The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-06-12

was IN the middle, and CromweIl's and
Bradshaw's on either side f,ro,nvvellis
head, being embalmed. remained exnosed
to the atmosphere for twentv-fi,se Years.
and then one stormy night II was blown
down, and picked up by the sentry who.
hiding 1t under his cloak took ii home and
secreted 1t III the chimney corner and as
inquiries were constantly being made
about it by the government it was only
on his deathbed that he revealed where
he had hidden it, His family sold the
head to one of the Cambridgeshire Rus.
sells, and, in the same box in which It
still is it descended TO a certain Samuel
Russell, who. being a needy and careless
man, exhibited 1t In a place near Clare
market There it was seen by James
Cox. who then owned a famous museum.
He tried in vain to buy the head from
Russell, for, poor as he was, nothing
would at first tempt him to part with
the relic; but, after a time Cox assisted
him with money and eventually. to clear
himself from debt, he made the head over
to Cox. When Cox at last parted with
his museum, he sold the head of Crom-
we'll for $3.50 to three men, who bought it
about the time of the French revolution
to exhibit In Mead-court Bond street. at
half-a-erown a head. Curiously enough,
1t happened that each of these three gem
tlemen died a Sudden death, and the head
came into the possession of the three
nieces of the last man who died. These
young ladies, nervous at keeping 1t In the
house, asked Nj. Wilkinson, their medi-
cal man. to take care of it for them, and
they subsequently sold it TO him. For
the next fifteen or twenty years Mr.. VIII
Einson was in the habit of showing 1t to
all the distinguished men of that day,
and the head much treasured, yet re-
mains in his family.
THE eircumstantial evidence is very
curious 1t Is the only head in history
which is known to have been embalmed
and afterwards beheaded. On the back
of the neck above the vertaprea, is the
mark of the cut of an axe where the e<-
ecutioner, having perhaps no proper
block, had struck too high, and, laying
the head in its soft, embalmed state on
the block. flattened the nose on one
side. making it adhere to the face. The
hair grows promiscously about the face,
and the beard stained to exactly the
same colour by the embalming liquor IS
tucked ND under the chin, with the oaNen
staff of the spear with which the mead
was stuck upon Westminster Hall, which
staff is perforated by a worm which never
attacks oak until it has been for many
years expo. ed to the weather
Spear-head is Rusted.
'The iron spear head. where II protrudes
above the skull is rusted away by the ae-
ton of the atmosphere. The jagged way
in which the top of the skull Is removed
throws us back to time when surgery
was in its infancy, whilst the embalmlng
Is SO beautifully done that the cellular
process of the gums and the membrane
of the tongue are still to be seen. Sew
eral teeth are yet in the mouth, the mem
branes of the eyelids remain, the pia-
mater and dura-mater, thin membranes,
which. | believe lie over the brain, may
be seen clinging to the inner and upper
part of the skull The brain was OF
course. removed but the compartments
are very distinct. When the great seulp-
tor Flaxman, went to see 1t, he said at
once:-'You will not mind my expressing
any disappointment | may feel on seeing
the head? oh. no. said Mr. WILKINSON
but will you tell me the characteristics
nv which the head might be RECOGNIZED z
Well. replied Flaxman. I know great
deal about the configuration OF the head