Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1871-09-26

there was no sense ol pain or terror,
though quite conscious of all that was
happening 1t was like what patients
partially under the influence of chloro-
form describe, who see all the operations
but feel not the knife. rhis singular con.
dition was mol the result OF any mental
process The shake annihilatcd fear. and
allowed no sense Of horror in looking
around at the beast This peculiar state
i probably produced in all animals killed
hy the cdIMiUOra, and il so. Is a merci-
iul provision bv ON benevolent Creator
for lcssening the pain oi death. Turn
ING round to relieve myself OF his weight,
rs he had one paw on the back OF my
head. saw his eyes directed to Mcbalwc,
who was trying to shoot him. His gun
missed fire, and the lion Immediately
left me,
1t is not certain that dl ing at the stake
is intensely painful after the first scorch
of the flames. If it were, il Is hardly
possible TO account for the endurance oi
some OF the English martyrs Bishop
Hooper lived IN the fire forty five min-
ul,>, and died with perfect calmneSs.-
His legs were charrcd and his body blis-
tered before the pile was entirely ignited
the wind blowing The flames aside, and
tie Grc being twice relied with faggots.
Ridley at first struggled in agony, but
afterwards became quiet, rs ii the sense
OF pain were gone. Robert Smith, being
we'll uigh hall burned. and clustered to-
y, lher like blacl; Goals, suddenly rose up
right before the crowd, lifted up his arms
aS il in defiance Of his enemies, and
cIappcd his hands together. Indeed it is
not ceIlain that excessive bodily pain
does moi end towards death in positive
pleasure Nearly all the martyrs, whether
Catholics on ProteStaniS, succumbed at
first, and afterwards were either patient
or full OF rapture. 1t is recorded OF The
odoSuS, of Bythinia, who was so eXquis-
itely tortured Tor his religion that he near
~ died, that, when asked how it was pos
>ihlc 60 endure such torment. he replied,
AT first felt some pain, but Mt once
,l1crc stood by me Il young person who
wiped away my sweat aud so refreshed
me with cold water that no longer sui
lcred"
The gloans and screams OF The wound
cd and dying on The battle, field are well
enough in poetry, but have no existence
rs a matter of fact An exclamation IN
an ordinary tonJ of voice, upon first be-
Ing shot, request made to u comIade 10
be helped out of the way, and a sigh OF
two. long drawn, as the brain leaves The
body, sum up the noise made 10y the dy
ing from wounds received in battle.
The mere act of dying is seldom, in
any sense Of the word a painful process.
1t is true that some persons die in state
oi bodily torture, rs in the case Of teia-
ms; that the drunkard dying of dclirium
trcmens is haunted by terrific visions;
that the victims ol that most horrible OF
all diseases. hydrophobia. in addition 10
these peculiar bodily sufferings from
which the disease derives is name, may
bc in state of terror from the supposed
presence of lrighttnl objects, which are
presented To him rs realities, even 10 the
last Bu the general rule is, beyond all
doubt, that both mental and bodily Sut-
lering terminate before the scene is final
ly closed.
During the frighttul days of the French
Revolution, when heads fell by scores
every day, and the very Gods seemed
athirst, there VAS a popular belief that
sensiblity remained for longer or
shorter time after decollation. II was
said that a blush suffused The cheek OF
Charlotte Corday that the eyes OF Mad
ame Roland, which wero large and cX
pressivc, opened as ii with 4 sense of
surprise; and that the lip of Philip Eg-
alite curled in unmislakable scorn when
his head was held up to the multitude
Analogy between this leputed retention
OF sensibility in the trunklcss head, and
the locomotion of fowls, after their heads
are Off, was attempted to be shown. Re
cent experiments, however, indicate the
idea to be fallacy, rs The following ac-
count proves
IN. Bonnafont had ready near the
suillotinc, under which two Arabs were
10 be executed, vessels filled with pulvcr.
lied plaster, placed on low table, His
friend, associated In The experiment, was
provided with q small speaking trumpet
and sharp pointed probe. At the in
slant the first head fell, il was placed in
one of the vessels containing the plaster
in order to arrest hemoThage, The
speaking trumpet was then applied 10
the ear of the head and the mars name
shouted through il, but there was neither
motion of the eyelids or corrugation of
the brow the eyes were dull and mo-
tionless. The complexion colorloss, the
expression of the lace not indicative OF
pain. Neither were the muscles contract
ed upon being pierced with the tube
With the second head the results were
the same. The synoope induced BY the
section of large arteries instantly produc.
ed death,
Ii was the old belief. handed doxn TO
us from the grim cleeds of the middle
ooes. that religious faith alone disarms