The McCook tribune., 1890-08-15
been before he entered the room, and

/
during the process of his confinement
by the straps which held him close.
At the warden's question, DR.. Fell step
ped forward with long syringe in his
hand and quickly but deftly wetted two
sponges which were attached to the
electrodes, one on top of the head and
the other at the base of the spine. DIR.
Spitzka answered the warden's ques-
tion with sharp ''All right, which
was echoed by the others about him.
Ready" said Durston again and
then 'Good bye" He stepped to the
door and through the opening said to
some one in the next room, but to
whom will probably never be known
with certainty, Everything is ready"
In almost an immediate response the
electric current was turned on.
There was a sudden convulsion o.
the frame in the chair, and spasm
went over it from head to foot, con-
fined by the straps and springs that
held it firmly, SO that no limb or other
parts of the body stirred more than a
fraction of an inch from it's resting
place. The body remained thus rigid
for seventeen seconds. DR.. Spitzka
looked at his stop watch, and as the
tenth second expired he cried out,
"Stop"' Stop" cried other voices
aboc. A quick movement of the arm
and the electric current was switched
off. There was relaxation of the
body in the chair and the quiet little
group around the chair grew business
like. "He's dead" said DR.. Spitzka,
calmly. The rest of the witnesses
nodded their acquiescence. There was
no question in the mind of any one but
that the stiff, upright object before
them was lifeless.
DIR. Balch was bending over the body
looking at the exposed skin. Sudden
ly he cried out sharply: "Dr. McDon-
aid. see that rupture" The index fin
ger of the hand had curved backward
as the flexor muscles contracted, and
had scraped a small hole in the skin at
the base of the thumb on the back OF
the hand. The little rupture was drop
ping blood. Turn the current on in
stantly, this man is not dead" cried
DR.. Spitzka. Warder Durston sprang
to the door way and cried, Turn on
the current" but the current could not
be turned on. When the signal to
stop had come the operator had pressed
the button which gave the signal to the
engineer to stop the dynamo. The
dynamo was almost at q standstill.
The operator sprang to the button
and gave sharp quick signal. There
was a rapid response, but quick as it
was it was not quick enough to anticf-
pate the signs of what may or may not
have been a revival OF consciousness.
AS the group of horror-stricken wit
nesses stood helplessly by all eyes fixed
on the chair, Kemmler's lips began to
drop spittle and in a moment more his
chest moved and from his mouth came
a heavy stentorious sound, quickening
and increasing with every respiration
if respiration it was. There was no
voice but that of the warden crying to
the operator to turn on the current,
and Wheeling sound, half groan,
which forced itself past the tightly
closed lips and sounded through. the
still chamber with q ghastly distinct
ness.
Some of the witnesses turned away
from the sight. One of them lay down
faint and sick. 1t takes long time to
tell the story, it seemed IL long time in
reaching the climax. In reality there
was but seventy-three seconds in the
interval which elapsed between the
moment when the first sound issued
from Kemmler's lips until the response
signal came from the dynamo-room.
1t came with the same sudGenness that
had marked the first shock which
passed through Kemmler's body. The
sound which had Mortified the listeners
about the chair was cut off sharply as
the body once more became rigid.
Shiny ooze still dropped from the
mouth and ran slowly in three lines
down the beard and on to the gray
vest. Twice there were twitchings of
the body as the electricians in the next
room turned the current on and Off.
There was to be no mistake this
time about the killing. The dynamo
was run up to It's highest speed and
again and again the full current of
1000 volts was sent through the body
in the chair. AS the anxious group
stood silently watching the body sud-
denly there arose from it q white va
po". bearing with it d pungent and
sic!,ening odor. The body was burn
ing.
The current was stopped and again
there was relaxation Of the body.
No doubt thai .his time the current
had done its work, if not well at least
completely. DR.. Zell, who stood at
the side of the special correspondent
of the United press, turned and said:
well, there is no doubt about one
thing, the man never suffered one iota
of pain" In after consultations the
other physicians expressed the same
belief.
The President Invited TO Grand
Island.
WASHINGTON, August 9.-Nfr. Dor
sey called on President Harrison, and