Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-05-21
Living After the GaIIors.

THE times have been, observes the
usurping King Of Scotland, that when
the brains we're out the man would die,
and there an end and a like termina-
tiOn Is commonly supposed % attend the
operation Of hanging. But, II the
strange story sent yesterday from Pesth
records the establishment Of a prece-
dent, we may be on the eve Of a great
change, and persons who have been
hanged will be seen walking about q day
or two afterward as II nothing had hap
pened.
We do not mean walking about as
Banquo did for IL will be remembered
that when the shade Of that ill-treated
Thane appears TO Macbeth It is no more
seen by the Queen and cOurtiers than
the Ghost in "IIamlet " Is seen by Ger
tude. II 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
agOnized remorse, that the phenomenon
is 10 be made visible. Thus in time
people may even get 70 hanging them
selves as an amusing experiment, and
either be revived next day OF, like the
Swedish philosopher who picked him
self some years ago and Is 70 come 10
life again, we believe, in the year 250O,
resume existence at pleasure at some
future period.
The case reported. by cable from
Pe5th 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
jccted to an electrO-galvanic current for
several hours. The supposed corpse
then rose and assaulted the persons who
had restored it 10 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 ap.
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 year:
ago who were reported TO have beer
brought to life again after being hanged
.4.,1r 81 ot,
thenticated example of such n thing
somewhat earlier in Scotland. If tht
neck is not broken, as the phrase is, anC
the subject swoons, as often happens
before the drop, resuscitation is not i'm
possible, and what happens in one cas-,
may happen in another. Blueskin trieC
10 cut down Jack Sheppard before h,
chOked, but if the redoubtable and de
, voted housebreaker had lived in ou
time he would probably have waited anC
, tried the effect of a galvanic battery.
The interesting question is suggested
: by this grim event as to whether in cas-
, Of survival of this nature, the life o.
! the patient belongs to himself or to tn
law. Can he in such case be legal,
executed over againP And if he recov
ers from a second execution might h
properly be subjected to a thirdP Tn
= point is rather awkward, since, by fol
/ lowing out its possibilities, the remark
= able spectacle might be presented Of
= man being continually executed an
, coming to life again for all the rest G
, his life, an experience that, howeye
. valuable to science, would scarcely b
? conducive to justice.
= 1t is obvious that the garrote, b
, which Otero, the assailant of Kin
= Alfonso, has just suffered, and the gull
S lotine are not open to this any NOR
} than to other objections that apply
} the gallows, and whatever bearing tn
= frightful incident we record may hav
l upon the general subject of capital pur
? ishment, it will manifestly be used as
+. fresh argument against the infiction {
e that penalty by the clumsy and uncel
l tain expedient ofhanging.-N 7. ECef
&. ing Post.