From a newspaper published in the spring of 1892 we find a horrifying story of a doctor who attempted to revive a man who was hanged for murder.
The distressed mother was scammed in the most heartbreaking manner, having been asked to place her executed son’s body on display in order to pay the “doctor” his fee, and to bring her son out of his deep “trance.”
A great beginning to a horror story.
An Attempt to Revive Murderer Slaughter After Execution
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. May 12, 1892. — D.L. Slaughter, murderer of Jennie Love, his paramour, who was hanged in the county jail last Friday, was buried Tuesday.
Through the influence of Dr. Sam Jacks, a colored doctor, his remains were kept by his mother several days to enable the doctor to exhaust his knowledge of medical science in an effort to bring him to life.
Mrs. Slaughter was very much devoted to her son and mortgaged her little home in the suburbs of the city for $200 to his attorneys for defending his case.
The little home was purchased on the installment plan, payments being made monthly, the amounts being furnished by the son, who was an expert “crap” shooter, all of which money he is said to have won at the hazardous game.
Dr. Jacks assured Mrs. Slaughter that it was only necessary to keep warm the body of her executed boy, and that in a few days the broken neck would grow together and life would be restored. All he wanted was $25 as a retainer for his services, and an additional $25 in case he brought the son to life.
Mrs. Slaughter said that she was penniless; that her house was mortgaged for $200, and that every cent of the money had been given to the attorneys who defended her son.
Dr. Jacks suggested that she charge every one who desired to view the remains of her son an admission of ten cents. He believed that $50 could be raised in that way.
Mrs. Slaughter agreed with the doctor, and it soon became noised about that the executed criminal was not dead, but simply in a trance, and that any one could see him upon the payment of ten cents.
For two days the little house was besieged by the curious, all of whom readily paid the required admission fee to take a peep at the corpse.
The receipts netted the broken-hearted mother $380.
She gave the physician his retainer of $25, which left her with $355, enough to pay off her mortgage and leave a balance of $155.
At the close of the second day the doctor insisted that his patient should be kept quiet, and that no one should enter the room but himself and the members of the family. Mrs. Slaughter had confidence in her son’s luck at “craps.”
She indulged in her superstition to the extent of placing at the head of the corpse seven wax candles and eleven at the foot of the coffin, which were kept burning during the 24 hours that Dr. Jacks was making experiments upon the broken neck.
The first move made [by the doctor] was to cause a red-hot fire to be made in the stove, which was kept up during all the time he [experimented] with the corpse. This, he said, was done for the purpose of keeping the body warm, otherwise the broken portion of the neck would have no opportunity of healing.
The temperature of the room was maintained at about 80 degrees.
The dead man’s feet were wrapped in gunny sacks, which were kept saturated with boiling water in the hope that it would force circulation of the blood.
Source: Daily public ledger. (Maysville, Ky.), 12 May 1892.
