The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-12-07
Sensations in Hanging.

ROGERS. TRACY, NJ. D., in an article
in the Popular Science Monthly, in ref
erence to the sensations experienced by
person in the act of hanging, from
which the following is condensed, says
that in executions it is the custom to
drop the condemned man from a
height, or to jerk him up from the
ground by the fall of heavy weight,
so that there is powerful conclusion
of the brain to start with. it used to
be common belief that the necks of
criminals were broken by this means,
and that the pressure of the fractured
vertebr@ on the spinal cord shortened
the period of suffering. 1t is now
known, however, that this rarely oc-
ours, and the criminal dies of asphyxia
or apoplexy. usually the former.
Some men, however, do not become
unconscious from the shock of the fall,
and suicides generally have no fall; so
that, in such cases, death supervenes
by asphyxia. But even here the proc
ess is complicated by congestive
apoplexy, and in these cases, too, in
sensibility comes on so rapidly that
death is really painless.
| once witnessed an execution at the
Tombs, and observed the victim care
fully, watch in hand. After the body
fell to the length of the rope, it re-
manned perfectly motionless, SO far as
| could see, and | was not more than
twenty-five feet away. 1t swayed a
little in the currents of air. and at the
end OF minute and ten seconds there
were three very slight drawings-up of
the feet, and a peculiar quivering of
the hands. Then all was still, and re-
manned so until the body was taken
down. In this case the neck was not
broken, and death took place from
asphyxia.
Chancellor Bacon has reported the
case of gentleman who put a cord
around his neck and hung himself,
stepping off from small bench on
which he had been standing, and ex-
pecting to be able to mount it again
when he wished. This was impossible
on account of the loss of consciousness,
which supervened Immediately, and
the experiment would have had tragic
ending if a friend had not by chance
entered and released him.
Two remarkable examples are on re
cord of persons who allowed themselves
to be hung for the entertainment of an
audience. An account of one of them
is given in the Lancet of April II, 1874.
The mans real name was John Harm
shaw. He was an athlete, and among
other feats it was customary with him
to exhibit the process of hanging. In
this performance he relied for security
on the strength of the muscles of the
neck and throat He had rope with
a fixed knot which could not slip, and
passed both ends of the loop up behind
one ear. The whole act was so adroit-
ly managed that he prevented any pres
sure of the rope on the windpipe or the
jugular veins, and could even sustain a
weight of one hundred and fifty pounds
in addition to that of his own body.
On three separate occasions Harm
shaw mismanaged the rope, and became
unconscious, being luckily rescued each
time. Now, this man stated, not with
particular reference to either accident,
but as common to all, that 'he could
hardly recollect anything that happen.
ed to him in the rope;" that "he lost
his senses all at once; the instant the
rope got in the wrong place he felt as
if he could not get his breath-as il
some great weight were at his feet
could not move only to draw himself
up felt as if he wanted to loosen him.
self, but never thought of his hands,
And he added: you cannot move youl
arms or legs to save yourself; you can,
not raise your arms; you cannot think y
He did not see sparks of light, but haC
in his ears rafting sound.
In the second instance, which has
been fully recorded, the Snowman was
not so fortunate. He was known a.
Scott, the American diver, and he, like
Harnshaw, had many times hung him
self before an audience with safety
The last time, however. the rope
slipped in such a way as to compress
the throat and bring on asphyxia. He
hung thirteen minutes, the spectators
thinking that he was prolonging the
experiment for their qualification
When he was taken down he was dead.
1t is Just to those who were looking Oh
to state that they thought he was safe
because he was still, and did not raise
his feet and stand upon the scaffold
which his legs actually touched. This
case shows with peculiar force the in
sidious manner in which death comes
on in asphyxia.
Fleischmann says: If a person puts 8
cord around his neck, between the
hyoid bone and the chin, he can draw
it tight at the back or side, without the
respiration being visibly interfered
with, and cen for long time continue
to inspire and expire naturally enough,
because in this situation compression
is not made on any part of the air pas.
sages. Notwithstanding this the face
grows red, the eyes become a little
| glaring, the head becomes hot, then
comes on a feeling of weight, dizziness,
a sort of distress, and then, all in an
instant, kissing and roaring in the
ears. This last symptom should be