218 HORRIBLE TORTURES INFLICTED 



great effort to keep himself upon his legs, and 

 tell us his melancholy story. He spoke with con- 

 siderable difficulty, and yet shewed great firm- 

 ness and determination. 



We asked him a great many questions through 

 the consul's dragoman, who accompanied us, as 

 he spoke only the Albanian language. Two 

 constables were present, who appeared to have 

 the charge of him, and who would have been too 

 glad to contradict his story if they had been able 

 to do so. This man, whose name was Ali, had 

 been chained to that post for twelve days. Every 

 night, some Jews, hired for the purpose, came 

 and inflicted upon him tortures of the most hor- 

 rible and disgraceful description, under the influ- 

 ence of which he had, to save himself, as he said, 

 from further suffering, confessed that he had com- 

 mitted the murder in question, and that the offi- 

 cer, whose wife had been murdered, was his ac- 

 complice. He said he knew no more about the 

 matter than a child unborn, but that, under the 

 influence of torture, he found life so insupport- 

 able, that he thought, by confessing, he might 

 induce his persecutors to put him to death at 

 once, and end his miserable existence. In this, 



