The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-12-09
AFTER EXECUTION.
SENSATIONAL AND GRUEsosfE
STORY FROM Laval.
The Experiment In which Able Bru-l
sleaa Agreed To Aid After Being
Guigsofsned--Hix Eye Closed Once
According to His Promise.


sieaa Agreed ID Aid After Being
Gufgsofsned--Etx Eye Closed Once
According to His Promise.
a sensational and grewsorne story
comes from Laval, the little town in
France where the guiliotine recently
dispensed its last stroke 81 justice in
decapisating khbe Bruneau An inter
eshng mystery that has ever occu-
pied the thoughts Of intelligent men
has been the uncertainty as 10
whether discovered head retained
its consciousness for even a single in
st=5lt after it had left the body. An
effort TO solve this problem, as proba-
bly, the FIRST well-aruanged plan to that
end, was made in the case of the exc
cution Of Bruneau, and the details
have just been given to the public.
Vt will be remembered, says the Chi
ego Herald, that in the case OF
Pl'anzini the physicians made am eff
fort At resusci tation of both the mead
and body by hurrying the corpse into
the operating room and applying
powerful electric batteries to ITS nerve
centers Instances have been known
where the head has been quickly lifted
Fro1n the basket and the features close
ly scrutinized TO note any change of
sppeaIance or any movement of the
muscles The well-known story told
concerning, the execution of Marie
A1todnette will be recalled, where it
was said the executioner lifted the
head from the basket and slapped the
cheeks violently, w5lereupon they
blushed. These and many other In
-. -.~r-~ L ~-~A
better authority than tradition, says
the Philadelphia Times, but at Laval
the other day an experiment was made
fl1at as yet TOO fresh to he tainted by
legends or to be nIa1red by the ex-
aEgera'tiOns of those who repeat such
incidents years after their occurrence
There was a pTeaTranged plan. be-
tween the criminal and his counsel TO
test and probe this mystery as fully
as lies Within human power to do.
Bruneau was an educated and intel
lecUllal man. That he was a murder
Ell, proved in one instance and suspect
ed in several others, does not, unfor-
ing the high standard OF his intellect.
He had studied many of The sciences,
understood medicine so as TO be quite
proficient in its practice was a student
OF languages, and generally possessed
of more than the average Information.
Planning With the Condemned Man
Immediately after the execution OF
Caserio Santo, NJ. Deibler, the national
lfeadsman, went TO Laval with his
guillotine, prepared to attend to the
ablbe the following morning. AND then
happened an incident that is almost
unparalleled in France. M. Deilbler
was compelled to wait for three days
before the able was turned over to
his mercy. The delay astounded the
executiOner. and was am object OF
much speculation tibrou ghout France.
Much more famous criminals had been
dispatched with less than ten minutes
delay; no one, in fact within the MEM
DRY of the present legal lights OF the
country had ever been granted such
a DELAY after the instrument of death
had been brought to the ground, ana
after the day had been once set for
the execution to take place Specuis-
ton on the probable reason for this
has been indulged in: but it is settled
now by a statement made by NJ. Dom
enfuue the advocate of the murderer,
and who has given an interesting and
startling story of the ten seconds nm
mediately following the dropping on
the head Of his client beneath the
knife of the instrument Of DEATH The
advocate of the prisoner is a. man OF
unusual attachments, just such man
as would naturally be interested IN
an uncanry investigation. One even
ing the governor of the prison at
Laval was visited by NJ. Dominique,
WHO presented an order signed by the
president of the republic calling upon
The governor to permit the advocate
TO go to the cell of Bruneau and con-
verse with the condemned without wit
nesses. The cell was reached and
when the door clicked back the advo-
cate was closed in with the murderer,
h ldQ
withdrew. a.,
"Bruneau," said NJ. Dominique, Il
have come to speak to you with great
frankness and upon secret that Us
painful TO approach and terrIbie 10
discuss: but you are a man OF more
than ordinary intellect and know
YOU possess unusual courage. You
are a scientific man, by education; so
am I. and we know that the problem
of whether or not a CLEAN OF feellng
or sensation remains in the human
brain one second after the head leaves
1he body is one of the most interest
ing that has ever puzzled the minds
oe SCIENTIFIC men. This problem has
never been solved, for the reason, l
believe, that those who have hereto
fore been guillotined, who We're SUI
fciently intelligent to make sucn a
Compact as l am about suggesting 10
YOU. had no one to make the compact
WlJfl, ana lIlOS6 lIOAli H4iOiA tAtS $780,
attempted to learn were tl1ghtened
before the knife fell. In you intelh-
gence and courage are combined.
Arranging For the Signal.
what do you want me to do?'
sT want. YOU to communicate With
ma after Your execution. l want you
nv means of a prearranged signal to
convey TO me the information thaI
your brain is capable of understand
ing what 1 say to it, that there is a
continuity oil thought in your mind,
that the blow Of the knife has not in
simultaneously paralyzed your Will
power, has not ended your capacity
10 respond to a question If put to you
a second after the blow. II is a ter
rible ordeal an awful experience L
am forcing upon you, but CONSIDER the
incompatible service 1t Wan De 10
science, the great satisfaction II Will
be to the scientific world.
RruneaHl paced his cell eXcitedly;
even his iron nerve was severely tried
by the teruors of his position, and the
horrible proposition his advocate made
him. His face was aslhen, but his voice
was firm as he replied: Then you
wish lny-rny head to speak?'
mot speak, but to give some sign
IF understanding. The rapid hem
orrhage probably weaSens the physi-
cal condition of the head so quickly as
to make speaking quite Impossible,
but II. may not be sufficiently rapid
to prevent some muscular movement
il the face"
-'WJnat is your plan?"
III is this: At the instant of your
decapitation / Shall stand beside NJ.
Deihler, and before the knife falls
shall mutter so you may hear me an
admonftion to remember our agree
rT1erf and at once, upon the knife
having done its work, / shall raise
your head close to mine and shall say,
Reply, reply. IF you are conscious