Hier mal ein bekanntes Stück anekdotischer Evidenz.
Wer empfindlich ist, was Gewaltdarstellungen angeht, sollte es nicht lesen.
On 2 March 1757 Damiens the regicide was condemned ‘to make
the amende honorable before the main door of the Church of Paris*,
where he was to be ‘taken and conveyed in a cart, wearing nothing
but a shirt, holding a torch of burning wax weighing two pounds’;
then, ‘in the said cart, to the Place de Gr£ve, where, on a scaffold
that will be erected there, the flesh will be tom from his breasts,
arms, thighs and calves with red-hot pincers, his right hand, holding
the knife with which he committed the said parricide, burnt with
sulphur, and, on those places where the flesh will be torn away,
poured molten lead, boiling oil, burning resin, wax and sulphur
melted together and then his body drawn and quartered by four
horses and his limbs and body consumed by fire, reduced to ashes
and his ashes thrown to the winds’ {Pieces originales . .3 7 2 - 4 ) .
‘Finally, he was quartered/ recounts the Gazette d* Amsterdam of
1 April 1757. ‘This last operation was very long, because the horses
used were not accustomed to drawing; consequendy, instead of
four, six were needed; and when that did not suffice, they were
forced, in order to cut off the wretch’s thighs, to sever the sinews
and hack at the joints…
‘It is said that, though he was always a great swearer, no blasphemy
escaped his lips; but the excessive pain made him utter
horrible cries, and he often repeated: “ My God, have pity on me!
Jesus, help me!” The spectators were all edified by the solicitude
of the parish priest of St Paul’s who despite his great age did not
spare himself in offering consolation to the patient.1
Bouton, an officer of the watch, left us his account: ‘The sulphur
was lit, but the flame was so poor that only the top skin of the hand
was burnt, and that only slightly. Then the executioner, his sleeves
rolled up, took the steel pincers, which had been especially made
3
Torture
for the occasion, and which were about a foot and a half long, and
pulled first at the calf of the right leg, then at the thigh, and from
there at the two fleshy parts of the right arm; then at the breasts.
Though a strong, sturdy fellow, this executioner found it so difficult
to tear away the pieces of flesh that he set about the same spot two or
three times, twisting the pincers as he did so, and what he took away
formed at each part a wound about the size of a six-pound crown
piece.
‘After these tearings with the pincers, Damiens, who cried out
profusely, though without swearing, raised his head and looked at
himself; the same executioner dipped an iron spoon in the pot containing
the boiling potion, which he poured liberally over each
wound. Then the ropes that were to be harnessed to the horses were
attached with cords to the patient’s body; the horses were then
harnessed and placed alongside the arms and legs, one at each
limb.
‘Monsieur Le Breton, the clerk of the court, went up to the
patient several times and asked him if he had anything to say. He
said he had not; at each torment, he cried out, as the damned in hell
are supposed to cry out, “ Pardon, my God! Pardon, Lord.”
Despite all this pain, he raised his head from time to time and looked
at himself boldly. The cords had been tied so tightly by the men
who pulled the ends that they caused him indescribable pain.
Monsieur le Breton went up to him again and asked him if he had
anything to say; he said no. Several confessors went up to him and
spoke to him at length; he willingly kissed the crucifix that was held
out to him; he opened his lips and repeated: “ Pardon, Lord.”
‘The horses tugged hard, each pulling straight on a limb, each
horse held by an executioner. After a quarter of an hour, the same
ceremony was repeated and finally, after several attempts, the
direction of the horses had to be changed, thus: those at the arms
were made to pull towards the head, those at the thighs towards the
arms, which broke the arms at the joints. This was repeated several
times without success. He raised his head and looked at himself.
Two more horses had to be added to those harnessed to the thighs,
which made six horses in all. Without success.
‘Finally, the executioner, Samson, said to Monsieur Le Breton
that there was no way or hope of succeeding, and told him to ask
4
The body of the condemned
their Lordships if they wished him to have the prisoner cut into
pieces. Monsieur Le Breton, who had come down from the town,
ordered that renewed efforts be made, and this was done; but the
horses gave up and one of those harnessed to the thighs fell to the
ground. The confessors returned and spoke to him again. He said
to them (I heard him): “ Kiss me, gentlemen.” The parish priest of
St Paul’s did not dare to, so Monsieur de Marsilly slipped under the
rope holding the left arm and kissed him on the forehead. The
executioners gathered round and Damiens told them not to swear,
to carry out their task and that he did not think ill of them; he
begged them to pray to God for him, and asked the parish priest
of St Paul’s to pray for him at the first mass.
‘After two or three attempts, the executioner Samson and he who
had used the pincers each drew out a knife from his pocket and cut
the body at the thighs instead of severing the legs at the joints; the
four horses gave a tug and carried off the two thighs after them,
namely, that of the right side first, the other following; then the
same was done to the arms, the shoulders, the arm-pits and the four
limbs; the flesh had to be cut almost to the bone, the horses pulling
hard carried off the right arm first and the other afterwards.
‘When the four limbs had been pulled away, the confessors came
to speak to him; but his executioner told them that he was dead,
though the truth was that I saw the man move, his lower jaw moving
from side to side as if he were talking. One of the executioners even
said shortly afterwards that when they had lifted the trunk to throw
it on the stake, he was still alive. The four limbs were untied from
the ropes and thrown on the stake set up in the enclosure in line
with the scaffold, then the trunk and the rest were covered with logs
and faggots, and fire was put to the straw mixed with this wood.
\ … In accordance with the decree, the whole was reduced to
ashes. The last piece to be found in the embers was still burning at
half-past ten in the evening. The pieces of flesh and the trunk had
taken about four hours to bum. [/Quote]