The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 369: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

340 REYNOLDS’ WORKS and another victim was now seized upon. This was also one of the dignified individuals who had maintained a profound silence, and the peons, taking a couple of the sticks from the table, tied them together at one end. The man’s hands were now introduced between the two sticks, which were tightened over them and made to cross each other at the unfastened ends, so that the compression upon the hands was productive of a most hideous torture. The unfortunate victim bore it heroically, and in silence, for some minutes, until at length a low moan escaped his lips, and he sank down senseless. A couple of the females were now seized upon by the peons, and despite their piteous entreaties, the barbaric torture was applied. Their hands were like- wise crushed between a couple of sticks; and this process, we may observe, is known in India by the name of the kittee. The piercing screams of the victims thrilled through the apartment, and when they seemed about to faint with excess of agony, the sticks were removed from their hands. - But their punishment was not over, for the peons proceeded to tie the two females together by the long tresses of their back hair. With ruthless hands did the torturers fasten those knots so tightly as to cause the most terrible pain to the victims, and thus united, they were left, sitting back to back, on the floor. There was an elderly female, well-dressed, and of most. respectable appearance, who was seated in the midst of the captives on the bench. One of the peons now approached her, threw over her neck a chain made of bones, and spat in her face, while another peon took a stick and dealt her several severe blows over the shoulders. They then leit her with the chain of bones around her neck, this punish- ment being one of the most degrading and derogatory that could be possibly inflicted on a native female of a respectable caste. | Another male victim was now seized upon, and to him was applied the torture known as the anundal. Being placed against the wall, he was compelled to stand upon one leg, and a cord being fastened around his neck, the extremity was tied by means of a thin string to the great toe of the up- raised leg, and in this condition the wretched being was left. Another male victim was thrown upon the floor, a cord was likewise fastened around his neck, and the extremities EoOmichsooks (E(0)