The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-06-11

mIsA who asststed Dr. Pancoast in the autopsy.
Br. HutchiRgs is enc of our most promising
young physicians, and occupies the important
position oi clinical assistant at the Jefferson.
He was present during the whole of the dissec.
tiOn, and his lucid and very full account of the
affair will be found especially interesting to
scientific men of the medical profession, We
needscarOeiy say that all the statements maybe
relied on as being strictly correct, as they are
prepared with extreme care by DIR. Hutchings.
The appalling crime which resulted in the MUIR
der of eight innooent beings, and which filled the
country with horror and indignation has at
last ended in the hanging of the guilty culprit.
Through the courtesy of those in authority at
Abe prison, the body OF Anton Probst was turned
over to the Faculty OF the jefferson Medical
College foT experiments in search OF medical
and medico-legal gain, There was Medical
Comeission appointed to examine the body
immediately aftef the hanging. This commission
consisted OF Professors s. II. Dickson, B. How
ard Rand, John B. Biddle, and Drs William II.
Pancoast, Demonstration OF Anatomy, and Dyer,
abe letter of whom is an opthalmic surgeon
Of note in this city. 1t was known at a
kte hour on Friday that on the following day
on Saturday az O'Clock P. NJ. the large amphi-
theatre OF the institution was filled toits utmost.
Men OF every profession and vocation were
gathered there. Many were drawn thither by q
desire for scientific gain, while many others
came from curiosity, to gaze for the last time
upon the b sdy of him whose name has terrified
the whole country. few moments after the
hour of tRur had struck, the body, neatly and
entirely rovered in black, was brought in and
Land 10 tn e centre of the amphtheatre, upon a
revolving;o oak table. There was no supernuous
show, no, o,'theRtrioal display; but there the MUIR
derer and the hanged lay, Just victim TO the
law. Among the many present we observed
Judge Ludlow and Mr.. WOlbert (who was coun.
sci for Aston Probst) representing the legal
profession, and among the many distinguished
medical gentlemen present were Drs. Nebinger,
III. 7. Smith (who was the prisoners phi hysician),
DIR. Hhapleigh (the Coroner's physican), Drs.
Jewell 8. W. Gross, Lewis, DR.. Hunt, Lecturer
to the Pennsylvania Hospital; DIR. Eckard, OF
the Muster Lectureship OF the College of Physi-
eians; Drs. ST. Clair Ash, Coad, Maury, and
Cohen. The examination was conducted by DR..
William H. l2ancoast, assisted by his anatomical
stat, Dr. James Taylor, DIR. e. r. Hutchings,and
DIR. f. Andr ews.
Before displaying the face to view DR.. Pan
coast made some most interesting and valuable
remarks, which are substantially here given
Upon "com mencing he reminded the medical
class and the "guests of the institution that
they we're assembled together Tor idle Curl
Osity, but for purely and wholly scientific inte-
rest. 1t was to discuss question OF paramount
value in medical ana medice-legal point.
What wa s the cause of the death OF the indi:
ViduSl be fore him? He was hanged, and hanged
until he was dead, as testified to by gentlemen
Witnesses of unquestionable authority
But nat was the direct and immediate re-
death? He remarked that death from hang
ing may take place from suflocation or exclusion
OF air ntOm the lungs. Or again, from q lacera-
tion of the trachea or windpipe or luxation
or iractt ire OF the cervical lvertebre, or from a
rupture of the ligaments of the neck. Or still
again, it may result from the compression of
the ner yes OF the neck; and in connection with
TINS last suppositon, he cited the experiment
OF Mr.. Brodie, who passed a lIgature under the
trachea, of Guinea-pig and tied it tight on the
back OF the neck with knob; the animal was
rest,ess, moving about. At the expiration of
6fteen minutes the ligature was removed; the
animal moved about, apparently not materially
injured, but on the following morning was found
dead. DR.. Pancoast then proceeded to give an
account OF the results OF the examination by
the Medical Commission at the prison.
He said the demeanor of Probst be-
fore his execution was markedly calm
and cheerful, and as he went to the fatal
.scafold, he seemed ready to go in expiation Ut
shls foul deed. Professor Dickson, upon eXamiu-
ing his pulse one hour and a half before the
execution, found it small and not strong, beating
seEenty-eight times per minute. He also found
the radlal artery to be contracted, and the blood
vessels of the conjunctiva slightly injected; the
pupils slightly dilated, and the face flushed The
murderer had suffered evidently but little in the
execution, and DR.. Pancoast cited several inte-
resting instances where persons had been hung,
but were afterwards resuscitated, and had te3ti-
kfd to their experiencing no pain, after the duop
losing entire consciousness. He said there was
but little spasmodc action of the muscles, and
but slight distortion of the face after the fatal
drop. The cord was fVe-eighthsa of an inch In
diameter and hVe feet six inches in length. The
length Of the fall was three feet. The
physique of Probst was very fine, his bones
being covered by dense and large mus
eles. His weight on the day of the sentence
was 1924 pounds. On the day of execution he
had increased to l74s pounds in weight. The
murderer had evidently died very rapidly, and
after hanging twenty minutes his body was cut
down and taken to the dead house OF the prison
and placed in chair Under the direction OF
PROT. Rand the most powerful electric battery
ever used upon such an occasion was brought
into use. ON applying the poles of the battery
properly the muscles of the face and limbs
moved freely. The legs and arms were tossed
wildly about to and fro; the face assumed now
m expression, now OF sorrow, again of hate and
now ghastiy grin. On applying the poles to
the various muscles OF The face they each and
all moved i'm pd&ect Obedience The electric
hght was now used in examining the eye and
subsequently the powerfully brilliant yotaic
spark, whose brilllaucy perhaps is only excelled
by the sun. The lecturer, in conjunction with
DR.. Dyer examined the eve with the opthalmo-
scope, for the purpose of ascertaining the proba.
ble truth or fallacy of the prevailing populaee
idea, recently promulgated, that there remains
an Impression OF the object last seen on the
retina. The experiment dIsproved ANYTHING of
the sort. Tue pupil was not at all contracted
upon exposure 10 the brilliant spark There
was transverse hssure OF both capsule and
lens. The suffusioD OF the oOnjunctiya was far
less than IT was two hours before the execution
There was q slight abrasion of the cuticle under
the lett eye. The face was liyld. All muscular
called the attention of the audience 10 the Dhy
siognOmY OF PTobst, stating that he did not bear
the semblance of such iend as he had shown
himself to have been On the contrary. the
lower part OF his face was rather well formed
than otherwise. Re now quietly removed the
cloth from the subjects face, and there was eT.
posed 10 view the face of PFobst, Wltose name
viii 1--we Otdck IN history Prior to the exhib.
tion ofthe body before the class, a dissection OF
inc seek hsd peen made, 10 order to ascertain