Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-11-14

lowers; it is quite commonly believed
t1at they use spring swords, aud that
the blade does not descend so deep as
it seems; others think that by skill
fui piece OF sleiSht-Of-haud, an unde-
tected, the blade is hidden and not real
ly swallowed To dc justice 70 these
poor acrObats. their exercises which as
t0uish the public are sincere; the sword
blades are really thrust down the oesO-
ph8gus and into The stomach. When
We analyza exactly the methods Of the
sword swaiOwers we see that there is
nothing mysterious ia them. and that
the natural conformation Of the organs
perfectly permits the Introduction of
vOlUminous foreign bodies into the pri-
mary digestive passages.
ct have had occasion to examine re-
Gently one of the best known sword
swall0wers in Paris. and as he submit
ted with good grace to all my eXamina-
tons, 1 was able to form q very clear
and precise idea Of the manner in
which he accomplished his feats.
Gle is q man Of 50 years; 1.G5 meters
G feet inches3 high. The greatest
length OF The instruments that he
thrUsts into his stomach is 80 cent?
meters COS inches. The majority Of
his knives and swords are not so long;
the measure between 40 and 80 cont
meters Q6 and 1873 iuches). Their size
varies from that Of a triangular bayO-
net ~ Centimeters (2-3 incD up to 3
centmeters q 1-5 inches, the width Of
o LARGE hunting knife.
This man swallows also with equal
ease q sword bayonet of the old chasse-
not model, and even q portion Of o cav
airy saber. All these weapons are dull
Gs we'll at the point as ,Qn the edges;
they are naturally quite heavy Ru-t
does not prevent their use.
"This is how he proceeds: After hav-
ing bent the head far back, so that the
occiput rests on the cervical column,
ne opens his mouth wide; With the
right hand he introduces The point of
the sword so far as the rear wall Of the
nharvnN: then, with q swift movement,
in less time than It takes to tell it, he
thruSts The blade down the OesOphagus
to @ depth of 80 to 20 centimeters az to
16 inches. l have been astOundcd at
the apidity and deXterity Of the opera
ton. The sword cannot be left in place
longer than u to 10 seconds; the larynX
is pushed forward by the blade. Res
piration is suspended and the man can
not utter sound during this short
lapse of time. At the end of seven to
eight seconds the face reddons and the
heart beats quicker. and after 10 sec
onds at the most the sword must be
withdrawn
Glow far down does the point Of the
sword go? BY measuring the length
and applying the measuring tape TO the
body I have satisfied myself that the
point was IN the cavity Of the stomach.
The muscles of the abdomen were toe
tense 10 admit Of feeling the sword
from without, but by pressing Just over
the stomach the sword could be made
to move.
Gle also swallows swords while ~
ing down. and then rises and withdTaw5
them. Iavarsely, after having swat
lowed the sword while standing, he
lies down and takes it out. But in
these exercises ne does not use weapons
more than so Centmeters az inchca)
long: he is afraid Of w0unding himself
with longer Cnes when he bends and
moves his body. This particularly
proves indirectly that the point of the
longer sword is we'll in the stomach
when the man IS upright.
no lateral movement Of the head,
the neck. or the spine is possible while
the sword is i'm place The trunk can
be bent forward, but the bending must
be from the hip joints.
The man has been accustomed TO
this strange treatment Of the oeso-
plague for more than 20 years. and has
never been injured by it. He swallows
the swords just after drinking or eat
ing. When he wlthdraws the point
from the stomach he has never noticed
particles of food on it, only a little
mCcus. The OesphaCus does not seem !
TO be permanently dilated
During the course Of a day he re-
Dests his feat about q hundred times