Crime & punishment > Times of Claverhouse, or, Sketches of the persecution

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THE TIMES OF CLAVERHOUSE.
had crushed his leg almost to a jelly, he fainted un¬
der the excessive agony. It was proposed to crush
the other leg in the same manner, but this was pre¬
vented, in consequence of a letter received by Sharp,
intimating, that if he persisted in his cruel intentions
he should receive a shot from a steadier hand.”
The last instance which we shall produce as a
specimen of the cruelties of the council, is that of
Mr John Spreul, apothecary in Glasgow. He was
a very excellent man, a firm and consistent Cove¬
nanter, and one who was prepared to endure hard¬
ships to the uttermost in the maintenance of the
cause of truth. “ When examined before the coun¬
cil, his answers were considered to be unsatisfactory,
and he was ordered to be put to the torture, in the
presence of the Duke of York, and a committee
specially selected for the purpose. While the ex¬
ecutioner was performing his horrid work, Mr
Spreul was interrogated as to his knowledge con¬
cerning the pretended plot against the duke’s life,
his acquaintance with Mr Cargill’s place of con¬
cealment, and other things of which he still declared
his utter ignorance. Finding that nothing farther
could be elicited from him, he was, with the great¬
est inhumanity, ordered to be tortured a second
time, which he endured without departing, in any
point, from his former declaration, and with a for¬
titude that astonished his tormentors.” During
this second outrage on humanity, Dalzell, who is
noted for his barbarity, affirmed, with a savage
accent, that the executioner did not strike the
wedges with sufficient force. The man asserted
that he struck with all his might, and offered him
the hammer to perform the work himself.