The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-11-12
A STUDY OF HEADS.
The Horrible and Gliastly Attractions Of
an Anatomical Museum.
... Munich Letter.l


.. Munich Letter..
One of the most ghastly sights in Munich
Is to be witnessed in the anatomical
Museum, on Schiller-strasse. 1t consists
Of the heads OF persons who have been
guillotined in Bavaria for a good many
years back.
dropped into the museum yesterday and
paid for my prurient curiosity by the loss
Of my appetite for the rest of the day. The
museum contains good many attractions,
but these heads are tho great drawing
card. Nothing is SAT- about them in the
guide-books, and so the average tourist
goes and comes without the slightest sus-
picion that so remarkable a spectacle is
to be seen for a very small fee. The heads
In question are just inside Of the door, to
the right as you enter. They are inclosed
IL rows OF glass jars filed with alcohol.
There are seven in single row which are
made more conspicuous than the rest, for
the reason, suppose, that they are soave-
Mrs Of criminals who Attempted some
extraordinarily audacIols thing, and
therefore became especially cele-
brated. The eyes were all closed, and the
faces expressionless. loosed In vain for
anything that spoke still, by facial dis
tortion, the agony Of dread which must
have inspired the victim as he approached
the instrument Of his death. Not few
wore mustaches, but none boards; from
which infer that II is customary to shave
the chin before execution. The eyes 0.
over half the heads had boen cut out.
An examination OF the places where the
neck had been severed revealed skillful
work ON the part Of the machine as a rule
Some were as neatly cut us any apple thai
you have TO divide with friend. One
head had evidently belonged to man
with q short neck, as the amputation had
taken place soclose TO the chin as TO almost
pare off its under surface. A few necks were
very ragged where the knife had struck,
as though the machine hid bungled-ne.
cessitatng more than one stroke. Tn,
heads OF prisoners executed In Bavaria arr
thus preserved, for the warning Of those
who are disposed to be similarly lawess
and the bodies are turned over to the med
ical students for dissection.
The anatomical collection contained
many other remarkable attractions. There
were shelves loaded down with skulls and
dried heads. The various organs OF the
body were preserved according TO several
methods, some specimens being preserved
in alcohol, others dried, picked, etc. Tn,
odor was by no means savory, or else my
imagination Is too vivid. There were glass
tanks filed with alcohol containing nearly
full length sections Of the body, sawed and
split 80 as to illustrate tho functions Of all
the myriad organs. There we're dried bod
les intact, hung up as skeletons are usually
hung. There were also an sorts Of malfor.
nations and monstrosities presented In
bottles and glass retorts. The assortment
OF infants with an extra number-of heads,
arms or legs was especially comprehensive
A series of glass-jars contained heads Of
individuals who had evidently met with
violent accidental deaths, Ms their cracked
skulls or mashed countenances implied.
In fact, the place was such a repository
OF horrors that I hurried from II with Q
feeling that had been following some In.
visible Mephistopheles into the internal TO
Riops by special permit.