The North-Carolinian., 1856-07-26
NORTH CAROLINIAN.
The Pleasures Of being Hung.
F.dYETTETILLE. \


Hanging by the neck in public is generally
considered to be not very agre cable; but this
notion, it is likely, is vulgar error. In one
of the late British QuarterIies, writer who
takes the other side" says:
eau acquaintance of Lord Bacon, who meant
to hang himself only partially, lost his footing.
aud was cut down at the last extremity, having
nearly paid for his curiosity with his life. He
declared he felt pain, and his only sensation
black aud then to skr-blne. These colors are
fSzs ef pleas1Ee Captain Montag-
eioss s ass. asss The ssLet at f,c
fstc.cession of Visceunt Turcnne, complains
that, having lost all pain in an instant, he had
been taken from light Of which the charm
de6ed description. Another criminal, who
escaped by the breaking of the cord, said that,
after ii second of suffering, fire appeared, and
across it the most beautiful avenue of trees.
"Henry ~, of France, sent his physician to
question him, and when mention was made of
pardon, the man replied that it was not worth
the asking. The uniformity of the descriptions
renders it useless to multiply the instances;
they fill pages in every book of medical juris-
prudence. All agree that the nneasness is
qneted momentary-that pleasurabIe feeling
Immediately succeeds-that colors of varons
hncs start up before the syht-and that having
The mind averted from the reality of the stua-
ton, is engaged i'll scenes the most remote from
that which fills the eye Of the spectator-thc
vile rabble, the hidcous galOws, and tie strua-
Cling from the swings in the wind.
The last foreign papers give long and par
ticular account of singular attempt about
month ago to commit murder in Germany-
An elderly and feeble lady of some fortune
had favorite and long-trled waiting woman in
whom she had implicit confidence. One day
the house in which she resided alarmed by
occasional half-smothcred outcries of one -evi-
IDENTITY in great distress. Finally, after con-
siderable time, some of the neighboring dodgers
rushed into the apartment of the lady where
they found the servant maid standing over her
mistress, who was in bed, trying to smother her
with blankets and pillows. The maid was
carried into the presence of a person who dis
penscs justice, aud after eXaininatio she
Was sentenced to twenty years Imprisonment
She confessed her crime and then it was found
that she had lover in another town, and that
i'll order to marry him, she had resolved to com
NIT murder and carry off what gold and other
valnables were in possession Of her mistress.
In this attempt at murder there is IL corrob-
Grafton of the fact laid down in the above ex-
tract from the British Quarterly. While the
mistress was struggling to resist the wicked
attempt Of her servant, she felt no pain, but
rather pleasure. Pleasant scenes crowded
together without regard to time, as in ordinary
Dreams fitted over her mental vision; and
altogether, she confessed it was not entirely
unpleasant to be chokcd within hairs breadth
OF leath-and that she that to
the door Of the incNorable master of life was
testified to by all the witnesses who saw her.
We have read Of many other modern instan-
ces similar to, aud conirmatory of, the above
extract from the Quarterly. One occurred
only few years ago within Scotland; and
perhaps scores of them might be found within
this country if the sheriffs with weak ropes had
chosen to put their haf-hanged prisoners "to
the question:" Mostly, however, there can be
little testimony this subject, for persons
hanged outright cannot, in the nature of things
be summoned witnesses. 1t might he how
ever, for the benefit of the world if every man
doomed to be hanged were made to be only
half-l,anged and made evidence of for the State
If the process be agreeable, doubtless the
criminals would consider law that should
renew the first pleasure quite mcrciful.
The progress Of DEATH in all probability, in
its ultimate stage is never painful; and the
spasms and contortions often exhibited in deaths
by violence are merely physical. One, for ex-
ample, may take bit of India rnl,ber and
apply great heat to it, 1t seethes and writhes
if it were alive but there is no life within it
that we know Of. This may be parallel with
the spasms and signs i'll men under certain kinds
of death.
Hanging, however, is an exception to the
ordinary modes of death. That does its work
by immediate contact with the nerves which
communicate with the brain, wherein all the
sensations of pain and pleasure lie, and thus it
may be that the presence of hanging excites
such nerves as intensity the organs Of delight
within the brain, aud therefore, hanging may
be especially agreeable. 1t is certainly the
most civilized way of sending people to final
settlement Will, the future; and this VIC may
suppo e to he the result Of that constant and
almost involuntary, but doubtless providential
tendency to higher condition of humanity
The axe Of the headsman, or the garrote may
be not less agreeable, but they manglc, as
to be an unfair test, as they do their work sc
cffectualv as to prevent us from getting any
testimony from the principal parties to them.
The fear of death is essential to the purposes
of lifc-for if men could confident:aily expect
pleasure in DEATH there would lie few to endure
the pains and disappointments of life; and TINS
the chief work of the Creator would be marrc.
Th, instinct of life is strong that no testimon.
will ever essentially impair it; and thus there
can he no danger of trading rreverently upon
sacred ground by Investigating this matter.
The truth is, it seems that these apparent facts
are in beautiful harmony with Universal Be-
nevolence-for that inflicts pain, except it
admonishes to virtue--except as pain is the
sign of departure from the laws which govern
the universe a man in death is passing from
nature and there is then, far as see,
no necessity for pain; and there being ne
cessity, pain can hardly exist. We are aware
of the imperfectoh of this sort Of argument,
i "A L.