The HORRORS Of Garrote Execution

Throughout the centuries, many execution methods have been used to bring the life of a condemned person to an end. Some of these have been said to have been more humane than others, and often these also went wrong. Crowds who witnessed public executions enjoyed seeing the most brutal methods being deployed. And sickeningly, they enjoyed seeing someone suffer in their final minutes. That is why methods such as hanging, drawing, and quartering became written into history. as thousands flocked to see someone being torn apart by an executioner. Inside the country of Spain, many execution methods were used. For example, during the Spanish Inquisition, there was a lot of burning of heretics.

But one method which was used from the 18th century up until the 20th century and roughly 50 years ago was Zagarat. This began life as a simple wire used to strangle a condemned person and evolved into a machine in which a spiked screw would be driven into someone’s neck. It was one of the most disturbing methods used in history and often went wrong. This is the horrors of the garat. The development of the garat was supposed to make the method more humane, but if things went wrong, it often led to a suffering death for the condemned person. As mentioned, a karat in its most simplest form is a piece of wire or string used to strangle and choke the life out of someone.

Special forces still are trained today in how to incapacitate an enemy with these. But it became a device in which had a seat or a chair and a post running behind. On the post there may have been an iron collar which was locked around the neck of the prisoner. Behind the post was usually a crank handle, and when this was turned, the collar would wrap tighter around the neck, and this would then lead to someone choking and experiencing a suffocating death with the air being taken out of them.

The wind pipe would also be crushed, and the pressure would stop blood flow and also possibly break the neck. Some devices also as mentioned had a spike or a screw which was positioned in a way that was driven into the neck and it aimed to sever the spinal cord or sever the brain stem then bringing death.

This could of course go very wrong and actually be very bloody but nothing was guaranteed with the GOAT. Death on the device was often slow and uncertain. Unlike let’s say a long drop execution which would be carried out successfully, the grot often took time and it frequently caused prolonged choking, partial airway collapse and a gradual loss of oxygen to the brain.

Victims because of this sometimes gasped or convulsed for several minutes, remaining conscious while suffocating or experiencing extreme pain before blackout. If blood flow wasn’t cut off, then death could take more than 10 minutes. It also frequently didn’t break the neck. With the versions that included the metal spike intended to puncture the spinal column for speed, this was common.

The spike often was misaligned to the prisoner and executioners lacked precision training and anatomical knowledge as to where to place a spike. Also, for each person, there was variation in the length of neck and size, meaning the positioning of the spike varied. Because of this, many executions on the Grot failed to sever the spinal cord, and this left the prisoner slowly being crushed or strangled instead.

Also, the spike would apply force at a single point behind the neck rather than fully or quickly restricting the corroted arteries. This led to crushing of the wimppipe, rupturing of blood vessels in the face and eyes, and bulging eyes and contorted facial expressions. These executions were visibly traumatic, causing a huge amount of suffering in the final moments.

Also, consciousness could persist an alarmingly long time because air flow might be partially blocked rather than being fully cut off. Blood circulation wasn’t stopped immediately, and prisoners could remain aware for 90 seconds of terror and sometimes even longer. All of these points allude to the fact that the garat was a very unreliable execution method and it often logistically went very wrong.

Historical reports have described numerous factors including screws that became jammed, collars that were placed too high or too low around the neck, clothing interfering with pressure, and also executioners lacking training, and also the strength to turn the contraption correctly. Some executions required repeated tightening and components even needed replacing and physical intervention was needed from others to help.

What was supposed to be a mechanical death turned into a rather bleak public struggle. There was significant psychological terror also with the device as it was very frightening. The machine was placed directly behind the prisoner so they could hear the crank being prepared and then turned. Some executions were silent, except for the sound of the screw turning, and the prisoners felt the collar locked into place for minutes before the execution began and the tightening began as death sentences would be read out.

This resulted in a lot of anticipatory terror, claustrophobic panic, and the experience of knowing suffocation was pretty much imminent. But one of the worst things about the garat was that it was incredibly public. Executions with this method were usually conducted on large raised platforms in city squares before crowds and the platform allowed everyone to see what was going on.

The public watched every time the handle was turned and they saw every convulsion. They witnessed the face of the condemned changing color and then finally the body slumping after the screw was stopped turning. They witnessed the person die right in front of them with the executioner taking their life. Some spectators grew very upset at seeing this and the Grot gained a grim reputation because of it.

Now, possibly one of the most disturbing aspects of the device was actually how long it was used and how long it was persisted with. Other countries had ditched their methods of execution which caused strangulation, but Spain continued using the garat until 1974. The final executions using it took place under the dictatorship of Franco and it had become a symbol of oppression and state control.

So for many many reasons, the gar machine stands out as one of history’s worst execution devices. Death was typically caused by prolonged suffocation and victims often remain conscious through intense agony and panic. Also, mechanical failures were common and executioners lacked specialized training. The experience was also psychological torture for the victim even before the ordeal of death began.

It was a device which was used in front of thousands of people. But it delivered one of the most terrifying deaths imaginable.