Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1858-10-22
Alistcllanrous.
A WONDERFUL EXHIBITION

n w Wv bLRf u Ia EMIL BlllON.
In the year 1882" said to us yes
terday, distinguished legal gentleman
Of New Orleans, II visited Paris in the
course Of an European tour, that my
Amerieansm might be polished down by
a little attrition among the genteel par
ticles Of Partisan society. | found che
world Of Paris in very considerable
state OF excitement in consequence of an
extraordinary performance which was
agility exhibited by an Eastern iugglcr,
which was nothing more or less than the
apparent decapitation of man in the
presence of an audience, and under the
very noses of committee of medical
gentlemen who stood only SO far distant
while the operation was being performed,
as to escape the swing of the long two
edged sword with which the juggler
smote off the head went to sec the
exhibition, which took placein theatre,
in company with several American gen
tlemen. The theatre was crowded with
between two and three thousand specta-
tors, and the curtain was up, displaying
common table, six feet long, upon the
stage at the very edge of which | OBJ
tanned scat, having gone early.
At the given time the juggler,
singular looking man, came upon the
stage, with his shirt sleeves rolled up to
the shoulders, and bearing long, heavy
two-edged sword. He upset the table
upon the boards, and showed that there
was no concealed drawer or other recess,
and placed it in the blaze of the foot
lights near the edge of the stage. In
few words, he stated what he was going
to do, and requested some Of the audi
ence to come forward and stand upon the
stage, that they might sec there was no
deception A number Of medical gen
tlemen, who had been chosen as com.
mittee to investigate the matter, if pos
rible, took their position upon the stage,
and soon after the victim, who had been
setting in the parquctte, mounted the
stage, removed his coat and cravat, turned
back his shirt collar, and laying down
upon his back on the table, elevated his
chin to more fairly expose the neck to
the headsman's weapon. The jugglor
then raised his keen and fearful looking
sword, and giving it a wide sweep,
brought il down. say down upon the
neck, for no one could see that he did
not, even those within three feet of him
upon the neck Of the subject, with
great force
BLOOD spurted high into the air,
some Of it falling on our party, and del
ugcd the stage, while the most fearful
sound, something between a groan and
a shrek of horror from the whole as
semblage, shook the building, and nu-
mcrous women and some males fell faint
ing in their seats, and were borne out by
the usher of the house. The juggler
raised his sword again, and repeated the
blow, and the discovered head fell upon
the floor! Taking it up by the hair, he
held it up to the audience for full five
minutes, until the blood had ceased to
flow from the severed arteries, the lower
jaw had fallen and the face had assumed
the appearance Of a corpse; then throw
ing it heavily upon the stage, he request
ed the committee to examine it, which
they did, passing it from hand to hand
They then examined the body upon the
table, from the hcadless neck Of which
the blood had not yet ceased to drop
upon the floor Of the stage; they lifted
the limbs and let them fall with the in
crtia of lifclcss matter, and Of course
pronounced the man dead TO all intents
and purposes.
After they had concluded their in
vestigation, the juggler informed tho
audience that he was going to put the
mans head on again, and restore him to
life. Taking up the head he laid it on
the table, fitted the two parts Of the
neck to each other, murmured and made |
signs over the corpse In about five
minutes the lately decapitatod man slow
ly turned his CHASTITY, and altogether
horrible face-whito as snow toward
the audience, and an excitement followed
exceeding if anything. that which oc-
cured when the first blow Of the sword
fell in q few moments the eyelids |
gradually opened and displayed the eyer
wearing a CLASSY, corpse-likc stare; by
degrees, lifc-likc speculation came into
them, some color returned TO the face
and after stretching his limbs, the man
arose from the table, resumed his coat.
walked from the stage and mingled with
the crowd
" The exhibition was over. The neck /
Of the apparently dccapitatcd man bore
a red mark and scar around it, like the
ciatrico Of a newly healed wound. All
this ] saw with my own eyes, which were
as oHectually deceived as those Of tens
of thousands of other persons ! could
in no way, consistently with reason, nc
count for any fepture Of this horribly
thrilling feat of trickery. ] have never
heard of the trick being performed by
any other man, and very possibly it
originated and died with him. How
ever, it is scarcely more accountable than
many often displayed foats Of the adroit
Of Eastern jugglers."
~ o. Tcue Dci,o
"GAB."-Gen. Horalio Hubbel. of
Philadelphia, speaking Of extemporane- I
Gus discussion, says
och ;e tho fatal oridot,in az roVuL /