The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-06-25
SIGNS or DEATH.
Evidences by which Phys'e'ans De.erm-
Inc the Absenc Life.

| mented by the recently puDlished state
ment Of a distinguished French authority
TO the effect that the appearances Of
death produced by this mysterious fluid
are deceptive-in other words, that the
| victim retains the vita! spark, though
! rendered I'm a manner torpid. Neverthe-
| less. n was promptly decided by ali tbs
witnesses AZ hand that the murderer OF
| Helen Potts was absolutely and irrecov-
erably dead.
! So deceptive are many OF the ordinary
evidences OF death that medical science
has given to this subject great deal OF
| attention. IL used ia he supposed that
people were often buried alive through
accident, and writer's OF romance have
| dwelt upon this species OF horror with
| much JUNCTION. During the war OF the
rebellion many soldiers were said TO have
been Inferred while living who were mere
| ~ I'm a lethargy or stupor arising from
/ loss Of blood. exhaustion, cold and fear
| Bodies have often been found turned over
| in collins. as II the occupants had walked
up and tried 10 get out. In numerous
/ other cases Of a similar sort the tongue
has been discovered protrudlng from the
mouth. as II from suffocation. and there
| have been stains from bleeding on the
| burial clothes.
Now, such facts as these were amply
sufficient IA former days 10 convince the
most skeptical that the persons concerned
| had been Inferred alive. But 1t Is now
known that such phenomena are exhib-
tied by dead bodies under conditions
wholly normal The turning Of a CORDS
I'm its coffin IS brought about by the ex-
pansion OF the gases Of putrefaction. The
projection Of the tongue from the mouth
IS an effect of the same cause. Bleeding
often occurs after death. In fact. such a
hemorrhage IS known 70 have taken
place eight days after death. IN this in
stance the bleeding was from wounds in
hicted during life.
The stoppage OF the hearts beating Is
not regarded as satisfactory evidence Of
death. In some cases on record that or
gan has apparently. ceased 10 perform its
function for as much as fifteen minutes
yet the person has revived. Tidy. the
great English authority. Speaks Of the in
stance Of a certain Colonel Townshend
who was seemingly able 10 die at will
and 10 come 10 life again when he chose.
on number Of occasions he had DELHI
erately suspended his own vital processes
for a short time. Finally he consulted
physicians on the subject. deeming his
ability 10 do this a sufficiently abnormal
~ AillAoli ~ bt cO4l4fNAlut alarming. In
tho presence OF the doctors he volun-
tarily lapsed into a state Of forpidity. his
heart stopped and hts 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
h1drS seeming likeness 90 the peculiar
power exhibited by certain fakirs Of
INDIA. For centuries IL has been n IA
milar trick for certain Of these fakirs
'Sho possessed the accomplishment 10
permit themselves 10 be buried alive for
months. coming 20 life again after being
aug up. That this remarkable feat Is
wholly bona fldc has been satisfactorily
demonstrated. il has been repeatedly
performed I'm the presence Of most skep-
uca' witnesses, under circumstances which
preclude al possibility Of deception. IL
IS an artificial suspension Of vitality.
bearing some relation 20 the natural hi
Dernation OF bats and other animals
II the niger Of person In whom the
vital spark still fingers be tightly hound
with a piece OF string. the end OF the I'm
ger VIII soon become red and then BLUSH.
but II the individual be dead no such
eIect VIII be produced by the application
az iigat"re. If during lie clean and
)il6ht needle be thrust into the muscles
or the body the steel rapidly rusts on
being withdrawn. After death no such
oXydaton takes place. IL Is said. How
ever. the certainty Of this latter test is
disputed. one Of the most familiar meth
ods OF determining abse 49, lie is that
on producing a blist1~ . heat. as with
the lame Of a candle. II the skin beneath
ana 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
ana the lieht OF a candle or lamp. When
mus examined the hand Of a living per-
son mas rosy color between the fingers.
This is not the case with CORPSE. Only
Few day ago a woman was found dead
I'm bed a hotel in Chicago. with a pistol
In her hand and bullet hole I'm her tenn
PIE. y man who is supposed to have left
her Few hours previously was accused
of having murdered her, but the coroner's
jury decided that II was a case Of suicide.
90 IdI as me newspaper reports Indicated
inc jury dld not pay attention 10 one
most important point I'm the evidence
lue revolver was tightly grasped in
lhe dead womans hand, she must have
committed suicide. II is not possible for
another individual TO tighten the relaxed
SIP Oh dead person upon a weapon.
II the person has committed suicide the
Neapoh VIII be found rigidy grasped
WIN myers stlffened by the rlgor morris.
bul after death the fingers cannot be
maze TO take a grip firmly. This is re-
Barded as a most important point from
lhe medlco-legal standpoint. II has de-
terihlhed the fate Of an accused prisoner
III many a trial. Army surgeons say
tnal lhe expressions on the faces Of sol
dlelS Killed in battle reveal the causes
Oh ueath. Those who have persisted from
sword wounds have a look Of repose.
while there is an expression Of pain on
Inc couhtenanccs Of those slain by bull
.el5' IL Is rather an odd fact that the
leaIt OF q dying man ordinarily contin-
aes 10 beat for four or five minutes after
breathing has ceased.
OWNS TO the fact that bacteria cannot
leVelop al temperature above 2l2 de-
'Iees or below % degrees the processes
lf putrefaction are arrested beyond these
limits either way The body Of prl,ce
NenschlkoH. favorite of Peter the
treat on being eXhumed after ninety
Wo years burial I'm the frozen soil OF
Noitherh Siberia, was found 10 have IN
lersohe hardly any change. Corpses tn
erred IN hot sand do not decay. but be-
'ome mummihed. There is 40 other way
u winch a body can be preserved 50 long
leaving freezing and naturalization cut
II the question-as by burial I'm Il lead
ohm. II the receptacle is air tight lack |
u oxygen brings putrefaction almost, il |
lot quite 10 a pause and the face Of a |
ieiunct person may be recognizable after |
long period of time. The attempts FREE [
Iuently made 10 destroy bodies by COW
ring them with lime usually have the |
opposite effect, preserving them by keep |
NJ out the air.
Years ago, when the bodies were re-