The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1878-11-22
Sensations in Hanging

Rogers 8. Tracy, IL. D., in an arti-
Gle IN the Popular Science 1Ionilly, in
reference to the sensations experienced
by person IN the aci Of hanging. fsom
which the following is condensed, saws
that IN executions il is the custom to
drop the Condemned man from height.
or 70 jerk him up from the ground BY
the fall of 3 heavy weight, so that there
is . Powsrful conclusion of the brain 10
start with. 1t used to be common be-
lief that the necks of criminal. wore
broken by this means, and that the
pressure OF the fractured vertebre on
the spinal cord shortened the period Of
suffering. 1t Is not known hoHyever.
that this rarely occurs. and the erimi-
nal dies Of asphyxia or appoplexy, usu-
ally the former. Some men. how
ever, do not become unconscious from
the shock Of the fall, and suicides gen.
orally have no fall 50 that in such
cases, death superyenes by asphyxia.
But even here the process is complicat-
ed by congestive appoplexy, and In
these cases, too, 1nsensibility comes on
so rapidly that death is really painless.
I once witnessed at execution at the
tombs, and observed the victim careful.
IL, watch in hand. After the BODY fell
70 the length of the rope, il remained
perfectly motionless, so for as I could
see, and was not more than twenty
i've fest away. It sWayed q little in the
currents Of air, and ct the end of !
minute and ten seconds there were
thres very slight draWings-up of the
feet, and . peculiar quiverinQ of the
hands. Then all was still. and re
manned so until the body was taker
down. In this case the neck was no
broken, and death took place from as
phyxia.
Chancellor Bacon has reported th.
case Of g gentleman who put corr
around his neck and hung himself
stepping OF from q small bench OF
which he had been standing, and ex,
pecting to be able to mount il aoail
when he wished. This was impossible
on account Of the loss of conscious
ness. which supervened Immediately
and the experiment would have had
tragic ending II a friend had not B,
chance entered and released him.
Two remarkable examples are on re
cord Of persons who allowed themseIye
to be hung for the Entertainment of a
audience. An account OF one of then
is given N the Lancet Of April II. 1874
The mans real name was John Harm
shaw. He was an athlete, and anon
other feats it was customary With hlr
to exhibit the process of hanging. i
this performance he relied for securit
on the strength Of the muscles Of tb
neck and throat. He had q rope with
fixed knot which could nc
slip, and passed both ends OF the loo
up behind one ear. The whole act wa
so adroitly managed that he pre4ente
any pressure of the rope on the wind
pipe or the jugular veins, and couI
even sustain weight of one hundre
and fifty pounds in addition TO that {
his own body.
On three separate occasions Harm
shaw mismanaged the rope, and bs
came unconscious, being luckiIy rel
cued each time. Now, this man stated
not with particular reference to efthe
accident, but as common to all. that 'sh
could hardly recollect anything tbs
happened to him IN the rope" ssthat b
lost his senses all ct once; the insta1
the rope got in the wrong place he fe
IS Il he could not get his breath-as
some great weight were at his fee
could not move only to draw bimse
up; felt as If he wanted to 10 sen hin
self, but never thought Of bis hands
And he added: '.You cannot mo-
your arms or legs TO save yourself; yc
cannot raise your arms; you cam
think" He did not see sparks Of ligh
but had IN his ears rattling soun.l.
In the second instance, which has be-
fully recorded, the Snowman was not
fortunate. He was known as Scott, Il
American diver, and he, like Harnsha'
had many times hung himself befo
an audience with safety. The Ia
time, however. the rope slipped IN su,
way as TO compress the throat Al
bring on asphyxia. He hung thirtei
minutes, the spectators thinking th
he was prolonging the experiment I
their gratifcation. When he was TAX
down he Was dead. It is Just to tho
who we're looking on to state that th
thought he was safe, because he y
still, and did not raise his feet ai
stand upon the seafold. which his le
actually touched. This case shows vi
peculiar force the insidious manner
which death comes on in asphyxia.