
di&longs;cern many groups of men, who&longs;e habits
and &longs;orrow indented faces &longs;hewed them
to be of the &longs;ame mi&longs;erable order with us.
In the mid&longs;t of this &longs;pot there was a frame

[figure description] Page 075.[end figure description]

erected, &longs;omewhat re&longs;embling the &longs;tage of
our pillories; on the centre of which a
pole or &longs;trong &longs;take was erected, &longs;harpened
at the end and pointed with &longs;teel. While
I was perplexing my&longs;elf with the de&longs;ign
of this apparatus, military mu&longs;ic was
heard at a di&longs;tance; and &longs;oon after a &longs;trong
party of guards approached the &longs;eaffold
and &longs;oon mounted upon the &longs;tage a miserable
wretch, with all the agonies of despair
in his countenance, who I learned
from his &longs;entence, proclaimed by a public
crier, was to be impailed alive for attempting
to e&longs;cape from bondage. The
con&longs;ciousne&longs;s that I had been, one moment
before, meditating the &longs;ame act, for
which this wretch was to &longs;uffer &longs;o cruelly,
added to my feelings for a fellow creature,
excited &longs;o &longs;trong a &longs;ympathy for
the devoted wretch, that I was near fainting.

I will not wound the &longs;en&longs;ibility of my
humane fellow citizens, by a minute

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detail of this fiend like puni&longs;hment. Suffice
it to &longs;ay that, after they had &longs;tripped
the &longs;ufferer naked, except a cloth around
the loins, they in&longs;erted the iron pointed
&longs;take into the lower termination of the
vertebræ, and thence forced it up near his
back bone, until it appeared between his
&longs;houlders; with devili&longs;h ingenuity contriving
to avoid the vital parts. The &longs;take
was then rai&longs;ed into the air, and the suffering
wretch expo&longs;ed to the view of the
a&longs;&longs;embly, writhing in all the contortions
of in&longs;upportable agony. How long he
lived, I cannot tell, I never gave but one
look at him: one was enough to appal
a New England heart. I laid my head
on the rails, until we retired. It was
now obvious, it was de&longs;igned by our
ma&longs;ter, that this horrid &longs;pectacle &longs;hould
operate upon us as a terrifying example.
It had its full effect on me. I thought
no more of attempting an e&longs;cape; but,
during our return, was mi&longs;erably

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tormented lea&longs;t my knap&longs;ack and provi&longs;ions
&longs;hould be found and adduced again&longs;t me,
as evidence of my intent to de&longs;ert. Happily
for me, I recovered them the next
day, and no &longs;u&longs;picions of my de&longs;ign were
entertained.

p407-301

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