Today’s Vile Yet Truly Morbid Fact!
Contrary to the sanitized view that Hollywood gives us, Western towns were actually quite dirty, and so were the cowpokes who frequented them. The horses – everybody had at least one – created steamy cesspools around the hitching posts, where flies plagued man and beast and a vile odor abounded. Frequently oxen an cattle contributed to the mess, and after a rainfall the streets were filled with a yellow-brown ooze.
Leadville, Colorado, reported a morass on its Main Street 18 inches deep in which the wooden sidwalkes formed a “sort of raft,” an ideal nest for rats. This mess seeped into pools to be pumped up as drinking water so putrid “it made liquor drinking a virtue”.
Bridge Street, Helena Montana
Culled from: The Good Old Days, They Were Terrible!
Torture Instrument Du Jour!
BARREL PILLORY
This instrument was mostly responsible for inflicting psychological suffering. The physical component of the type of torture was “only” having to bear the weight of the barrel on one’s shoulders which was, of course, tiresome and laborious in itself, but not that painful compared to other kinds of torture.
It was mainly inflicted on chronic drunkards, who were exposed to public ridicule. Today, when reputation is not so important, we might tend to underestimate the degree of psychological shame associated to this particular form of torture.
The barrels could be of two different kinds, namely, with an open or closed bottom. The first version allowed the victim to walk while bearing the painful weight; the second one immobilized the victim, and immersed him in excrements or putrid liquids.
Culled from: Torture – Inquisition – Death Penalty