Democratic messenger., 1894-12-01
Alive Without a Head
-MRS.-~COTT'S GREAT Curl
OSITY.

\ Chicken struts Around With
it's Head Cut Clean on.
Doctors are Puzzled.
That operation commonly known
IA getting it where the chicken got
the az" will hcnceiorth be divested of
half it, terr"r>. Saturday morning
last chicken got the AK" on Il
branch near Littlcton, Colorado. but
it still lives. eats and appears to think
in the lowly way thai chickens are
won't TO think.
The headless fowl has created Il
scientific furor in Denver medical cir
cle.. and Yesterday DIR. +. X. .Axtell
had the bird on exhibition before the
medical class of the Denver university
and made it the subject of lecture.
1t was Mrs. J. y Scott. a I.ittleton
ranchma.,'s wife, who created the orni-
theological phenomenon. She usually
has fowl for Saturdays dinner, and n
nice black pullet was selected TOR sac
rifice by her last Saturday. Ii has
become proverbial that when woman
throws stones at hen she always
misses the mark, SO that Mrs. SCOTS
unhandiness in using an AK upon n
hen is not matter for surprise.
That lady did not make much OF II
success at decapitating the black pull
let.
She followed the recipe for making
hare soup by first catching her hen
Then she took it into the yard, laid
its neck upon a log Of wood and chop
ped away with the AK. She though
her aim was true, for the head dropped
down at one side Of the log aud the
carcass at the other. with blood squirt
ing from both. Just at this iuncture
little Tommy Scott called: Mammal
from the doorstep. and leaving the ap
parently dead fowl. Mrs Scott went I"
attend to the wants of her offspring.
Ten minutes later she returned I.
the yard for the purpose OF pluckinr
the black pullet. What she saw put
all thoughts of il ont of her head
WAS PROUD OF ITSELF.
There was the head of the bird
lying inert by the block. but the body
looking far from dead. was calml,
strutting around the yard. much Il
the amaement OF Mrs. Scott. Ate,
watching the headless hen ior Will,
the good housewife concluded that
there was something uncanny abou,
its conduct. In fact she decided tina,
it was the ghost Of a pullet she beheld
and fearful about touching it. she pro
ceeded to "shoo" tne headless thing in
the direction of the cellar.
The hens trunk appeared to b.
fully cognizant of the "shoo;ng" an.
ran down the cellar steps just rs hel
with head on its shoulders would do
Having got it fairly started on its wa,
to the basement, Mrs. Scott shut III,
trap door and sat on her doorstep i,
fear and trembling for her husband
return to dinner When he came sh
told him of her extraordinary expe'
ience with the black hen and Shove.
him where its spook was incarcerated
Scott. who is practical mattcr-n
course sort of man. went down ami
rescued the headless hen from IT,,
prison. He found that his wife ha.
not chopped Of the entire head. On
ear and a slight portion of the hack "
the head was left. He stopped III
flow of the blood BY sprinkling fou,
over the wound AMI then proceeded {.
iced the hen. This proved Il move
operation.
EASY To FEED IT.
When the ranchman dropped waite,
into the open throat of the hen th,
bird ducked its neck forward. as thougl
about to peck, and swallowed tn.
water with apparently sensible gusio.
He then moistened some bread in milk
and let it down the gaping e>"phagu
Of the pullet. with the same peek ins
and swallowing result. The hen ap
peared to know that j, was being fed
and seemed TO enjoy the TODD.
BY Saturday evening the wound
made by the axe had begun to heal
and Scott put his remarkable pullet to
roost. After few minutes the stun
of neck was tucked carefully under
the hens wing. she jerked up one claw
in approved hen fashion and went
quietly to sleep. Sunday Scott fed
his rara avis OH milk. moist cornmeal
aud moist brea'l, the operation heinz
most saccess uI. That night il SLEPT
again and yesterday he brought it I"
DIR. a. A. Clough Of Denver. as hi.
wife. who still believed it to he gob
lin, objected to having the hen KEEP;
around any longer.
NEW TO THE DOCTORS.
DIR. Clough says he never before.
heard Of a hen living without a head,
and he packed the Scott miracle off TO
DIR Axtell. A headless hen was new
to DIR. Axtell also. and he deemed the
miracle worthy OF - special physinlog.
ical lecture before the students of the
Denver university. For an hour III,
bird was on exhibition in the Univer
sity lecture room.
An examination showed that the
entire cerebrum had been cut away,
together with the head and neck. as
far as the po>terior wall of the pharynx.