The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-07-06

of the instance of a certain Colonel
Townshend, who was seemingly able to
die at will and to come to life again
when he chose. On a number of occasions
he had deliberately suspended his own
he consulted physicians on the subject,
deeming his ability to do this a suf66-
GENTLY abnormal symptom to be some
what alarming. In the presence Of the
doctors he voluntarily lapsed into state
Of torpidity, his heart stopped and his
breathing also, mirror held at his
mouth showing no dimness.
This case was apparently unique. At
the same time the peculiar faculty de-
veloped by Colonel Townshend-who
died that same night for good and all
bears seeming likeness to the peculiar
power exhibited by certain fakirs Of In
dia. For centuries it has been a familiar
trick for certain Of these fakirs who pos
sessed the accomplishment to permit
themselves to be buried alive for months,
coming to ife.again after being dug up.
That this remarkable feat is wholly bona
fde has been satisfact orily demonstrated
It has been repeatedly performed in the
presence Of most skeptical witnesses I'M
der circumstances which preclude all
possibility Of deception. It is an arti-
fetal suspension of vitality, bearing some
relation to the natural Information of
bats and other animals.
If the finger Of a person in whom the
vital spark still fingers be tightly bound
with piece Of string, the end Of the fin
ger will soon become red and then blush.
But if tho individual be dead no such
effect will be produced by the applica-
ton of igature. IF during life clean
and bright needle be thrust into the
muscles of the body, the steel rapidly
rusts on being withdrawn. After death
no such oxidation takes place, it is said
However, the certainty Of this latter test
is disputed. One of the most familiar
methods of determining absence of life
is that of producing a blister by heat, as
with the flame of candle. If the skin
beneath and around the blister becomes
red, the individual lives; otherwise he is
dead
One of the most reliable tests Of this
question is made by holding the hand Of
the supposed cadaver between the eye
and the light of candle or lamp: When
thus examined, the hand of a living per-
son has rosy color between the fingers.
This is not the case with a corpse Only
a few days ago a woman was found dead
in bed at hotel in Chicago with pistol
in her hand and bullet hole in her tenn
pie. A man who is supposed to have
left her a few hours previously was &C
cused of having murdered her, but the
coroner's jury decided that it was case
of suicide. So far as the newspaper re-
ports indicated, the jury did not pay any
attention to one most important point in
the evidence. IF the revolver was tightly
grasped in the dead woman's hand, she
must have committed suicide. It is not
possible for another Individual to tighten
the relaxed grip of a dead person upon
weapon.
If the person has committed suicide
theweapon will be found ri idly grasped
with fingers stifened by the rigor norris
But after death the fingers cannot be
made to take grip firmly. This is re-
garded as a most important point from
the medico-legal standpoint. It has de-
termined the fate Of an accused prisoner
il many a trial. Army surgeons say that
the expressions on the faces Of soldiers
killed in battle reveal the causes Of
death Those who have persisted from
sword wounds have a look Of repose,
while there is an expression Of pain on
the countenance Of those slain by bullets.
It is rather an odd fact that tho heart of
dying man ordinarily continues to beat
for four or five minutes after breathing
has ceased. w ashington Star