The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-11-20
WHEN YOUR HEAD is OFF.
What Passes in the Bra N of n Decapitated
Human Being.
TPau Mall Cazatta

In the second part of his interesting vol
ume, which treats of the decapitation of
human beings, DR.. Love says; What
passes in the head OF a decapitated human
being?" Is there any fact in the oft-re-
peated story that the head lives for some
moments after IL has been separated from
the body?" and in connection with this
belief DR.. Love quotes terrible story told
by NJ. Petigand about an Anamite who
was beheaded by the sword, in
1885, at Saigon. The place
of execution was the Plain
of the Tombs, a vast sandy tract serving as
cemetervto the Anamites and the Chinese.
Four Anamite pirates taken with their
arms In their hands, were to be beheaded-
the chief of the band, man in the prime
OF life-energetic, muscular. brave. with
out Boosting, and firm TO the last, had at
tracted my special attention. and decided
to make my observations on him only.
His head fell down at the distance of
about yard and quarter from where
stood. 1t did not roll in the usual way,
but stood with the surface of the
wound resting on the sand-a position
by which the hemorrhage was acct
dentally reduced to a minimum. At this
moment l was terror-struck at seeing the
eyes of the doomed man fixed frankly on
my eyes. Not daring to believe in a con-
scious manifestation, ] went quickly TO
one side OF the head living at my feet, and
! found that the eyes followed me. Then
| returned to my first position; still the
eyes went with me for short distance,
and then Quilted me quite suddenly. The
face expressed at that moment a conscious
agony, the agony of person in a state OF
acute asphyxia. The mouth opened vio-
lently as if to take in breath of air, and
the head, thrown off its equilibrium by
the motion, rolled over. This contraction
of the maxillary muscles was the last sign
of life. Since the moment of decapitation,
from fifteen to twenty seconds had passed.
DIR. Loye also relates the following strange
story, taken from the archives of an
Austrian police officer, and relating to an
execution said to have taken place in
Vienna in 1880: A well-known bandit
named Schavenburg was caught, together
with four OF his associates, and they were
all condemned TO death. They were al
ready on their knees, ready to submit tc
their fate, when Schavenburg addressed
the judge, asking that his four
companions might be ranged in single
file in front of him at dis.
lance of eight feet from each other. eli, "
he said, latter I am beheaded, 1 get
up and walk to the first of my comrades
will you pardon him?'' The Judge thought
he was pretty safe in complying with the
request. "But if l walk up to the second,
the third and the fourth, will you pardon
those also?" The judge replied that be
would obtain their pardon from the EN-
peror. The partisan was satisfied, bent
his head, received the mortal blow. and
his head rolled down; but to the great
surprise of the judge and the spectators,
the body got up, walked alone, passed the
first, second, third and fourth of the con.
demned men and fell down. The occur
renee was told to the emperor, who, ac-
cording to promise, pardoned the four
criminals