Daily Republican., 1889-07-17
DOES ELEt TRICKY KILLa

New YosK, July iJ.-The so-y Of the
execution and r,turn to lie OF vi. Dash
Iupppr, cog, Of 226 Eight avenue, AID
the involuntary submission of MIR Dash
Tupprr 10 the test At this Opportuu- time,
was an Offering ., science Witch is now
engaged In determining whether Ell C. RI
cal , " cu'i ion OF condemned murderers
would be- more human aud hes barbar-
Gus than the iitnc-, .oEored banging by
the neck TIL deal.
The Investigators appointed by judge
DHV, OF Auburn, 10 Assert in IN b, n-l' Of
William Keinm er, the Butlalp murder r,
undtr sentence ni d ath hy electricity In
Auburn Prison, whether electrical tx en-.
ton Is feasible, have been told by II duz n
e!eciri al experts, called us witnesses,
that the exact II sistaucc oi hun. vitality
TO the shotR oil eivctricity cugid not DO
determined, the power of resistance wide
ly va'ying in different p 'rsnns.
At EdIsuD's la oratory Chas. T. Hatch
submitted TO several tests, and IT. was
shown that he had rrsstar ce OF q SO
ohms 10 an electrode six inches by our
inches in size,a and covered with felt three
tighths OF an inch hick, aud atugGtei
with salt wat r. But alter u few rial
his power Of rec istaf &c icll 10 s 10 ohins.
Deputy AttOrn y Gen raj Poste had a
resistance Of 1900 o. ms to u iour-volt
current; Mr.. Hatch, 1860, aud Mr.. Writ
$40 ohms, which throws distressing
doubt upon the question OF how mueh
electricity will hill in any given case.
But the involuntary test submitted to
By Dash Topper goes even further than
III, Sc and leaves startling proposition to
be answered by the experts. how is any
one to know WIN the electrically exc
cuted murderer Is deadi
John s. Fretts, n foreman OF the Wes-
tern Un on Telegraph Company, with
four lineuen, were ut work IN Eph b
Avenue on July 2. Tnere was dang ing
wire OF the IN ted States Illuminating
Company, which Foreman Frett, had
been assured was "dead" aud harmless.
1t was destined to fee ia eleclr lights
In Bayein's jewelry store. score of
people gathered to SEQ the lnemen at
work, ana among them was Char es
upper, who keeps a restaurant at 226
Ephth Avenue, just opposite. At 8
O'Clock that afternoon, three of the line
men picked up that tead-wire, and were
instantly knocked down by a shock of
electricity received through It, just at
that moment Dash, = handsome, intell-
gent Newfoundland dog, ran across he
street to Ills master, Mr.. Upper. His
course was across the wire and his paws
touched 1t as he bounded slong.
Instantly he gave An unea thly yelp,
and, lcapns about four feet into the air,
lell pr ne on his side upen the wire. He
did not move, and MIR Upper rushed TO
mis- assistance. But he was stopped by
the liueman with the hoiriled warning:
Don't touch him. He Is dead, and 80
would you be il you touched him."
hen ask this officer to arrest you,"
said Mr.. Upper. 81 must hold someone
responsible for killing my dog" Fretts
was taken In, but was discharged 10
Jefferson Market Court next day.
The dog lay on the wire ten minutes,
and then Expretsmau Brewster threw his
vest on the ground, aud, knee!ing upon
1t, lasSoed Dash's hind leg with dry
cord and dragged his body OIL the wire.
Then Mr.. Topper carried his dead pct
the only baby lie aud Mrs. Tupper pos
sessed-into the kitchen OF bis restaurant
a veterinary surgeon was called IN and
pronounced life extinct after careful
examination. There was grief IN the
Topper hostelry. An agent Of an electric
] gut company, who had all but CON.
p!eted contract for lighting Mr.. Tup-
per's restaurant, saw his contract melting |
away, and he suggested making pit In |
the ear h AID placltg tue body in it u |
see il the earth might not draw oat the
electricity from the boly. This was
done, ana Mr. and Mrs. Topper watched
IN sadness till after midnight Then they
were rewa ded by seeing a slight move
meat OF the muEe.s in Dash's leg aud his |
eI es opened, but they were CLASSY. All |
night aud all next dry the poor fellow |
lay mot onlets, ut on the folio wing day |
he became conscioua, and after little |
10 his feet live dog again, but |
very ST II and weak. Tender nursing by
Mrs. Tupper, who lavishes much alice
ton upon the noble fe low, brought him
around. Dash is ga years old aud
Weighs Is pounds. lie ia "A beautiful
dog, kind aud aliectionate. He used to
be playful, but his electrical execution
has made him sober aud melancholy. The
vile left cruel marks upon poor Dash,
burning away the hair and into the flesh
almost an Inch deep just to the left OF the
nos4, on the lef. 'oreleg and again at the
left hip, showing where the wire had been
In contact.
One effect of the test was that Mr..
rupper wouldn't have the electric light |
in his restaurant for cool 81 900.
But there IS another point suggested:
II this four footed subject, dead by
electrical execution, was revived by tho
iarth's forces, why might aot the executed
elOu. tegd in his grave, receive life again
n the same manner, oniy to awaken to
meet Il more horrible death than was ever
'uliered by strapgulaioD OF the Pallowsg
Fore nan Fretts told Mr.. Upper that
he current which passed for ten minutes
through the hody of Dash was strong
mourn 10 kill any nisn. TIE vet, r!nary
urgeon said Dash was dead. Dead us
loor nail, the most defunct thing in iron
. ousery.
But Dash liv ;.
Does e iciric.ty kill?