Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1858-11-05
4 DiabaIfcnI ErhlhftInn


In the year 1892, said 10 Us yesterday
distinguished legal gentleman of New Or
: leans, visited Paris in the course of pre-
fessional tour, that my Americanism Nigh
be Prohshed down by little attrition amon
the gentle particles of Parsian society.
found the world OF Paris in very consider.
able state of excitement in consequence o
an extraordinary performance which wa
nightly exhibited by an eastern juggler, an
which was nothing more nor less tn an th
taPPareht decapitation Of man in th pres
ence of an audience, under the very noses ot
committee of medical gentlemen who
stood only SO far distant while the operation
was being reformed as to escape the swim.
OF the long two-edged sword with which III,
tjuggler smote off the head. went to see
the exhibition, which took place In a theatre
in company with several American gentle
men. The theatre was crowded with be.
tween two and three thousand spectators
and the curtain was up. displaying common
table, six feet long. upon a stage, at the very
| edge of which obtained q seat, having
gone very early. ~
And at the given time, the juggfef, SIN.
gular looking man, came upon the stage with
his shirt sleeves rolled up to his shoulders,
and bearing long, heavy two edged sword.
He upset the table upon the boards and
showed that there was nc eoneealed drawer
or other recess, and placed II in the blaze Of
the footlights near the edge Of the stage. -.
In few words he stated what he was going
to dc, and requested some Of ,he audience 10
come forward upon the stage that fhey might
see there was no deception. A number of
medical gentlemen who had been chosen by
committee to investigate the matter, if
possible. took their position upon The stand,
and soon after the victim, who had been sit
ting in the parquetf, mounted the stake, re
moved his coat and cravat and turned back
his shirt collar, and laying down on his back
elevated his chin TO more fairly expose his
neck to the headsmsn's weapon. The Jug
gler then raised his keen and fearful looking
sword, and giving it a wide sweep, brought
il down. say brought down upon the neck
for no one could see that he did not, even
those wtrhin three feet o: him--upon the
neck Of the subject with gress fsrce { ss
Blood spuded high into the air, some of i {
falling on our party, and deluged the stage
while the most fearful sound, something
between sroan and shrek of horror from
the whole assemblage shook the building,
ara hsrnefous women and some males faint.
ed in their seats, and were borne out by the
ushers Of the house. The juggler raised his
sword agaiHt repeating the blow and tire
discovered head fell on ihe floor! T'aking Il
up by the hair he held it tip TO the audience
full five minutes, until the blood had ceased
TO do@ from the severed aftsries, the lower
jaw had fallens and the face had assumed
the appearance Of q corpse; then throwing
it heavily upon the stage, he requested the
committee to examine it, which they did,
Passfng IL from hand to hahd. They then
examined the body OH the table, frori' the
headless neck of which. the bfood had not
yet ceased to drop upon The floor Of t1e stage;
They lifted up the limbs and let them fall
with the limp inertia of lifeles- matter, and
of course pronounced the man dead to all
ihtents and Purposes, '9,5 2
After they had concluded their investiga-
ton, the juggler informed the 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. and began
to mutter and make signs over the corpse.
In about five minutes the lately decapitated
man slowly turned his gastly and altogether
horrible face-white as snow tow ards the
audience, and an excitement followed ex-
cecding, if anything, that which occurred
when the first blow of tire sword fell. In
few moments the eyeiFds gradually opened,
and displayed the eyes, wearing CLASSY,
ccrpse-like stare5 by degrees -lifeliae ez-
preston came into tremJ some color returned
to the face and after stretching his limbs,
the man arose from the table, resumed his
coat, and walked dowff from the stage, and
mingled with the crowd.
The exhibition was oSef. Tha neck of
the apparently deeapitated man bore a red
mark or scar around il, like the cicatrice of a
newly healed wound. All this saw with
my own eyes, which were as effectualy
deceived as those of tens Of thousands of
other persons. J could in no way, consis-
tently with reason, account for any feature
of this horribly thrilling feat of trichery.
have never heard of the trick gsihs perform
ed by any other man, and very possibly II
originated and died with him. However il
is scarcely more unaccountable than many
often displayed feats Of the adrot fraternity
Of eastern jugglers.-N. o. Delta.