The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1869-04-03

/
surprise and that the lip of Philip Egalitt
| head was held up to the multitude Analogy
between this reputed retention of sensi
| bility in the truqkless head and the locomo
ton of fowls, after their heads are of, was
attempted to be shown. Recent expert
ments, however, indicate the idea to be a
| fallacy, as the following account proves:
"M Bonnafont had ready near the guillo-
tine, under which two Arabs were to be ex
ecuted, vessels filed with pulverized plas-
ter, placed on a low table. His friend, as
sociated in the experiment. was provided
with a small speaking trumpet and sharp
pointed probe. AT the instant the first head
fell It was placed in one of the vessels con
tanning the plaster, in order to arrest hem
orrhage; the speaking trumpet was then
applied to the ear of the head and the man s
name shouted through it, but there was
neither motion of the eyelids nor cOrruga-
ton of the brow; the eyes were dull and
motiOniess, the complexion colerless, the ex-
preston of the face not indicative of pain.
Neither were the muscles contracted upon
being pierced with the tube. With the
second head the results were the same.
The syncope induced by the section of the
large arteries instantly produced death.
1t was the old belief, handed down to US
from the grim creeds Of the middle ages,
that religious faith alone dIsarmed death of
its terrors There is no doubt that firm
reliance on God as our Father, which
is the great truth taught by Jesus, gives
equipoise to the mind 1t does so alike in
health and sickness but it neither creates
nor removes the fear of death. That fear,
happily, is independent of religious moods
or faiths. At the decadence of the powers
in old age; upon a sudden attack of a fatal
epidemical disease after the occurrence of
a sudden death to a relation or acquaintance !;
or when discovery is made Of a mortal dis
ease within the system, the influence of re-
ligion to calm the feelings cannot be denied.
But it is rarely pereeptible when death is
actually impending. Whether it comes to
the old, who are ready,
Like ripe fruit, to drop
Into the mothers lap"
or to!the Lefevre of Sterne, where the sol
dier, after the tongue is silent, looks first
at his son and then at my uncle Toby" to
those who retain all their faculties, or others
who make no sign, the dread is removed
and the change welcomed.
In regard to the premonitions of death
there is ample room for skepticism. The
disease of Fletcher. which caused him to
send for sculptor and order his tomb the
salution of Wolsey to the Abbot of Leices-
ter, dramatized by the great master; the
prediction Of the renowned cenfessor, Phil
ip Howard Earl of Arundel; the whining
cant of Foote, when Weston died, " Soon
shall others say, Poor l'ooter" the last
picture of Hogafth, which he entitled the
q end of all things" adding, this is the
end ;" and a hundred like records of old
biographers, are to be regarded as merely
curious condolences, if not old wives
fables. John Hunter said upon this sub
iect, with his usual terse clearness, " We
sometimes feel within ourselves that we
shall not live for the living powers become
telligense to the brain" His own case was
one of the marvels of which he offe red this
rational explanation. He was aware that
he had long labOred under disease of the
heart, and that the disorder had reached a
point at which any sharp agitation would
bring on the crisis. On the 10Th of Octo-
Der, 1898, the BOARD, with whom he had
difference, was TO meet, and Hunter pre-
pared to keep his promise. He was aware
of the risk he ran, if as was likely, he
should be opposed; for he had no control
over his temper, and he expressed his fears
that dispute would prove fatal to his life
Arrived at st. Georges Hospital, he found
the Board assembled, and entering the room,
presented the petition of the young men,
and proceeded to urge the propriety of their
being admitted. In the course Of his re-
marks he made some observation which one
of his colleagues fatty contradIcted. Hun
ter Immediately ceased speaking, retired
from the table, seemed struggling to repress
his emotions, turned into an adjoining room,
and fell dead upon the floor.
There are many versions of the Fremont
ton said to have been received by Thomas
Lord Lyttleton. That which seems to be
is by William Russell, an organ
ist, of Guilford, whose company was much
eourte1 on account of his musical talent
and who was visitor at Pitt Place on the
night of Lord Lyttleton's death. 1t is as
follows
"My lord dreamed that Mrs Amphlett,
mother of lady he had seduced, appeared
to him and predicted his death at twelve at
Lyttleton was at this time in a very bad
state of health, in consequence of his ex-
cesses, and was subject to nervous hysteria.
On the foretold third day he had party Of
friends to dinner He was in a state Of
some agitation, and told the story of his
dream The guests sat late over their wine
Lyttleton referred constantly to his dream, |
until, during his temporary absence from ]
the table, they determined to set forward {
the clock. Upon returning, one OF them |
said 'yoa have jockeyed the ghost, my |
lord; it's past twelve He went immedi- !
ltely to bed, sending his valet for some mint |
water. During the servants absence the |
slock of the parish church pealed the true |
midnight hour, and upon his return he |
found Lord Lyttleton dead"
In this case the reaction from a state of |
rancied security to that of dreaded danger |
M douht ,.aused the very carastrOpha his |
friends had endeavored to forestal
In old age life is singularly marked by |
he same phenomena with which it began. |
The circulation first announced existence;
t ceases last. The right auricle pulsates
irst at birth and stops only at death. Rea-
son loses its faculty of association recol !
ections take the place of judgment; tue !
senses vanish IN succession; what has been /
he prevailing passion, though concealed /