Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-08-03

of my late companion; one seized it by
| the head, the other by the feet, and with
a swinging motion they laid it on 9 table
just brought in. The body gave heavy
thud and the head q clear, resonant thump
as they came to their resting place upon
the deal table.
"Weli, Grunt, you have the knives I;
| pitch il" said the elder Aherneihy.
The young surgeon opened his mahog-
any case, selected two or three knives of
different sizes, felt the edges of one with
his thumb, and approached the head of
the corpse before him. Separating the
hair, he made an incision through the
skin from one esr over the top of the
head to the other. Having separated the
scalp from the skull, he turned one por-
| tion inside out over the noe and face,
| the other over the back of the head and
neck. The round, glistening hemisphere
| of the Uranium was now exposed, like an
immense ostrich egg protrudiug from its
nest. He next took the saw and COM
menced the circuit of the skull, saving
through the bone as he progressed.
"Look out for your fingers, Grunt |!
| That saw slips sometimes" said the sym
pathizing physician of the florid complex
| ion
While this horrid scene was being
enacted before my eyes, which l could
neither close or avert, fully understood
| the danger / was in. 1t was certain, from
the words of the coroner, that | was also
to become subject of dissection. / made
a desperate effort to move or scream, but
the spell could not be broken. My only
| hope was that the first incision of the
knife when l came upon the operating
| table might arouse me from my wretched
| trance but l almost feared that even then
might not scapa further mutilation, so
| horrible did the scientific GOODNESS Of the
| surgeons appear to me.
| The saw finished its work without in
| jury to the fingers Of the surgeon; a
chisel was introduced between the di-
vided edges, and few blows of a ham
mer separated the upper portion of the
skull cap from the lower. The whitish,
shining semi-circumference of the brain
now presented itself, studded with dark
blood-vessels and rolled in convolutions,
which, from some singular fancy, I could
not resist mentally comparing with the
larger folds that constitute the beauty and
grace of chignons so fashionable upon the
heads of bellies at the present day. Like
the bird charmed by the glittering eyes of
a snake, l became fascinated by the scene
as the different steps of the operation were
in progress, and | even found myself cal
culating at what precise point my life
must of necessity become a sacrifice when
my turn should come.
The surgeon, with little aid from the
knife, rolled the brain from its bed dexter
Ously into the palm of his hand, held it up
to view for a moment, and then deposited
it with pat upon the table. With large
knife ne smoothly sliced it in pieces much
as corner grocer would cut his cheese,
and examined the surface exposed, appa-
rently with much interest.
| Vessels in high state of venous con-
gestion," said the older physician. "Open
the ventricles, Grunt. Yes, filled with
bloody serum. Conclusion Of the brain :
died of the shock. 'Twon:t be necessary to
proceed farther with him. Come, close up
and take the other one"
Saying this he whistled, put both hands
in his pantaloon pockets, turned toward
me, and seemed to be taking a survey of
my proportions. Putting the toe of his
boot under one of my arms he raised it a
little distance and let it fall. "Not much
ca }averic rigidity there yet" he remarked.
"How fresh he looks!"
"Appears as if he liked drop OCCASION
ally" said Grunt, as he glanced toward me
from his work.
My time seemed now near at hand
Grunt was hastily replacing the mutt
lated brain, readjusting the skull and
stitching together the divided edges
of the scalp. While I felt indignant at
the cool impudence of the doctor, whose
eyes were fixed upon me as if he were
in deep study, I still felt the necessity of
nerving myself for the new trial that was
now upon me.
While endeavoring to prepare myself
for the issue, the key again clicked in the
lock, the door opened and the coroner en-
tered, followed by twelve men, who
seemed to be farmers from the vicinity.
The look Of sympathy which was ex-
pressed on the honest countenances of
many of them as they gazed upon the
dead before them was peculiarly grateful
to me after the exhibition of professional
indifference had just been witnessing.
Some hardly entered within the door, but
gave hasty glance and turned away.
well, jintlemen, hev yez viewed the
bodies?" said the coroner. Most of them
nodded assent and withdrew. "The train
laves in ten minutes, jintemen," said the
coroner, turning to the physicians. ''Hev
ye finished ?''
Wen have to leave one of them, if
that's the case" said the older physician.
" 1t makes no difference, however. He no
doubt died from the same cause as the
other: they were found together"
L had received my respite. was not to
be mangled as [ had just seen my COM
panion. The reaction of my feelings was
so great that / wonder it did not rouse me
from my trance.
The doctors hurriedly finished their
work, left the body upon the table and
took their departure from the room.
In few minutes four men entered,
bringing door which had been removed
from its hinges. Upon it they tenderly
placed the dead bodies, one after the
other, and bore them out. My turn came
last. AS I was carried along the platform
had an opportunity to learn something
OF what had happened. An overturned
engine and two or three cars, more or less
shattered, by the side of the track, told
the tale OF railroad accident As |
glanced upward the clouds above seemed
perfectly glorious with the last rays of
the setting sun. Men, women, and chill.
dren gazed, some with curiosity, but most
with compassion, upon my apparently
llfeless form as it passed by to the baggage
car 7e"e-
The door of the car was closed and
again l was alone, surrounded by dead
bodies The whistle sounded, and the
train was soon speeding its way over tho
track L had traversed in the morning
! Approaching twilight gradually rendered
lndIstlnct the objects around me until com
plete darkness shut from view my hideou:
surroundings, except when they were ren
dered visible for moment by a flash o.
lght from some station as we hurried past
Thoroughly exhausted bv the intenst
, mental excitement of which I had beer
, the subject. tried to compose myself an(
gam nerve for any new emergency.
think must have become insensibl,
, fIom sleep, for l remember nothing NOR,
i that occurred until I became conscious q
) seeing before my eyes the familiar WALL
OF the cozy back parlOr of my own bonse
The bright light of day was streaming IL
at the window, the canary was chirpinS II
, his cage, and the room was as Cheerful a,
ever. How l had reached nv home. q
how long had been unconscious, could
!, not determine. Still, [ could not move ,
[ muscle. heard near me conversation il
/ low tones, and soft footsteps. MY wit,
a. N hsa1 RI av~fo y Al.