Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1858-11-10
a DiabOlical Exhibition

a Dlabolical ExhlbItlsn
In the year 1852 said to US yesterday
distinguished legal gentleman Of New
Orleans, Il visited Paris 10 the course of a
European tour that my Amerieanism
might be polished down by little aitri-
ton among the gsnteel particles Of Paris.
ian society. | found the world Of Paris
IN very considerable state Of excitement.
10 consequence Of an extraordinary Der.
formance which was nightly exhibited by
an eastern juggler, and which was nothi 70
more nor less than the appaIent decapita.
tion Of man in the presence of an audi.
ence, and under the very noses of a com.
mittee Of medical gentlemen who stoo
only so far distant while the operation vas
being performed,a as to escape the swing of
the long two edged sword with which The
Ijugglar snote OFT the head. went to see
this exhibition, which took place in thea
tie. The theatre was crowd d With be-
tween two and three thousand spectators,
and the curtain was up displaying a com.
mon table; six feet long, upon the stage.
at the very edge Of which | obtsined seat
having gone very early.
at the given time the jugglar, a singu.
lar looking man, came upon the stage with
bis shirt sleeves rolled up to the shoulders
and bearing long heavy two edged sword
He upset the table upon the bolrds and
showed that there was no concealed draw.
er or other recess, and placed it in the
blaze of the foot lights near the edge of
the stage. In few words be stated what
be was going to do, and requested some
of the audience to come forward and stand
upon the stage, that they might see there
was mo deception A number of me ii.
cal gentlemen, who had been chosen as a
committee to investigate the matter if DOS.
sible, took their position upon the sage I;
and soon AFTER the victim, who bad been
sitting in the paraquette, mounted the
stage, removed bis craVat and coat, turned
back bis shirt collar, and lying down upon
bis back on the table, elevated bis chin to
more fully expose bis neck to the jugglar's
weapon. The headsman then raised bis
keen aud fearful looking sword, and Civ.
ing it wide sweep, brought it down.
say brought it down upon the neck-for
no one could SEQ that be did not, even those
within three feet of him-upon the neck
of the subject with great force!
Blood spirted high into the air, some of
it falling upon our party, end deluged the
stage while the most fearful sound, a some
thing between a groan and shrek of hor-
ror from the whole assemblage, shook the
building, and numerous women and some
males fell fainting in their seats, and were
borne out by the ushers of tbe house. The
juggler raised bis sword and repeated the |
blow, and the discovered head fell upon the
floor! Taking it by the hair be he'd it |
up to the audience for full five minutes,
until the blood ceased to flow from the
several arteries, the lower jaw had fallen,
and the face had assumed the appearance
of corpse, then throwing it heavily upon
the stage, be requested the committee to
examine it, which they did, passing it from
hand to hand. They then examined the
body upon the table, from the beadless
neck of which the blood had not ceased to
drop upon the floor of the stage; they lif-
ted the limbs and let them fall With the
heayiness of iifeless matter, and of course
pronounced the man dead.
After they bad concluded their inyesti.
cation the juggler informed the audience
that he was going to put the mans | 9 ID
oD again, aud restore him to life again.
Taking up the head, he laid it on the ia.
Bile, fitted the two pats of the neck to each
other and began to mutter and make s,me
s grs over tie corpse. In ive minutes the
lately decapitated man slowly turne1 bis
ghastly and altogether horrible face-white
as snow to the audience. and sn excitement
followed, exceeding if anything, that which
occurred when the fret blow fell. In a
few moments the eye;ids gradually open.
ed and displayed the eyes wearing a glas-
sy, corpse like stare: by degrees. some COL
or returned TO the face; and after stretch
ing bis limbs the man arose from the ta>
Bile, resumed bis coat, walked down from
the stage, and mingled with the crowd.
The exhibition was over. The neck of
the apparently decapitated man bore red
mark and scar around it, like the orcatrice |
of newly healed wound. All this I saw
With my own eyes. which were as etfectu |
ally deceived as those OF tens of thousands
of other persons could in no way con-
sistently with reason, account for any fea
lures of this horrible thrilling feStsf trick.
cry. | have never heard Of the trick be-
ing performed by any other man, and very
possibly it originated and died with hlm,-
However. it is scarcely more unaccouuta-
bic than many often displayed feats of The
adro:t eastern iugg!ars.
E Riches increase in proportion as