The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-08-07
Details Of the Execution
Of Kemmler.
4 SICKENING SIGHT
1t Was When it Was Said He
Was Not Dead.
CALMNEsS OF THE MURDERER.
Professional Opinions Liability of Jews
papers for Giving Full Accountable
Antopsy-The Public Pulse.

Antopsy-The Public Pulse.
AuBURN, n. Y, Aug. 6.-At 6:3S a. m. the
door at the right of the execution chair
leading toward the execution room was
opened, and Warden Durston's figure ap-
peared in the doorway. Behind him walked
a spruce-looking, road-shouldered little
man, full bearded, with carefully arranged
hair clustering around his forehead. He
was dressed in suit of new clothing, sack
coat and vest of dark grey material, trousers
of mixed yellow pattern, while his shirt,
with polished front, was exposed directly
below little bow of lawn of black and
white check pattern. This was William
kemmler, the man about to undergo SEN
tence Of death. Behind him walked DR.. w.
e. Houghton ana Chaplain Yates. Kemm-
ler was by far the coolest man in the party;
he did not look about the room with any
special degree of interest. He hesitated as
the door closed behind him, and was care
fully locked by al attendant on the other
side, as though he did not know exactly
what to do.
''Give me chair, will you?' said the
warden. Some one quickly handed him a
wooden chair, which he placed in front and
a little to the right of the execution chair.
Within the little circle of men Kemmler
sat down conposedly, looked about him
then up and down without any evidence of
lear or especial interest in the event. His
1ace was not stolid nor Indifferent. He
looked, If anything, as though he was rather
pleased at being the centre of interest.
Warden DurSton stood at the left OF the
chair with his hand on the back Of it, and
almost at the moment kemmier took his
seat he began to speak in short, quick pc
riods. ''NoW, gentlemen, - he said, this is
William Kemmler. / have warned him he
has got to die and if he has got anything to
say ne will say it.n
As the warden finished, Kemmler looked
up and said in a high keyed voice, without
any hesitation and as though he had pre-
pared himself with a speech: We'll,
wish everyone good luck in this world, and
! think am going to q good place, and the
papers have been saying q lot of stuff that
isn't So That's all have TO say"
With the conclusion of his speech he
turned his back on the jury, took off his
coat and handed it to the warden. This
disclosed the fact that d hole had been cut
4 Iron the band of the trousers down so as
TO expose the base of the spine. When his
coat was off kemmler turned in the direc-
ton of the door through which he came
into the room and began to unbutton his
vest, at the same time the warden draw
ing the interfering drapery of his shirt
through the hole and cutting it off so as to
leave a little surface Of flesh. against which
one of the electrodes was to press abso-
1utely bare. Warden Durston called atten-
ton to the fact that it was not necessary to
remove his vest, and kemmler calmly but
toned it again and carefully arranged his
tie. Don't hurry about this matter" said
the warden. ''8e perfectly cool" He was
perfectly cool. He was by all ODDS the
coolest man in the room.
When his tie was arranged. he sat down
in the electric chair as quietly as though he
was sitting down TO dinner. Warden Dur
ston stood on the right and George Yelling
of Albany, on the left. They began imme-
diately to adjust the straps, the condemned
man holding up his arms so as to give them
every assistance. When the straps had
been adjusted about the body, the arms
were fastened down and then the warden
leaned over and parted Kemmler's feet so
as TO bring his legs near the legs Of the
chair. While the straps were being ar
ranged kem'nler said Take your time
don't be in hurry; be sure that every
thing is all right'' Two or three times he
repeated these phrases. Warden Durston
treasured HIM with the remark that it
would not hurt him, and that he Durston)
would soon be him all through. But it was
not fear that Kemmler felt; lit was rather a
iment. He seemed to have a greater inter
est in its success than those who had made
the preparations for il and who were
watching It's progress to its final. fatal con-
ciusion. When the straps had been adjusted,
the warden placed his hand on kenlmler's
head and held it against the rubber cushion
which ran down the back of the chair.
.~-sAemmler's eyes were turned toward the
opposite side Of the room; before they had
followed the warden IN his movements
about. Then the condemned man made one
or two remarks il a perfectly clear and
composed tone of voice. 'Well, | visa
everybody good luck, ~ was one of them and,
f'Durston, see that things are all right, -
was another.
Deputy yelling unfastened the thumb
screw which held the back of the chair in
place and began to lower it so that the rub
Der cup, which had saturated sponge in
it, was against the top of kemmler's head
The warden assisted in the preparations by
holding Kemmler's head. Kemmler said
''Oh, could better press that down further,
] guess. Press that down. So the head
piece was unchanged and pressed further
down. While it was being done hemml er
said: well, l want to do the best | can; /
can't do any better than that
Warden Durston took in his hand the
leather harness which was to be adjusted
TO kemmler's head. 1t was the piece OF
broad leather strap which went across the
forehead and chin. The top of the strap
pressed down against the nose of Kemmler,
until it flattened it down slightly over his
face. The harness was put in place. DIR.
Spitza, who was standing near the chair
said: God bless you, hemmler'' and the
condemned man answered: 'sThank you,''
softly.
The door leading into the room where
the switches were arranged was partly
open. A man stood in the door way: be
yond him there were two other men, which
one OF them was to touch the lever and
make the connection with the chair was
not known. Warden Durston SAYS it never
viii be known. The DYNAMO in the machine
shop was running at good speed
and the volt meter on the wall
registered little more than thousand
waits. The warden turned to the assem-
bled doctors, those immediately around the
execution chair, and said. do the doctors
3. say it is al right.'' Hardly a minute had
elapsed since the adjustment of the straps.
There was no time for kemmier to have
weakened even If his marvellous courage