New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-07-19
RECOVERING FROM SHOCKS.
WITNESSES TELL MORE ABOUT ELEC-
TRICKY.

TRICKY.
ONE MAN AFTER BEING PRONOUNCED TO BE
DEAD TELLS HIS OWN sToRY-CAsEs OBJ
ANIMALS BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE
Mr.. GERRY ON THE STAND.
The session of the Kemmler reference case before
Referee Tracy c. Becker yesterday was perhaps the
most important since the hearing was begun. Inter-
eating testimony was brought forth by both Sides that
Of Ebrdge T. Gerry being of especial value as he was
a member of the State Commission appointed by the
act of 1856 70 investigate the subject Of capital
punishment and report the most humane method OF
execution. Mr.. Gerry was subjected TO long eA-
animation by ". Bourke Cochran.
Mr. Berry began by explaining that the commission
first made an investigation of the present mode OF
execution. In hanging 1t was learned, The Knot III
the rope put under the criminal lett ear ana MS
body was dropped distance. In some cases. inc
neck was broken by the fall, and death was thus
caused but where the condemned man had moved his
head and thus made the knot slip out OF posltoh the
neck was not broken, and death followed from slranG
uation which took from eighteen TO twenty mliAIUs'
Tho commission then made a most thorough eA-
animation of 200 authorities, including ehcyclo
pedias. histories books of travel works Oh law ana
MEDICAL jurisprudence, and the like and discovefed that
there we're or had been forty methods OF execution
nared with hanging. OF these four the garroe was
first considered. In this method, collar Is pat
around the condemned mans neck, ana then gwen
a sudden and suong twist with lever Inc hecA Is
broken at once, and the plan Is certainly eA-
peditous and painless, but the commission rejected
q as IT, would dsfguro the crfminafs Dody. Ihe
,,IotIne was likewise declared out Of the question
ON account of the blood shed and the memories con-
nocted with It on account Of the part it played In
The French Revolution.
HOW THE CHOICE WAS MADE.
Tho third method was poisoning, and Mr.. Gerry
,d he himself thought this the best method Of all
but deferred the opinions of the other commissioners
and of the medical profession The objections 10 poi
son were that poisons could not be handled WIN
out danger, and that in any case medical experience
would be necessary to apply 1t effectively, and 'hat
IL would be difficult to find ply stefan VINO "ouiu
act as executioner. This left only electricity. The
opnjons of 200 leading judges, scientists, physicians
and others were received the subject and eighty
one of them did not believe that change would De ior
the better, while seventy-hve OF the resi- la'oreu
electricity. The commission witnessed number oi
tests on animals, and from these, from their own
knowledge that many men had been Killed by cleo
trcity and from the evidence Of physicians ana
electrical experts, we're convinced that death by
electricity would be certain, speedy and painless.
They therefore recommended 1t as substitute Tor
hanging After a long examination by MT. COCHRAN.
the witness allowed 10 leave the stand.
Dr. Landon Carter Gray, Of No. East Forty-njnth-
ST. professor of nervous and mental diseases at the
NewYork Polytechnic Medical School, the next Witness
was convinced that current could be generated that
would cause death certainly and instantaneousy. lie
believed this because the perlments animals were
contradictory, and because the effect OF suoAe Vi
lightning was so uncertain. The electrical resistance
of human beings again, vas so variable that cur
rent would act on no two alike. German
.Ia =fctar nf m
from 1000 to 1900 Ohms Even with resistance
as low as $500 ohms, 500 volt current would
yield only three-Gfths of ampere, and this amount
was given by physicians every day IN the year
with beneficial effects.
Dr. Gray thought that the flesh of the criminal
would be burned in many instances, as even weak
current used in medicine sometimes causes burn
He then told Of series Of experiments made IN
France by D'Arsonval. The latter passed a strong
current through number of dogs and apparently
killed them for their hearts had stopped beating and
respiration had ceased. Then he brought them 10
life again by artificial respiration
HE THINKS IT UNCERTAIN.
The next witness was Dr. Bernard Sachs adjunct
professor Of and mental diseases at the New
York Polytechnic Medical School He agreed with his
colleague uncertainty of execution by cleo
tricity and on its probable cruelty. lie thought
that with such a strong current as was TO be used
cauerzaon would result under the negative pole at
least.
After the recess, DR.; Gray was recalled TO explain
why he regarded Harold p. Browns experiments on
animals of little value lie pointed out that in
while in another instance, lao aniperes had not.
Following Dr: Gray, Colonel Michael Kerwin Editor
struck by lightning during The war While three
horses that we're under the same tree with Colonel
Kcrwin wore killed. he himself escaped with his life
although he is still partly deaf and his right arm is
partly parayzed from the shock
The evidence Of the witness, Henry NJ Stevens,
an of Boston, of sensational character.
as he declared that in 1883, in Lowell Mass. he re-
coived sIock and recovered from 1t after physician
on a dynamo that giving current Of /, 450 volts,
he slipped and fell with hand the negative and
the other on the positive brush OF the machine Mr.,
stevens's description of his sensations was graphic
indeed :" / felt that something was hIng , up my
veins and became unconscious. NY weight ppIien me
TO the floor, whore | lay for some time physician,
Dr. Barry, examined me and not being able TO feel
my heart pulse beat 10 see any signs of respira,
ton declared that / dead Some lime afterwafd
began TO recover my senses. The pain was eXcru-
ciatlng. | feh that ! being drowned, run over
by train and was enduring thousand other fortunes.
In q few DAYS was almost well and had the pleasure
Of reading the account OF my DEAN In the he"s-
The last witness examined Arthur F.. Colgate.
Of the Western Electric Company, who tesuhed 10
the agony suffered by the dogs experInenaed on by
n J. "The animals howled and underwent CON
tortons as If The pain they endured was ass soeh ming
Der OF shocks were passed through them and finally
dispatched Of them with a brick TO relieve him
And that shock was fatal,' added Mr. Cochran.
The hearing was then adjourned nntl 10 m
10 day Referee Becker had expected TO finish the
hearing of the case in this city by tomorrow, but
this seems impossible as there stl remain num-
these win probably be Thomas A. Edlsoni who is a
firm believer In execution by electricity at least Mr.
Cochran viii try to have him take the stand
REQUIslTIONS FOR STATIONERY SUPPLIES.
The Board of City Record considered the depart
mo al