The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-07
The Horrible Execution Shocks
the Civilized World.
FIRST CURRENT WAS FATAL,
Witnesses Stood Aghast At An Appar-
ant Return Of Life.
A Weak Charge was Sent Into tho Mur-
derer-His Hyperion Curl Prevented
Perfect Connsction-P Public Opinion
Against the System.

AUBURN, n. Y, Aug. g. William Kemm-
Ter, the murderer, was executed by cleo
tricity this morning. Kemmler had gone
peacefully TO sleep in the night and had
slept soundiy and was snoring until 5
o'clock, when he was awakened by one of
his guards. Pastor Houghton, who at
tended Kemnller, and Prison Chaplain
Yates were with him. They read to him
from the Bible and he prayed with them.
He dressed himself without aid in suit of
gray mixed goods. His hair he combed
and brushed with great care. His shoes
were well polished. and while he made
himself finally tidy, the warden and tall
stranger. who is deputy-marshal in
Buffalo. entered the cell.
The warden explained to Kemmler that
he must have the top OF his head shaved.
The prisoner demurred. He had taken
great pains in dressing his hair, and be-
sides, as he explained to the warden, he
did not want to be disfgured. Kemmier's
hair is dark brown and wavy, with q
hyperion curl that fell on his forehead.
OF this he was proud. In the shadow OF
death his vanity asserted itself His hair,
however. was cut, but the curl was saved,
and as the sequel proved. with no good re-
suit The bare spot was "a by ~ inches
in size and was not shaven. but cropped
fairly close.
While this was proceeding the witnesses
examined the chair of death. A belt run
by the dynamo. and the incandescent
test lamps in the ante-chamber glowed
family. The current was on. and the
strange power was coursing the circuit.
The evidence was there. but how feebly
they burned! Thus exclaimed DR.. Nc
Donald, who was the only one who
got into the ante-room and that was
in spite of the ignorant warden's
desire to keep its secrets inviolate. In re-
Spouse to DIR. McDonald's comment, Elec-
trician Davis remarked that There was
something wrong about the machinery
down there, /" referring to the dynamo end
of the circuit. This remark took place be-
fore the electricizing. 1t was undoubtedly
as true few minutes later, when the bolt
was applied to Kemmler.
The condemned man, after having his
hair cut on the top of his head, listened to
the reading of the death warrant by the
warden.
When the current was first turned on the
least unhappy of all in the room was DIR.
SouthWick, of Buffalo, father of electriciz-
ing in capital cases, who has been working
upon the subject since 1881. "There," he
exclaimed. as he strobe away from the
chair to knot of witnesses ut the other
end of the room, there is the elimination
of ten years of work and study. We live
in higher civilization from this day"
But even while he spoke, quick, sharp
cry went up from those yet closely watch
ing about the silent figure in the chair.
There had been q movement in the breast
of the man whom all believed had died one
minute and forty-seven seconds before.
The narrowing scenes attending the electro
cution followed.
The doctors liz general declared that the
man from the very first contact was beyond
consciousness, and some thought the action
which startled all and sent the warden
away with white face to order the cur
rent renewed was only reflex muscular
action. Not SO one ply sician. who declared
he would stake his name that he could
bring Kemmler back to life with brandy
hypodermics. One of the witnesses, Mr.. G.
G. Paine, of Washington City, had tainted,
and lay upon bench, where he was being
famed.
When finally the electric mask was re-
moved, Kemmler's eyes were found half
open and without the CLASSY stare common
to eyes in death. The lids were lifted and
tests of the pupils with bright light were
made. There was no contraction of the
pupils. Where the mask had pressed the
forehead there was livid mark, the mark
OF the laws righteous desecration. The
nose and the region of its base was
of q deeply ivid hue. Purple spots
soon began mottling the hands, arms and
neck. The doctors said he was surely
dead. One of the Buffalo doctors, seven
minutes after the straps were removed, cut
the skin at the temple for q microscopic
specimen of the dead mans blood. 1t was
immediately examined and found slightly
oagulated. On the electrodes being with
drawn fro.o contact with the body, the
skin adhered to the rim of the upper disk.
Doctors Mcdonald and Shrady examined
the head. They found taat there was q
deep. circular imprint on the top OF
the head made by the sharp pressure
of the electrodes The spot where
tuft of Kemmler's hair had been
cut off lust before death was found to con-
stitute not more than one-third of the area
of contact with the electrode. and close ex-
animation disclosed that the edge of the
copper within the electrode had slightly
burned the scalp just where the hair had
been cat.
Had not Kemmler's desire to
avoid Disagreement by cutting off
his hair prevailed. the contact would
have been more perfect, the
chances OF instantaneous death would
have been greater. and possibly the dis
fgurement which he dreaded would have
been avoided.
As to the causes of the failure to kill
Kemmler instantly there is said by all the
physicians to be no doubt that conscious
ness was stricken instantly from his brain.
The fact that he was not instantly killed
was the result of improper contact or Of in
sufficient voltage or pressure. The
contact was certainly not per-
the contact was upon the mans
thick, smoothly brushed hair. the clipped
spot being None-third the size OF the cleo
trode's diameter. Warden Durston says
that !, 700 volts pressure of current was
first applied to Kemmler. When ques-
toned tonight by an Associated Press cor
respondent If the twenty incondescent
lamps on the circuit to indicate the pres
sure of the current were burning when the
bolt was discharged into the murderer. ne
stated that they were. They should not have
BEEN The moment before switching the
current into Kemmier the test lamps should
have been cut ont. Each lamp consumes
fifty volts. hence twenty took 200 volts as
once out Of the current sent 70 kemmier.'