The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-08
DONE AFTER DEATH
REMARKABLE INCIDENTS IN THIS LINE
RELATED BY HISTORY.

| Instances Of Decaritated Heads Speaking
| and other Marvels Which Bave Been
| Preserved to Us by the Old chronicles.
| Tho Case eff Frederick of Baden.
| The remarkable experiment made upon
! che head Of the decapitated Abba Bruneau
| in France is by no means witho it prece
dent. 1t is impossible to read much in
| history without coming across curious
| stories of apparent sensation and thought
| after execution. Some of them gu back TO
| such remote periods that they are in gen.
eral regarded as deserving to be Llaced in
| a category with the wondrcus di scoveries
| OF Marco Polo and Ferdinand Mendez
! Pinto, but subsequent explorers lave veri-
| fed many things in the narratives of those
| two which, at one time, were considered
] inpossibilities, and science may yet DEM
| onstrate beyond contradiction the posi-
bility Of many startling events narrated as
having occurred at executions. The fact
remains that for centuries the impression
has prevailed among certain scientists that
the brain still retains it's capacity for
thought, and even action, for some mo-
menbs after its separation from the body,
dilu 5DlliC III tuctn nave Aouc
upon the heads of decapitated criminals
even more than an hour after execution,
and have net with certain measure Of
success which partially corroborated their
theories.
The curious in such matters will find
that historians relate a remarkable in
stance of speech after execution which re-
calls the story of the head of the poet nlu-
, ,i-l, hon
still mur;nured the name of his beloved
Eurydice after it was thrown into tho
waters of Hebrus. This instance occurred
In the thirteenth century, when Conradin
of Swabia and Frederick of Baden were
executed On the market place in Naples.
These two young princes had invaded the
kingdom with an army in defense Of Con-
radin's rights rs heir TO his father Hav.
Ing been defeated and captured by tho
forces of Charles of ADjou, they were held
by him prisoners for year and then con-
demned to execution.
Barntoned has given glowing doscrip-
tion of the death scene, drawn from con-
temporary accounts, the center of the mar
ket place covered with crimson velvet, the
king in distant tower to see the execu-
ton of his viii, and the crowd of curious
.
head was the first to fail, and the nearer
spectators were electrified TO hear the
guiyering lips call twice upon the Virgin,
Maria, Mariar' Conradin was moved
by it to forget momentarily his own COM
ing death. Lifting the head he kissed it
tenderly and pressed it TO his breast, while
he deplored aloud that the youthful prince
Frederick had not yet reached his eight
eyht IN
his death through devotion to himself.
One Of the most remarkable records In
all history of action after execution is con-
tanned in the police archives of the Aus
TRAN capital. This is the case of the ban
dit Schaumburg, who, with four compan-
ions, was condemned to death in 1850 for
sundry adventures rivaling those of Fra
Diavolo According to this seemingly ina
possible chronicle, the chief, finding ne
was to be the first to suffer, demanded one
last favor of the presiding judge. This
was that his companions should be placed
in front of him in a straight line, several
feet apart. This having been granted. he
then begged that ne might attempt their
reprieve in the following manner: If, aft
er his head had fallen his body should
walk past each comTa6e in turn, he prayed
tAssO tAO sCOSC oho
That officer who no doubt thought this
quite an impossible feat, agreed to the
proposition, and the execution proceeded.
The robbers body bent before the heads
man, Strengthened up after the head had
fallen and walked Up to each Of the other
bandits consecutively before it finally fell.
The Judge made haste to notify the kaiser,
and his imperial majesty was pleased to
ln Of oil nd En-,
have the story placed on record in the po-
lice archivcs.
In the present century the interesting
case of apparent sensation and intelli
gence after exc :ution has been recorded bp
NJ. Pettigaud as having occurred at Sal
gon, in Anam where he witnessed the ex-
ecution of several pirates. His interest
and sympathy were excited by the fine
physique and manly bearing of the leader
of the condemned men, who manifested
no fear and met his death with the great
est courage and coolness The culprits
we're made TO kneel on the sand before the
executioner, who, with one expert blow,
separated the heads from the bodies. The
head Of the chief fell almost at the feet of
N. Pettigaud, the severed neck resting
sqparely upon the sand, thus arresting the
Mortified to ind that the eyes looked up at
him with an air of perfect consciousness
and intelligence. ID order to test the
reality of this appearance NJ. Pettigaud
moved to one side and found that the eyes
followed his movements. As a further
test he then resumed his first position, and
the eyes turned slightly, but before re-
gaining their first direction an expression
of agony passed over the face. such as
might have been produced by sutfocation,
and the head rolled over on the sand with
every appearance of death. From Is TO 20
seconds had elapsed during these observa-
tons.
1t was possibly this story which induced
De Laborde of Paris to make certain e.
periments upon the severed head OF a niur-
derer more than an hour after execution
In this case blood was injected into the
arteries, and by means OF an opening in
the skull il could be seen 10 circulate. The
eyelids opened. aud upon the placing of a
light before them the pupils Of the eyes
grew smaller. Possibly had the expert
meDts been made Immediately after exc
cution the results might have been mIch
more curious.--Virginis Dare il PAiadel
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