The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1858-10-02
a Wonderful Exhibition.

distinguished legal gentleman Of New Orleans
| q visited Paris, in the course Of a Euopea,
tour, that my Amcrcanism might be polshc,
down by little atrtion among the pen,cc
| particles Of Parsian society I found thu
world of Paris in very considerable state q
excitement in consequence of an eXtraorli
nary performance which was nightly cxhibi
ted by an eastern .jugser, which was nothing
more or less than the apparent dccapitatiu,
| OF Il man in the presence of AN audience, ant
under the very noses of a committee of med
cal 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 .jugglcr smote off the
head went TO see the exhibition, which
took place in a theatre, IN company with
several American gentlemen. The theatre
was crowded with between two and tire;
| thousand spectators and the curtain was ur
displaying common table, six feet long up.
on the stage at the very edge of which | Oh.
tanned scat, having gone very early.
At the given time the jugglcr, singular
looking man, came upon the stage, with his
shirt sleeves rolled up to the shoulders, and
bearing long, heavy two edged sword lie
upset the table upon tie boards, and showed
that there was no concealed drawer or Other
recess and placed it IN the blaze of the foot.
nights near the edge of the stage. IN a few
words he stated what he was going to do, and
requested Some of the audience to come for.
ward and stand upon the stage, that they
might see there g was no deception !" A num-
Der of medical gentlemen, who had been
chosen as committee to investigate the mat
ter # possible, took their position upon the
stage, and soon after the victim, who had
been sitting in the paiquette, mounted the
stage, reinov d his coat and cravat, turned
back his shirt collar, end laying down upon
his back on the table, elevated his chin to
more fairly expose the neck to the hcadsman's
weapon. The jugglcr then raised his keen
and fearful looking sword, and giving it a
wide sweep, brought 1t down. say down up
on the neck, for no one could see lhot he did
not, even those within three feet of him-up-
on the neck Of the subject with great force !
Blood spurtcd high into the air, some of it
falling OH our party, and dcluged the stage,
while the most fearful sound, Il something be-
tween groan and shrek Of horror from the
whole aSsemblagc, shook she building, and
numerous 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
Tor full five minutes, until the blood had
ceased to flow from the several arteries, the
lower jaw had fallen and the face had as.
snmcd the the appearance ola corpsc's then
throwing 1t heavily upon the stage, he re-
questcd the committee to examine it, which
they did, passing it from hand to hand. They
then examined the body upon the table, from
the headless 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
ineIlia of lIIp>s mltter. and of course
pronounced the man dead 10 all intents and
purposes.
After they had concluded their investiga-
ton, the jugglcr informed the audience that
he was going to put the man s 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. murmcred and made
signs over the corpse. In about five min
nlcs the lately decapItatod man slowly turned
his CHASTITY, and altogether horrible face -
white as snow toward the audience, ard an
excitement followed exceeding, if anything
that which occurred when the first blow of
the sw"" icll, In Il few moments the cycllds
gradH@ny opened and displayed the eyes
wca''nSa classy, corpse like stare: 10y degrees,
life like speculation came into them, some
color returned to the facc and after stretch.
ing 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 red mark
and scar around it, like the cicatrice of new
ly healed wound. All this saw with my
own eyes, which were as eilectnally deceived
MS those of tens Of thousand of other persons
1 could in no way, consistently with reason,
account for any feature of this horribly Thrill
ing feat Of trckcry. have never heard of the
trick being performed by any other man, and
very possibly it originated and diedwilh him.
However, it is scarcely more unaccountable
than many often displayed feats Of the adroit
fraternity Of Eastern jjugylcrs.
N. q. True Delta.