Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-08-14


appeared at the gate Of the prison and
were admitted. After brief consulta-
ton with the warden they were taken
down to Kemmler's cell. where the con-
demned man was already awake and
es as they arrived gathered in the war
den's Office. In an inner room DIR. Nc
Donald and DIR. Daniel went over the
instruments and the paraphernalia for
the autopsy. They had been In confer
ence until O'Clock preparing the pre-
liminaries.
In his dining room on the second
floor of the prison building Warden
Durston had spread luncheon, and
convict prisoners in white caps and
aprons served coffee and sandwiches to
the hungry assemblage.
Outside the prison gates there was a
constantly augmenting crowd which
examined each new conner with curious
interest. Across the street was group
of newspaper correspondence, two of
them perched on a platform 20 feet
from the ground, in constant commun-
ication with New Yotk city by tele-
phone, ready to give the world the sig
nal that the execution had taken
place.
HE KNEW THE TIME WAS NEAR,
The consultation of physicians last
night did not determine the programme
of the autopsy. It's details were left un-
til the last minute in doubt. Warden
Durston told DIR. Southwick at 6:l5 that
when Kemmler was dead he would de-
termine what was to be done with the
body. The warden had not announced
the time for the execution to take place
but it was the general impression that
it was to occur before the prisoners had
been let out of their cells early in the
morning.
The prisoner Kemmler was supposed
to be in ignorance of the time fixed un-
til the warden should summon him
from his cell to enter the execution
chamber. But the little murderer was
not entirely ignorant. He knew from
his guards that it had been the inten-
tion to execute him early in the morn
ing of some day of the first part of the
week last April. He had felt from the
time that Monday came that the PEN
atty would be inflicted on Tuesday or
Wednesday morning. Monday it could
not be, because his good friend and ad-
wiser, DR.. Houghton, had not been near
him all through Sunday, and he knew
we'll that If his doom had been immed-
lately impending, DIR. Houghton would
have been at his side. So when Tues
day morning broke and the gray re-
fiected light stole down the little corri-
dor and no summons came he felt that
the last day of his life had begun-that
he had "a hours more in which to pre-
pare himself for the hereafter.
HOW HE SPENT THE LAST HOURS.
He spent the last day much as he had
spent those Immediately before it-in
writing on cards and scraps of paper
the monotonous repitition of his name,
and talking with his keepers. Daniel
McNaughton, the keeper, who has been
with him from the beginning and who
first led his thoughts in the direction
of religion, was with him from noon to
midnight. Kemmler talked with him
about the Bible stories in
which he has taken such an interest.
"The good Daniel" as the murderer
has been pleased to christen him, was
moved deeply by his childish chatter.
A strong friendship has grown up be-
tween these two men so different in
their dispositions andfin their lives. 1t
was no stronger, though than the warm
interest which had been developed in
this brutal man by Mrs. Durst0n, the
warden's wife, whose emotion was SO
great that as the time for the execution
approached she was obliged to leave the
city to prepare herself to undergo else
where the nervous shock of the mans
death. So "The good Daniel" and the
condemned man sat and talked occas-
ionally about religion and sometimes
about more commonplace things until
arrived, and then the keeper
Joined the watchers in the execution
room, who were giving the fatal chair
the last touches.
This night, too, his sleep was calm
and untroubled. His friend "Daniel'
STAYED with him until morning. He
had asked Daniel to stay with him
and to be present at the end, but Nc
Noughton would not promise. He said
he did not think he could bear to wit
ness the last scene.
At S O'Clock Kemmler was awakened
to take his breakfast 1t was only lit
tie toast and coffee. He ate it with q
relish. In the midst of the meal, DIR.
Houghton and DR.. Yates were shown in.
They came to give Kemmler final spir-
itual consolation. Kemmler welcomed
them pleasantly and his mind
seemed to be entirely untroubled. DIR.
Houghton spoke to him of the words of
Jesus, I'm my fathers house are many
mansions" and urged him to think of
the hereafter. The ministers were still
with him when the warden appeared.
He had come from the execution cell
with the warrant in his hand. There
was to be no delay If the warden could
help it. In less than hour the convicts
would be out of the cells and the ma
chinery of the great factories would
need the propelling power that was
now turned on the dynamo. The war
den had chafed under the delay caused
by the tardiness of some of the wit
nesses. He wanted 1t over as soon as
possible. He greeted Kemmler pleas
antly as "Bill" and told him the time
had come when the sentence of the law
must be put in execution. kemmler
stood up beside his little iron cot, while
the warden standing in the doorway
read to him by the dim light of the lit
tie gas let in the corridor, the warrant
for his execution. At the end of the
reading, Kemmler shook hands with
McNaughton and with his other guard,
Dolan, and then the two ministers. He
had already disposed of the little pos
sessions he was to leave behind him
l. 4. h;Llo oo5 4ha l;ttIa ocrane IF cards