Omaha daily bee., 1888-08-13
ELECTRICITY MAY NOT KILL.
Testimony of a Ma Who Received an
Apparently Fatal Shock.

Chicago Herald: During a CONVERSE
ton with a prominent New York physi-
elan and II. NJ. Stevens, formerly u
prominent electrician Of Boston, many
doubts were expressed as to the wisdom
of adopting electricity as a means of eX-
%ecuting criminals under IA death penal
ty, writes q Rhode Island correspondent.
The physician strongly expressed the
opinion that there might be an element
OF uncertainty as to the death OF the
criminal.
Mr.. Stevens related a personal expe-
rience. He was engaged in making
some Investigations on AN electric light
circuit in Lowell, Mass, supplying
twenty-five arc lights of 1000 candle
power each, and, hisfoot slipping ON the
step-ladder, he instinctively placed n
hand on the wire to steady himself. He
was unable to recover himself fully,
and his forehead touched the wire, thus
sending il current through the arm and
presumably through one only of the
lobcs OF the brain. He subsequently
remembered the thought passing
through his mind that he had received
such IL shock as to incapacitate him
from retaining his position, and he im-
pulsivcly caught at the wire with his
other hand. Had he thought once
more he would infinitely have preferred
falling to receiving the full charge of
electricity through his body, but he
| grasped the wire with his other hand,
receiving the full power of the current
and putting out the lights in the entire
circuit. His hands, where he grasped
the wire, we're burned to the bone, and
he fell, lying unconscious on dry ground
for six hours.
When he was found ii was discovered
thatthe shock had burst blood vessels in
the head, and that blood had gushcd
from his nose, mouth and ears. He was
taken to a hotel, and subsequently to
a hospital, where no signs OF life were
visible, even to experts. The same
treatment was resOrLed to, however. as
it is customary to use with persons APP
pareutly drowned, and after IA long
time some slight evidence Of returning
consciousness rewarded the efforts of
the attendants. The tongue was then
drawn forward and whisky poured into
his mouth, where it remained for a long
time, not a bubble appearing.
Mr.. Stevens says when he began to
recover consciousness it seemed to him
as if he had neither arms nor legs, but
simply a trunk and head, and as he re-
membered nothing of the circum-
stances, he connected the aroma of the
whisky with m idea that he must have
been IN some way u 10 drink TO
INVESTIGATION, and had become the vic
tim of "A railroad accident.
He could not for a time be persuaded
that he had any eXtremities until an at
tendaut lifted one of his legs, when it
seemed to HIM, he says, as if it was
stretched out to an indefinite distance,
the foot being milesaway.
The special interest which the case
has at the present time is the recent
adoption of the method of electrical eX-
ecutious by the state of New York; and
the suggestion is offered by Mr.. Stevens
that if criminals are to be executed by
electricity, cremation rathert than burial
had better follow, thus avoiding the
possible occurrence OF II horrible return
TO consciousness in the tomb.
The perfume OF v%iolets, the purity of
the lily, the glow the rose, and the flush
of Hebe combine in Pozzoni's wondrous
,NnurlA.