DeSoto times., 1890-01-23
AFTER DECAPITATION.
What Passes in the Brain of a Man Whose
Head Has Eeen Cut OF.

| Nhat passes in the Brain of Man whose
Head Has Been Cut OF.
In the second part of his interesting
volume, which treats of the decapita'
tion of human beings, DR.. Loye says;
| What passes in the head of a deCapt'
tated human being?" Is there any fact
in the oft-repeated story that the head
| lives for some moments after it has been
| separated from the bOdy?" and in con-
ncction with this belief DR.. Loye quotes
terrible story told by NJ. Petigand
about an Anamite who was beheaded by
! the sword, in 1855, at Saigon. The
place Of the execution was the Plain Of
the TOmbS, vast sandy tract serving
as cemetery to the Anamites and the
| Chinese. -Four Anamite pirates. taken
with their arms in their hands, were
to be bcbeadcd. The chief of the
| band, man in the prime of
lifc-energetic muscular, brave, with
| out boasting, and firm to the last, had
attracted my special attention. and | de-
cided to make my observations on him
only. His head fell down at the dis.
tanCe of about a yard and a 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 posi-
ton by which the hemorrhage was aCci.
dentally reduced to minimum. At
this moment ! was terror-Struck at see.
ing the eyes Of the doomed man fixed
frankly on my eyes. Not daring to be-
lieve in a conscious manifestation,
went quickly to one side Of the head ly.
ing at my feet, and | found that the
eyes followed me. Then I returned TO
my first position: still the eyes went
with me for a short distance, and then
quilted me quite suddenly. The face eX.
pressed at that moment a conscious
agony, the agony of person in state Of
acute aSphyXia. The mouth opened
violently as if to take in a breath Of air,
and the head, thrown off its equilibrium
by the motion, rolled over This con-
traction of the maXillary muscles wa9
the last sign of life. Since the moment
Of decapitatiOn. from fifteen to twenty
seconds had passed. DR.. Loye also re-
lates the following story, taken from
the archives Of an Austrian police Off
Ger, and relating to an execution said to
have taken place in Vienna in 1850; A
well-known bandit named SChauenburg
was caught, together with four Of his
associates, and they were all condemned
to death, They were already on their
knees, ready to submit to their fate,
when Schnuenburg addressed the Judge,
be ranged in single file in front of him
at distance OF eight feet from each
other. "If," he said, after | am be.
headed, | get up and walk to the first of
my comrades, will you pardon htm?'
The Judge thought he was pretty safe in
complying with the request. But if
walk up to the second, the third and the
fourth, will you pardon them also?'
The Judge replied that he would obtain
their pardon from the Emperor. 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-
dcmned men and fell down. The occur
renee was told to the Emperor. who, ac-
cording to promise. pardoned the four
criminals Pail Mall Gazette.