The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-07-01


periods that they are in general regard
ed as deserving to be placed in a cate
CORY with the wondrous discoveries OF
Marco Polo and Ferdinand Mendez
Pinto, but subsequent explorers nave
verified many things in the narratives
of those two which, at n time, were
considered impossibilities, and science
may yet demonstrate beyond c~ontradic-
tion the possibility 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 moments
after its separation from the body, and
some of them have made experiments
upon the heads of decapitated criminals
even more than an hour after execu-
ton, and have met with a certain
measure of success which partially cor
roborated their theories.
The curious in such matters will find
that historians relate a remarkable in
stance of speech after execution which
recalls the story of the head of the
to have still murmured the name OF his
beloved Eurydice after it was thrown
into the waters of Hebrus. This in
stance occurred in the thirteenth CEN
fury, when Conradin of Swabia and
Frederick of Baden were executed on
the market place in Naples. These two
young princes had invaded the king
dom with an army in defense of Con-
radin's rights as heir to his father.
Having been defeated and captured by
the forces of Charles of Anjou, they
were held by him prisoners for a year
and then condemned to execution.
Bartoned has given a glowing de-
scription of the death scene, drawn
from contemporary accounts, the CEN
ter of the market place covered with
crimson velvet, the king in a distant
tower to see the execution of his will,
and the crowd Of curious and plying
lookers-on. Prince Frederick's head
was the first to fall, and the nearer
spectators were electrified to hear the
%quivering lips call twice upon the
Virgin: Maria, Maria" Conradin
was moved by it to forget m~omentarily
his W coming death. Lifting the head
he kissed it c-nderly, and pressed lit tc
his breast, while he deplored aloud tina
the youthful prince-Frederick had moi
yet reached his eighteenth year
should have been brought to his death
through devotion to himself.
One of the most remarkable records
in all history of action after execution
is contained in the police archives OF
the Austrian capital. This is the case
of the bandit ~Schaumburg, who, with
four companions, was condemned tc
death in 1880 for sundry adventures
rivaling those of Fra Diavolo. Accord.
ing to this seemingly impossible chron.
icle, the chief, finding he was to be the
first to suffer, demanded one last favor
of the presiding judge. This was thai
his companions should be placed in
a straight line, several feet apart. This
having been granted, he then begged
that he might attempt their reprieve
in the following manner If, after his
head had fallen his body should walk
| past each comrade in turn, he praye6
that the judge should grant an am.
nesty. That officer, who no doubt
thought this quite an impossible feat
agreed to the proposition and the exc.
cution proceeded. The robbers bod,
bent before the headsman, Strengthened
up after the head had fallen and walked
up to each of the other bandits con.
secutively before it finally fell. Nh,
judge made haste to notify the kaiser
and his imperial majesty was pleased
to confirm the promise of clemency an(
to have the story placed on record il
the police archives.
In the present century an interestin.
case of apparent sensation and intelli
gence after execution has been record
ed by M. Pettigaud as having occurre,
at Saigon, in Anam, where he witnesse,
the execution of several pirates. Hi
interest and sympathy were excited b,
the fine physique and manly bearin,
of the leader Of the condemned men
who manifested no fear and met hi
detath with the greatest courage an,
Goodness.
The culprits were made to kneel O,
the sand before the executioner. who
with n expert blow, separated tn
heads from the bodies. The head O
the chief fell almost at the feet of N
Pettigaud, the severed neck Resin
squarely upon the sand, thus arrestin
the flow of blood from the arteries. H
was Mortified to find that the eye
looked up at him with an air of pei
feet consciousness and intelligence. 1
order to test the reality of this appear
C nj. Pettigaud moved to one sid
and found that the eyes followed hi
movements. AS a further test he the
resumed his first position and the eye
turned slightly, but before regainin
their first direction an expression c
agony passed over the face, such a
might have been produced by suffoca
ton, and the head rolled over on tn
sand with every appearance of dealt
From fifteen to twenty seconds ha
elapsed during these observations.
1t was possibly this story which in
duced De Laborde of Paris to make Ger
tain experiments upon the severed hea
of a murderer more than an hour afte
execution. In this case blood was in
jected into the arteries an dby mean
of an opening in the skull = could b