Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-03-04
Dead Men Made to Breathe.

Dead Men Made to Breathe.
The execution of John Hall and Burrell
Smith for the murder of Major Pugh was
witnessed by q crowd numbering thousands.
a feature never to be forgotten by those
who witeossed it was the display of devo-
tional sentiment of the wild, fantastic, ex-
noerant sort common among negroes, on
the scaffold, and during the few hours
previous to the execution. A number of
songs were sung by them and other pris-
oners in tho Jail, while waiting for the
sheriff to come aud take the condemned
men to tho scaffold. Among them was q
refrain:
"l've found my robe, it fits me we'll;
I've tried it on at the gates of hell"
The two condemned mcu, and Bill Smith.
another negro, whose testimony with theirs
combined to send eight men to the peniten.
tiary, as members of their gang of inccudi-
aries, who are declared by many to bo
innocent, kneeled down on tho Jail floor,
and swore they had told the truth, oulling
each other "brothers in Christ"
Hall and Smith came upon tho suaffold
with their black faces wreathed in ehnstly
smiles, aud sat trembling in every limb
during the preliminary preparations.
Smith tried to munoh piece of pound,
cake he had in his pocket, but no did not
look as if he enjoyed it. When the last
prayer had been pronounced, and lust be-
fore the black cap was drawn over their faces
they made few farewell remarks, saying
that they hoped to meet all present in heaven
and "God bless you
IL :k1.
foil, which gave him an awkward fall,
causing him to writhc in agony at the end
Of the rope. Hall died easily.
After they bad been suspended seventeen
minutes they were cut down, and Dr. Sle-
ger, of Nashville, and Drs. Byrnc and
Murfee, of this city, attempted the exper-
iment in rcsuscitation which was proposed
somc dass ago. They did not begin until
thirty minutes after the men had been cut
down. A number of physicians were pres.
ent to witness the experiment. After the
clothing had been taken off their bodies
were wrapped in hot blankets, applications
were made to their necks to reduce
the swelling, and uu artificial res,
piration brought about by tho means
usually applied in cases of persons who
have boon in the water for long time,
All this was preliminary to tho application
of electricity. Batteries were placed in
juxtaposition 10 tho spinal cord and differ
ent portions of the brain. The effects
of tho application wero soon appa-
twitchings in those parts of tho bodies
with which tho batteries wero placed in
contact. The temperature was gradually
Increased until it reached over 1000 de-
grees.
Tho effect was immediate. The limbs
twitchcd and shook like mon asleep and
struggling under tho spell of horrid
nightmare The regular drawing in and
expulsion Of air produced by tho appliances
referred to were horribly real and life.ike.
The suspratiou came with an effort, how
ever, and sounded like the gasps of men
struggling for breath.
DIR. Sleger put his hands to thcir wrists.
"The pulse is beating'' he said. You can
feel it, but family"
Their eyes next opened under the effect
OF tho electric current, and turned about
the room In vacant gaze. There was no
sound but tho labored gasping at their lips.
All in the room stood still with horror.
"Gentlemon," said DR.. SIeger, s.the
experiment is now concluded. Our main
object was to show the effect of electricity
upon the muscular centers, and we have ex-
hibited that, think in remarkable reolis.
tic way. ."--Murtreesboro (Tenn) Cores
pondence Chicago Times.
ADVICE TO MARRYING MEN-It would be
extravagant to pretend that oil young marr-
ageable girls arc angels; but there arc angels |
among marriageble girls. This is not oven
exceptional, and. odd as it may appear, less
exceptional in Paris than elsewhere. Tho
we'll bred young girls Of Paris are admirably
we'll bred, and they arc almost too much so.