New-York tribune., 1900-08-12
BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH
\ LINE THAT Is SOMETIMES NOT WELL.
MARKED
STRANGE STORIES OF HUMAN ACTIVITY AFTER
DECAPIT ALTON

AFTEf
DECAPITArIoN
From The Edinburgh Scotsman.
me nc hrst point to which our attention NAV h.
- -; tsu Is TIE collecting of evidence regarding
t tIe immediate effect Of severe and mortal in.
Jury on the subject thereof one of the hes,
n.Io"l5 5 Illustrations Of the fact that such in.
49, 80 g not produce immediate death, or a
fs Ie1st mat absolute cessation of all movement
"hlch We popularity recognize as the main fat
q q u ne endlng, IS that afforded by the case
g. ap'ath Nolan The Captain headed the
tl,-iIouS charge OF the Light Brigade at Bala-
AIaEa- In the course of his duties he was strucE
- Ciie CAest by part of shell. the missile
tearing the chest omen and wounding the hearr
IAilIs4ihe gives a graphic account Of the Incl
dent. The sword" he says "drorped from his
hahq- but the arm with which he was waving
It the moment before sti. remained high up
iI4teu IN the air, and the grip of the practiscd
horsefnan. remaining as yet urreaxed still helC
MN hr1n IN MS saddle. Missing the perfect hand
OF his master. and finding tho accustomed
governance now succeeded bv The dangling reir1s
lLe morse all at once wheeled about. and began
20 saliop back upon the front Of the advancing
D.iSstde- 1hen. from what had been NOan-auG
ms FORM was still erect in the saGdle his sword
arm sun high in the air-there burst forth a
cIy so strange and appalling that the hcareT
VINO RODE nearest him called it ungarthly. And
IN truth, ! imagine. the sound resulted from no
human Will but rather from those spaSmodiC
forces which may act upon the bodily frame
Nhen lie as a power has ceased. The firm
seated rider, with arm Uplifted and stiff could
hardly be ranked with the living The shrek
men heard rendIng the air vas scarce other
IMAM the ShFlek OF a corpse. The dead hOrSCm2n
rode on till he passed through the interval of
the 12th Light Dragons. Then at last he
dropped from the saddle
q. l.. kumer. who passed through the Civil
W ar IN America, IN his turn gives an interesting
parallel case 90 that Of Nolan. He tells us thai
q sergeant IN charge of the Ninth Corps On tn,
CoIlleCerale WORKS east Of PIttsburg leaped or
the parapet, and with his cap in his left hand
and his gun in the right. cheered his conlradcs
onward shell decapiJated him at this mo
a
done says Mr Kilmer but the tall form con
tlnued erect for some seconds the arms still
waving franucauy. but with ever lessening
sweep and power. until the forces Of the body
collapsed when the headless trunk toPpled over
TO the ground
a GUILLOTINE STORY.
We may regard as facts the circumstances
above nOted-that men killed instantly, in the
continue TO execute apparently definite ana pUr-
poslve movements y somewhat ghastly recital
referring to a guIotined man has been gcner-
ally credited 70 the rcnOwn Of the Paris School
Of Medicine. and relates 10 the same curious
features that mark the battlefield. The Paris an
case was that Of DR.. De Ia Pommerais who WAS
guillotned for the crime Cf murder by poisoniu 2
The story goes that some Of his cOnfTeres waited
on De Ia POmnlerais before his execution and
informing him that it was their desire in thy
interests Of science TO test whether any degree
Of consciousness remained in the decapitated
head just after execution, asked him, if pos
slble. 10 agree TO give some sign or token by
way Of solving the problem. Dc IA POmmerai is
acquiesced in the suggestion. and il is said that
securing possession Of his head ii fell and
preventing further hemoTrhage, the doctors
shouted into the ear Of their former cOnfreTe
demanding Of him to give some response one
of the eyes was said TO slowly open and shut
and then all symptoms Of life ceased. A writer
remarks that freshly guillOJincd head has been
known 70 make gestures Of the mouth and to
move the eyes when a bystander taunted it,
1 have been unable to trace either the truth Of
the De Ia PCmmerais story the Of the
last named incident, but there is no reason why
both should not have been correctly reported
Much would depend on the rapid nOw Of blood
in the case Of the h I'd Of the gUiliOt ned crimna
in respect Of the existence Of movement con
sciOusnesS.
We see very distinct reflection Of the
duality OF vital state in the very arrange
ment uf our nervous system The chief Tl7ssse
Of that system as every one knows consist Of
the brain and the spinal cord, and Sec- ud
sE stem Of nerve masses called the Sympather
system also exists, and is found lying COu
bile chain Of nerve knots or ganElia down the
front Of the spine. Now II is evident that As tn
brain is the most important part Of the nervous
system must tOgetEer occupy d secondary Do
siti0n. This is unQuestiOnably the case, and
the plan on which oUr nervous affairs have b2ea
ordered represents the we'll known principle "t
the division CT labor With q complex body
to look after. cur nervous system exhibits q
clear specialization OF its duties. If there are
parts in the brain whose duty II Il to think,
there are other par's whose function it is tC
guide our movements. II there are groups ot
nerve cells destined for the purpose Of receiv-
ncc department" of the brain. there arc Other
grouDs that supervise the work Of the heart, and
that control our digestive proceedings, and thar
see 10 it that the duties Of the lungs are duly
discharged
hound IN M the varied WaVS and works a