Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-08-05
OURIOSITIES OF DEATH.
BY N. 8. DODGE.

A physician of nearly forty years
extensive practice in Massachutts re-
Gently stated, as the result of his OBJ
servation, that, at the time of death,
there WAS never any unwillingness
to die. This remark being made in
the presence of the Rev DIR. Addison,
of Trinity Church, Washington City,
called from him the rejoinder that he
believed it to be true and he cited,
as an illustration, the case of young
man, in full possession of all his pow
ers, physical and mental, struck at
his hotel, but few hours before,
with a mortal disease, and told that
be could not live till night, who &C.
cepted the inevitable as if prepared
for it by some subtle process of ma
ture. with entire calmness. Death is
so dreadful to those who look on,
that i. is natural to transfer the feel
ing to the one dying. But in all cases
whore acute pain is not wearing out
life, a careful diagnosis will show
both the approach and presence of
death to be positively pleasant-as
pleasant as the approach andpresence
of sleep Of course this does not in
clude violent death, And yet cap
ital punishment. wounds received
from casualties in battle, drowning,
freezing, starving and being torn by
wild beasts, cause, when productive
of death, less pain than is usually
supposed. DR.. Adam Clarke, the
commentator. was recovered from
drowning. He states, "a i my views
and ideas seemed instantly and en-
tirely changed, and 1 had sensations
of the most perfect felicity that is
possible, independent of rapture, for
the human mind to feel. | had no
pain from the moment | was SUBJ
merged ; a kind of green color be-
came visible to me; q multitude of
objects were seen--nOt one of which,
however, bore the least analogy to
any thing had ever seen before"
Captain John Vaughan Graham of
the royal navy, who went down in
the "George,o and was resuscitated
after more than three hours ir&nima-
ton, states that he chad no sense
whatever Of suffocation." He saw the
sun shining through the water, and
had a dreamy feeling that he should
see it no n ore. But be felt no fear,
nor any sense of rescue. He had q
delight in cropping at the bottom of
the water, and feeling of anger to :
ward those who drew him out.
There was no pain, sand the reminis>
cences of all the events of his life pro-
duced pleasurable sensations.
DR.. Livingstone, the African trav-
eler, gives the following account of
being seized by lion, and of his sem
Stations Starting up and looking
half around, l saw the lion in the
act of springipg upon me. | was up
on littbe height; he caught my
shoulder as he sprang, and we came
to the ground together. Growing
horribly close TO my ear, he shook
me IS q terrier dog would shake q
rat. The shock produced stupor
similar to that which seems to be felt
by mouse after the first shake of q
cat. 1t caused q sort of dreamlness,
in which there was no pain or sense
of terror, though quite conscious of
what was happening. 1t was like
what patients partially under tho in
fuence of choroform describe, who
see all the operations but feel not the
knife. This singular condition was
cot the result of any mental process.
The shake anhiliated fear. and allow
ed no. sense Ct horror in looking
around at the beast This peculiar
state is probably produced in all ami
mails killed by the carniuora, and, if
So is o merciful provision of our be-
nevolent Creator for lessening the
pain of death. Turning round to re-
lieve myself of the weight, as he had
one paw on tho back of my head, |
saw his eyes directed to Mebalwe,
who was trying to shoot him. His
gun missed fire, and the lion immedi-
atley left me-"
1t is not certain that death at the
stake is intensely painful after the
first scorch Of the flames. Ii it were,
it is hardly possible to account for
the endurance of some of the English
martyrs. Bishop Hooper lived in
the fire forty-five minutes, and died
with perfect calmness. His legs
were charred and his body blistered
before the pile was entirely ignited-
the wind blowing the flames aside,
and the fire being twice refed with
faggots. Ridley at first struggled in
agony, but afterwards became quiet,
as if the sense of pain was gone.
Robert Smith, being well nigh half
burned, and clustered together like
black Goals, suddenly rose upright
before the crowd, lifted up his arms,
as If in defiance of his enemies, and
elapped his hands together Indeed
it is not certain that bodily pain does
not end toward death in positive
pleasure. Nearly all the martyrs
whether Protestant or Catholics, sue
cumbed at first, and afterwards were
either patient or full of rapture. Ii
is recorded of Theodosius. of Bythin,
ia, who was SO exquisitely tortured