TRINIDAD *. THEN AND NOW. 



101 



Upon this representation, Picton made himself 

 acquainted with the usual proceedings, according to 

 the laws of the island and calling upon the notary to 

 word the sentence, the notary wrote and Picton 

 signed : — 



1 * Apply the question to Luisa Calderon. 



M TH. PICTON/ ' 

 The 1 1 question ' ' was applied in a private room. 

 At first she was resolute in her determination to be 

 silent, but after a little time she acknowledged that 

 she had submitted to the wishes of Carlos Gonzalez, 

 and that it was he who had stolen the money from 

 the house of Buiz, and Gonzalez subsequently ad- 

 mitted that he had been intimate with Luisa Calderon 

 for about four months and that he visited her on the 

 day of the robbery. This class of offence was at this 

 time a capital one and Gonzalez might have been 

 sentenced to be hanged, but this extreme penalty 

 Picton did not inflict ; he sentenced Gonzalez to pay 

 one thousand eight hundred dollars, to work upon the 

 roads till the fine should be paid, and then to be ban- 

 ished from the island. Luisa Calderon was set at 

 liberty. 



This will form a suitable place at which to des- 

 cribe how this species of torture was applied. Two 

 pieces of wood, having a flat iron plate one and a half 

 inches square on the top, was fixed into the receptacle 

 made to receive it, then the victim's arms being tied 

 to her sides, a leather belt was passed around her 

 body, and she was lifted off her feet by a rope over a 

 pulley attached to the ceiling till her toes rested on 



