A HORRIBLE EXPERIMENT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1193, 11 January 1895, Page 10

A HORRIBLE EXPERIMENT.

ABBE BRUNEAU'S LAST WINK. HIS DEAD HEAD TRIES TO SPEAK. S ■- -■- -■ From Our Special Correspondent. London, December 1. The crimen. ofAbbe* Bruneau will be fresh in the minds, of colonial newspaper readers, and vivid in their memory will be the disgraceful scenes which surrounded- his mpmeuta on earth. Those scenes covered'a ghastly scientific experiment; the details of which have only just come to light. It has always been a matter for discussion and conjecture amongst intelligent men of a morbid turn of mind as to whether a dissevered head retained consciousness for e?en a single second after leaving cbe trunk. When Pranzini paidthe penalty for his odious Was made to resuscitate both his head and body. The corpse was hurried into a room adjacent to the guillotine and powerful batteries were applied to the nerve centres. But science gained nothing by that horrible procedure. The story goes that when Marie Antoinette's head was lifted froni "the basket by the executioner cheeks slapped, a ; red blush followed the indignity. And' many similar instances are; quoted with no better authority than tradition. At Laval, however, a well-arranged experiment was made. Criminal aud counsel planned to probe this mystery as fully as it laid in their power to do so. Mons Dominique, the advocate of the murderer, a man of iron nerve and a considerable scientist, having failed to rescue Bruneau from death, conceived the idva of making his execution the'occasion of an experiment which' should prove whether decapitation instantly deprived the brain of all its power or no. He approached Bruneau, and begged him to help in the solution of the problem. -". *i what d 0 yqu want me to do 1" asked the wretched man.

'■* I want you to communicate with me after your execution; 1 want you by means of a pre-arranged signal to convey to me the information that your brain is Capable of understanding what I say to it, that there is a continuity of thought in your mind, that the blow of the knife has not instantaneously paralysed your will power, has not ended your capacity to respond to a "question if put to you a second after the blow. It is a terrible ordeal, an awful experience I am forcing upon you, but consider the*rfre6m parable service it will be' to science, the great satisfaction it will be to the scientific world.? 'V

Bruneau paced his cell excitedly ; even his iron nerves were severely tried by the terrors of his position, and the horrible proposition his advocate made him. His face was ashen, but his voice was-firm as replied :" Then you wiah my--my head to speak?" "Not speak, but to give some sign of understanding. The rapid haemorrhage probably weakens the physical condition of the head so quickly as to make speaking quite impossible, but it way not be sufficiently rapid to prevent Some muscular movement in the face."

** What is your plan %" "It is this: At the instant of your decapitation I shall stand beside M. Deibler, and before the knife falls I shall mutter so you may hear me an admonition to remember our agreement, and at once, upon the knife having done its work, I shall raise your head close to mine and shall say, ' Reply, reply !' If you are conscious at that instant and realise the meaning of my words you are oo signify it by lowering and raising the lid of your eye twice. By those two motions you will do more for the scientific world than any human being who has ever lived. Will youido it P

Bruneau controlled his emotions to a marvellous extent. He ceased his nervous walk and throw himself upon his cot. For a few moments he was lost in thought and made no response ; then he raised his head and murmured: "It would be impossible to-morrow. I am unnerved and I cannot master my feelings. I must have a few more hours to recover. Get me a delay for three days and I shall be myself again. Then I will do as you ask, and if there is any sensi-

bility after death you shall know it." M. Domiuique hastened away and sent a lengthy dispatch to President CasimirPerier, explaining the situation and asking the delay, or requesting that the President grant him a personal audience. M. Dominique attended the President, but the crime of the Abbe* was so grave

that the chief executive declined to interfere. The advocate returned with all haste to Laval and the execution v?as fixed for a particular morning. At ten minutes to five that morning all was ready, and Bruneau Avas offered the cuato*mary glass of brandy to strengthen him in his last trial. But this ho refused. '•lb is needless," said he. "I want nothing." But they insisted, and he finally consented to tako a cup of coffee with a little rum. At this moment his advocate stepped beside him and whispered words that were not heard by the others standing about. But Bruneau replied in a voice sufficiently loud enough to attract attention: "It is all right, I have practised and will respond to your question." M. Deibler took possession of the condemned, signed the receipt to the governor, and the cortege resumed its way to <"he guillotine. Bruneau's hands were tied behind him, his feet were tied at the ankles. It was ten minutes to live. As the great gate of the prison opened the troops came to present arms ; the crowd was hushed; ever3'one within the enclosure removed his hat ; Bruneau was self-possessed and resolute ; the chaplain walked directly before the condemned mau and endeavoured in that way to conceal the guillotine from his view. But he saw it quickly, and at a few steps from it he hesitated and stopped. Singularly enough, at this very moment the sun rose and its first ray fell upon the glistening knife that was high in the air. Bruneau saw it, but his hesitancy was but for an instant: the chaplain embraced him and said some words of comfort, and embraced him the second time ; ho kissed the crucifix that was held before him, and ten thousand people, as still as death, looked down upon him.

At thismoment theatres of M. Deibler seized the prisoner by either shoulder and threw him over. on. the bascule, and, quicker than it can be told, his head rested directly beneath the grooves down which the knife slips in its errand of justice. The advocate stood directly beside the basket and opposi e to M. Deibler, and, as the knife was loosened, he leaned over and whispered the prearranged words to Bruneau. The head had not touched the sawdust in the basket when the advocate reachod forth his hand, and, seizing the hair of the Abbe, ho lifted the head up to his face 'And appeared to whisper s mething in its ear. The entire audience stood thunderstruck and speechless, the troops remained at present arms, until slowl}', hesitatingly and with disappointment marked in every feature, the advocate gently returned the head to the basket and turned awaj T . It was then just five minutes to five.

M. Dominique explains in hi 3 own language the ten seconds following the decapitation and during which he held the dissevered head: "When I lifted the head from the basket, doing it so quickly that even the sawdust had no opportunity to attach itself to the bloody neck, Ihe eyes were wide open and looking at me with every appearance of intelligence and understanding. Without losing a second I exclaimed, 'Reply! reply! quick !' As I uttered these words the eyelid of the left eye drooped spasmodically and raised again. I hesitated a second and repeated my words, buc there was no motion, and I exclaimed excitedly, ' For God's sake, reply againT There was a quivering in the eyelid and the lashes seemed to waver a? though stirrad by the wind, hut there was no motion ; the features became set, the lines of the face more marked and within six seconds from the fall of the knife the head wa3 unmistakably dead. My effort to solve the mysteiy of the duration of life after decapitation failed."