The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-05-29
Living After the GallOws.

THE times have been, observes the
usurping King of Scotland, that when
the brains were out the man would die,
and there an end; and like termina-
ton is commonly supposed to attend the
operation of hanging. But, if the
strange story sent yesterday from Pesth
records the establishment of prece-
dent, we may be on the eve of a great
change, and persons who have been
hanged will be seen walking about day
or two afterward as if nothing had hap
pened.
We do not mean walking about as
Baneuo did; for it will be remembered
that when the shade of that il-treated
Thane appears to Macbeth it is no more
seen by the Queen and courtiers than
the Ghost in Hamlet" is seen by Ger
trude. 1t is in the material, not the
spiritual sense, that the resuscitation is
to be brought about; in the flesh, and
not in the air-drawn picture traced by
is to be made visible. Thus in time
people may even get to hanging them
selves as an amusing experiment, and
either be revived next day or, like the
Swedish philosopher who picked him
self some years ago and is to come to
life again, we believe, in the year 2500,
resume existence at pleasure at some
future period.
The case reported by cable from
Pesth is this: A convict named Takacs,
who had murdered two women, was
hanged. After the usual time he was
examined by the physicians and found
dead. The body was cut down, and by
way of scientific investigation was sub
jected to an electro galvanic current for
several hours. The supposed corpse
then rose and assaulted the persons who
had restored it to life with great energy.
In the sequel congestion of the brain
and delirium set in, but the man lived
for some time and died yesterday morn
ing after living, as we gather from the
account, about forty-eight hours. 1t is
further announced that the "entire medi-
Cal faculty." of Pesth are considerably
exercised" over the case, which is APP
parently regarded as without parallel;
and will probably move the friends of
executed felons for some time to make
similar essays with the hope of even bet
ter results.
We believe, however, that instances
of surviving the gallows have occurred
before, and such is certainly the opinion
current among the humber classes in
Great Britain and Ireland and probably
elsewhere. There were two or three
persons living in Australia twenty years
ago who were reported to have been
brought to life again after being hanged,
and, if we mistake not, there was an au-
thenticated example of such thing
somewhat earlier in Scotland. If the
neck is not broken, as the phrase is, and
the subject swoons, as often happens,
before the drop, resuscitation is not i'm
possible, and what happens in one case
may happen in another. Blueskin tried
to cut down Jack Sheppard before he
choked, but if the redoubtable and de-
voted housebreaker had lived in our
time he would probably have waited and
tried the effect of a galvanic battery.
The interesting question is suggested
by this grim event as to whether in case
of a survival of this nature, the life of
the patient belongs to himself or to the
law. Can he in such case be legally
executed over again? And if he recov-
ers from second execution might he
properly be subjected to a third? The
point is rather awkward, since, by fol-
lowing out its possibilities, the remark
able spectacle might be presented of a
man being continually executed and
coming to life again for all the rest of
his life, an experience that, however
valuable to science, would scarcely be
conducive to justice.
1t is obvious that the garrote, by
which Otero, the assailant of King
Alfonso, has just suffered, and the gull
lotine are not open to this any more
than to other objections that apply to
the gallows, and whatever bearing the
frightful incident we record may have
upon the general subject of capital pun
ishment, it will manifestly be used as a
fresh argument against the infiction of
that penalty by the clumsy and uncer-
tain expedient of hanging.-N. Y. EUe's-
ina Post.