Delaware State journal and statesman., 1866-06-12

During the time of this her recovering, the
officers concerned in her execution would
needs have had her away again to have it
completed on her; but by the meditation of
the worthy doctors and some other friends,
with the then Governor Of the city, Colonel
Kelsey, there was guard set upon her to
hinder all further disturbance till he had
sued out her pardon from the powers then
in heing; thousands of people in the mean
time coming to see her, and magnifying the
just providence of God in thus asserting her
innocence Of murder"
Il is not stated by DR. Plot whether the
medical men satisfied themselves concerning
tile cause, anatomical or physiological, OF
her preservation; but they sought to ascer-
tain whether there was any peculiar mental
phenomena connected with her recovery.
They found that the halfhour OF hanging
had left no special impression on her memo
! ry She canie 10 herself as if she had
awakened out of a sleep-not recovering the
use OF her speech by slow degrees but in q
manner altogether, Gall at once,) beginning
to speak where she left off on the gallows." 1"
Among all the printed narratives of this re-
markable case there is none that offers a
clear explanation; and we are left to our sur
misses on the subject. There was a strong
religious bias in the public mind at that
period, and this feeling led to belief in the
direct interposition OF Heaven In Annie
GREEN'S favor
The under graduates of Oxford University
viewed the matter in another light; they
sought to exercise their wit and poetry on III
and there have been preserved twenty or
thirty epigrams written by them, and signed
with their names, one of which was "Mr.
Christopher Wren" Annie Green, having
recyeiod pardon after this strange resusci-
tation, retired with her friends to Steeple
Barton, where she married, had family,
and died in 1850
Somewhat about the same period, one
Gordon, highwayman, was condemned for
execution. He found means, when his SEN
tence was no longer doubtful, to obtain the
aid of young surgeon, who, shortly before
the execution, fixed small tube through an
opening cut in the windpipe The artifce
failed in its intended effect in this case; the
culprit being a very heavy man, drew with
too much weight; he breathed for few min
utes, when removed, after hanging, but did
not recover.
In 1858 female servant was hanged for
some crime at Oxford; she was kept hanging
longer time than usual, probably on ac-
count of the wonderful resuscitation of Annie
Green a few years before. She was cut
down, and the body allowed to fall to the
ground with much violence, yet she lived
but the severity of the law insisted upon her
undergoinga a second and more fatal hanging.
There has, it appears, been difference Of
opinion among legal authorities concerning
this double inhiction of the sentence. Some
contend that il man is hanged, that IL
enough; if the executioners do their work
clumsily, he ought not bear the consequen.
ces but rather should be given "the benefit
of the doubt" On the other hand, it is con
tended that the sentence means execution,
and that execution means hanging by the
neck until the culprit be dead; so that il
hanging fails once he must be tried again.
In 1897 one Richard johnson was hanged
at Shrewsbury for murder. For a purpose
which he planned while in prison he obtain
ed promise that his dead body should bt
laid in coffin without being stripped. Hi
purpose was detected little too soon, fo
life being observable in him after he hat
hung half an hour, man was sent up th'
ladder TO examine into the probable causi
of this prolonged vitality. It was found tina
johnson had twisted cords around and unde
his body, connected with two rings or hook
near his neck; a double shirt and periwiI
, without flowing curls concealed these con
trivances. The poor wretch was stripped o
his ingenious apparatus, and hanged sec
ond time more effectually.
In 1905 burglar named John Smith wa
hung at Tyburn; reprieve came after h
had been hanging about fifteen minutes; h
was Immediately cut down, removed to
ueighboring house, bled by surgeon, ant
restored to life.
The case of Margaret Dixon was one ths
excited great interest at Edinburg, in 1874
She was hung for inianticide; the body wa
cut down, placed in coffin, and remove
in a cart to Musselburg by her friends, wit
a view to interment in the parish churc
yard The jolting of the cart, and the ad
mission of air through some injury whic
the coffin sustained, appear to have con
Uined in resusctating the woman, for sh
showed evident signs of life before the cal
had proceeded one.third of the distance
She was removed, revived, prayed with b
minister, and received back into the circl
of her friends. She lived creditably man
years afterwards, had large family, an
sold salt about the streets of EdinburJ
where she was known, on account of HI
strange escape, as Half.hanged Maggie. y
William DueIl was one of those who ha
revived when almost under the dissectin
knife This man was hanged for murde
on a gibbet put np at Acton, 1740. Aft,
, hanging for twenty minutes, the body WI
cut down and tax en- to Surgeons Hall f
dissection. The attendants stripped an
, washed the body, and the surgeons prepare
for their labor. Just as they were about
, begin, however, they perceived faint sigi
of life in him; he groaned feebly, and
breathing became gradually more and mo
= pereeptible. They bled him, and in Il
evening he was able TO sit up again.
: was conveyed back to prison; but there W
too much public excitement to justify d
p authorities in hanging him again. In tv
days he recovered his health. Fever al
, delirium had rendered his memory blan
| and he had loat oil racollactiorn Of the ha n