The nostrils themselves are raised and extended. The eyes
are widely opened, and beneath them the skin appears swollen;
the pupils are large. The forehead is wrinkled transversely
in many folds, and at the inner extremities of the eyebrows it
is strongly furrowed in diverging lines, produced by the powerful
and persistent contraction of the corrugators.
Mr. Bell has also described[19] an agony of terror and of despair,
which he witnessed in a murderer, whilst carried to the place of execution
in Turin. "On each side of the car the officiating priests were seated;
and in the centre sat the criminal himself. It was impossible
to witness the condition of this unhappy wretch without terror;
and yet, as if impelled by some strange infatuation, it was equally
impossible not to gaze upon an object so wild, so full of horror.
He seemed about thirty-five years of age; of large and muscular form;
his countenance marked by strong and savage features; half naked,
pale as death, agonized with terror, every limb strained in anguish,
his hands clenched convulsively, the sweat breaking out on his bent
and contracted brow, he kissed incessantly the figure of our Saviour,
painted on the flag which was suspended before him; but with an agony
of wildness and despair, of which nothing ever exhibited on the stage
can give the slightest conception.
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