New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-16
ELECTRICITY not At FAULT.
rothc EdItor Of The Trtbune.


Sir: IS one Of ihc advisory commission appointed
bv th, STATE In the INT. rest - the BEST mcln 81
cu,ion hy electricity naturally most anxious
that the first attempt should unmI>talahly dcmon-trlie
u. ci,loieucy That Il failed - do thi-. stll Insist
WIS no fault & the agent. and You say ~ rl,oa
wly The now Law should not be given full and candid
t.,t I'm the Interest Of mercy and civilization.
II gC.ss without saying that even hod death super
yeucd IN the tWinEnng Of eye many Of fhc pr'i,
report would have fcen more or "ss exaggerated ana
perverted hO5g much more ~ Wien dc1ih was not
Instantaneous. 1Ht II not instantaneous no one VINO
correctly appreciates the relation Of 'he electrical
current - the nervous and muscular system can have
the slighc~ dyIb; 10 the absolute plin".'n'~' Of
death in the case Of Kcmmlcr. Even under the ad
verse circumstances OF partial failure The method WAS
shown 10 be- superior Ia the most perfectly
conducted execution by hanging, since death
occurred far more quickly and wa, proceed ID
by less violent and prolonged cOnyulsNc manifesto
lions.
Mr. Edison in commenting upon the subject al
yocacs placing The electrodes upon the cStrcmiiIo'
"A, better conductors than The head and says that
In al the experiments upon animals the electrodes
were thus placed As 10 thi, Nr. Edison h'- evl
IDENTIFY been msiniormed. In some fifteen eNpe1
ueut, on vlrions animals the electrodes were at
my suggestion and in accordance with well under
etOod Jaws II current diffusion placed one on the near
the other the leg Just below tho Eaihbici Jo,h
and I'm every instance death va. Instantaneous. FOR
irdc,ol execution, | advised that Onr clccirOdc be
niaced upon the head ana the Other upon the calf
Of the l"E. u, t.,,c..
In the execution at Auburn. however. the lndlneI
en-; clcctrUd" II may DC termed, Wa. hpphcd 10
me lower portion Of the back, where IN" COIdu''
Lluy T. 1y no perfect ~ IN me nr~h poi
on Of the -g aud far less readily ADAPTED Tor CO.
and "ql.l contact Of III" cIcttrodc: Inc aF'ounl,,
of tlio execution show that Kcinnler even holiccu
TIL, defect and voluntarily pressed his back asninst
The clcrttodc in orler that better contact might
lie obtained / havc not the lighest Doubt ihat y
'he lower elcclrodc had been hi1nly 5iipped aouu
the calf Of the leg the result wond have been lar
more satisfactory. 4, a..
I'm gnugiEc tie amount Of current necessary, II J.
we'll 10 cons drr the probability ~ the greater SUI
ccptibty Of animals 10 electricity a. compared WIN
man | believe hi, to he true, for ~ several III
stances in experimenting on horses ana d"gs nave
noticed that they instantly appreciate mia cur
rents that would hardly DC noticed bv man
or even a child II has been demon 'irdied tHhr
and time again that thousand volts VIII XIII t.lit
animal large " small | confidently believe ind
1000 volt. viii Instantly hill any man pr";ia 10. ~
the elcc'rOde properly adjusted although lh.e
can be no reason why 500 even 1000 VoltN
should not be- uJcd 20 make alnlance dgubi ,,ic'
A. d. ROCKWELL. NJ d.
ia Vest Thirty fourih-st, Aug. 10, 1890.