Contrary to popular perception, not everyone who is killed passes away.

This is Tyburn Tree, which housed the majority of public hangings in London from at least 1177 until 1798, when Newgate Prison took over as the location.

One of the well-known cases of the thousands of people who were executed there was William Duell. The 17-year-old Duell was ultimately found guilty of rape and given the death penalty after being indicted on rape, robbery, and murder charges. The convicted teenager and four others stood in front of the noose at Tyburn on a chilly winter day in November 1740.

He was hanged for twenty-two minutes before being killed and having his body transported in a hackney carriage to Barber-Surgeons’ Hall, where it would be dissected for medical study.

When they laid the corpse on the slab, the surgeon and his helpers were in for a surprise—it groaned. He was able to sit up after some time but it took some time before he could do anything else after further inspection revealed some other signs of life. They then injected several ounces of blood into him.

He was subsequently taken to Newgate Prison, where he was kept in solitary confinement and given broth and blankets to stay warm. He was said to be fully recovered within a few days and to have regained his appetite. The powers that be had to decide what to do with him at this period.

He was, after all, legally deceased.

They ultimately chose to condemn him to transportation in order to avoid making a mockery of the law and to stop the spread of the knowledge that hanging might be avoided. He was deported to North America, where he supposedly spent the remainder of his days before passing away in Boston at the age of approximately 82.