THE GAROTTE

 

The executioner tighten the ropes and the blade will entered the criminal's neck

The garotte (or garrotte) was the standard civilian method of execution in Spain. It was introduced in 1812/13, at the beginning of the reign of Ferdinand VII, to replace the crude form of hanging previously used. At least 736 people, including 16 women, were executed in Spain in the 19th century.  It is not clear how complete earlier records are and even modern ones are somewhat patchy.

Garotting appears to have developed from the early Chinese form of execution known as the bow-string. The criminal was tied to an upright post with two holes bored in it through which the ends of a cord from a long bow were passed and pulled tight round the neck by the executioner until the condemned strangled.  In the Spanish version, the prisoner was seated on top of a short post with his back to the main post and a rope loop was placed round his neck and around the post. The executioner twisted a stick inserted in the loop to tighten the rope and strangle the prisoner.

The next form of garotte comprised a wooden stool on which the prisoner sat with his back to the post (pictured). In some later instances a strong wooden chair was used.  The condemned was strapped at the wrists, arms, waist and legs and the hinged iron collar closed around their neck. A heavy screw operated by a handle or a weighted lever connected to a spike or a small star shaped blade ran through the post. When the screw/lever mechanism was operated, the blade entered the criminal's neck and severed the spinal column, in an attempt to ensure that the prisoner did not strangle to death. 

The garotte was used in Spanish colonies, e.g. Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. It also was the official method for ordinary criminals in Portugal up to abolition in 1867.