Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-01
THE ELECTRIC FIEND
For Executing Purposes Should be
Artificial Lightning.
DIFFEREnCE In ELECTRIC SHOCKS.
A Horrible Fatality in New York is Ex-
planned by Prof. Tesla.
His IDEA OF ELECTRICAL EXECUTIONS

The horrible death of an electrical expert
was reported from New York, through
Saturdays Herald. The man had received
an electric shock and his whole body repre-
sented terrible appearance alter death.
The face looked as though it had been fried
to crisp. Running up both arms toward
the head was a strongly marked, broad
blush track, as though the current of light
ming had flashed along them to the unfor-
tunate mans spine. The heat of the fash
must have been intense, as the flesh was
literally cooked along its course. On the
right cheek was another imprint of the
deadly wire and the mustache and the hair
on the right temple were scorched. The right
eve was burst by the bolt, leaving only a
white ball protruding from the socket.
In order to obtain scientific explanation
of the force of an electric shock, DIS
PATCH reporter called upon Mr.. Nicola
Tesla, who as an electrician and scientist
stands at the very top of his pro fession, and
is therefore better able to give information
on that subjecs than any other man in
thf New York fatality had been presented
to him. he replied:
TWO DIFFERENT EFFECTS.
"There are two ways by which electricity
illustrates its action. The first is violent
shock upon the nervous system, and the
other positive destruction of the tissues.
In the first case people are killed, but in
death it is impossible to find sign of the
electric shock anywhere. Not the least dis
fgurement of the body can be detected.
Whenever the effect of the electric shock is
Of such nature the action of electricity gen.
orally takes place within the m1nimal frac-
ton of second. As rule, however, those
results only occur from static discharges.
"To explain this, let me tell you thatlight-
ming is a static discharge, because the elec-
tric spark comes from place where large
electric force is accumulated, discharging
sparks only at certain moments. In most
cases where people were killed by lightning
Disagreement is not noticed Immediately
after death.
"Now as to the other effect of electricity.
When people having received an electric
shock become disfgufed, electricity has
generally been allowed to act too long, and
then the result is principally decomposition
or destruction of the tissues
From this subject the conversation drifted
to the advantage of executing people by
electricity, and Mr.. Tesla here remarked:
sTUPENDoUs IGNORANCE.
"There is no doubt in my mind that
eventually electricity will be used every
where as the means of capital punishment,
but the way those men in New York pro-
pose doing it is simply an exhibition of stu
pendous ignorance. They will just do to
every criminal the very thing that hap
pened to this unfortunate man in New
York. They will not only kill their man,
but they will burn him, char him to death.
The only way to kill man by electricity is
to form artificial lightning and to cause the
man condemned to-deatfr7to receive, as lit
were, an artificial stroke of flightning.
''To accomplish that object it is only
necessary to apply little machine, perhaps
weighing ten pounds, and if it is properly
constructed it will do the work. But with
a machine weighing 5000 pounds like the
one these men propose to use in New York
the entire system of the man will be burned
to crisp.
A PLAIN EXAMPLE.
"To give you plain illustration of my
meaning 1 want to tell you this: IF you
take an ordinary needle, and push it
into a persons side between the fourth
and the fifth rib, you strike the heart and
of course the person will die. Now you
can also take big club and kill man, the
one method is almost instantaneous and
the other takes long time. These men in
New York propose killing people in a way.
which was in vogue 400 years. when crim-
inals were burned at the stake. Well, tell
you any man that is going to be subjected
to the tortures of that machine in New York
will suffer about the same amount of pain.
"This machine to be used in New York
State is big enough and can be made strong
enough to kill 5000 men as quick as one.
Mind you, it is not a question of what cur
rent system is applied, because, as you see,
this man who was killed was employed as
an expert by the Brush Electric Light Com