People were constantly losing their heads in the previous two centuries. It was so bad that it was rather common news that bodiless heads were being discovered in fields, lakes, beside roads, and in caves.
For this article, I decided to focus on decapitated heads due to accidents, murder, and even a bizarre request.
1. By Passing Car
You have probably seen this in a show or movie before. Someone sticks their head out the car window and then BAM! No more head.
Think it has never actually happened? Think again. In 1913, an iron moulder from Cleveland, Ohio stuck his head out of his car window just as a another car was approaching from the other direction. And then, BAM. The iron moulder was completely decapitated. [1]
2. Sawn Off For Court
Mary Wertelewski was facing a murder charge back in 1911. According to the Wisconsin prosecutor, Mary beat her husband to death. The fatal blow was to the man’s head.
Three days after the murder, the prosecutor had the man’s head removed and placed in a small chest. Several weeks later, during the trial, the witness for the state opened the chest and lifted out the head of the woman’s husband for little more than shock value.
Everyone in the court room gasped at the sight, except for Mary. She claimed that her husband had died after falling down the steps. The investigators, however, found a metal bar at the home that had hair and blood on it and said Mary beat her husband over the head with it. [2]
3. Down the Elevator Shaft
Robert Darrah was working on an elevator shaft in a hotel back in 1905, Louisiana, when the elevator descended and severed the man’s head. His head fell down the elevator shaft and landed on the ground floor where a group of women were waiting. Blood spattered across their dresses and spilled onto the floor.
According to one article, the cut was so clean that it looked as though a sword had just quickly lopped off the man’s head. [3]
4. The Angry Father
When John Gosset returned to his home after a day of work back in 1905, his daughter was not at home where she belonged. Immediately suspicious, Gosset went to John Doaner’s house and discovered his daughter.
The father flew into a rage, pulled out a large knife and began slashing the boyfriend. Dad was so vicious in his attack that he cut off the man’s head and cut out his heart. [4]
5. He Fell Asleep in the Wrong Place
It was 1898 and Carey Wallace had been on his way to work in the quarry when, according to reports, he decided to crawl under a rail car loaded with rocks and either take a nap or escape the heavy downpour of rain. Two hours later, the train started up, gave its signal, and ran over Mr. Wallace.
The damage was severe:
“Lying between the rails, the right hand and both feet completely severed and a gaping wound in the left side near the heart. Two feet away, on the outside of the rails, lay the head. The decapitation was as complete as if the guillotine had done the ghastly work.
“The rain beat upon the severed head and mangled body, diluting the blood that flowed from the wounds.” [5]
6. His Head Went Flying Through the Air
In 1903, it was common for people with no money to walk along the railroad tracks and pick up pieces of coal to sell or heat their rooms. That is what W. Saffranel was doing when a train came flying down the tracks and hit him, sending his decapitated head flying 200 feet through the air.
“He is said to have half-turned toward it just as the iron monster struck him. A trackman nearby saw the man’s head fly from his body, mount high into the air and fall about 200 feet from the scene of the tragedy.
“The train passed over the body, mutilating it and breaking nearly every bone of the frame.” [6]
7. A Gift to Science
Not all head losses were accidents. A few were rather intentional.
In 1896, a woman who had an extraordinary gift for memorization sold her head to a medical college for an incredible $20.
In a will, she stated that after her passing her head should be cut off and sent to the college. Her remaining “trunk and limbs” were to be buried in the traditional fashion. [7]
