The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-07

where the 9W1fcnE9 were 9ItuuBou ~ -
partly opened. man stood In the door
way. Beyond him there were two other
men, one Of whom was TO touch the lever
and make connection with the CHAIR. ne
was not known. Warden Durston says ne
never will be known.
The dynamo In the machine shop was
running ct good speed, and tbs volt meter
on the wall showed little more IMAM i.VoV
volts. The warden turned to the assem-
bled doctors, those immediately AROUND sne
execution chair. and said:
do the doctors say it IL all right
Hardy ! minute had elapsed since the
adjustment Of the straps. There was no
dine far Kemmler to have weakened, even
q his maryelous courage had not been
eousl "a the test Of further delay, but there
was no fear that he would lose courage.
He was Is firm in the chair as before ne
entered the room.
At the warden's question DR.. Fell
stepped forward with long syringe In his
hand and deity wetted the two spongess
which were at the electrodes. one on top OF
the head and the other at the base OF the
spine. The water which he put on them
was impregnated with salt
DR.. Spi zka answered the warden's oues-
ton with . short "Ail right which was
echoed BIZ the others about him.
Ready. said Durston. again. and then
"Good-by.n
He stepped to the door and through the
opening, and said to some one in the next
room, but to whom will probably never be
known with certainty: Everything Is
ready
THE DEATH CURRENT TURNED on.
- IL xsof md
6:43k, the electric current was turned on.
There was q sudden CONFUSION of the
frame In the chair. . spasm went over
Kemmler from head to foot, confined by
the straps and springs that held him
firmly, so that no limb or other part of the
body stirred more than small fraction OF
an inch from its place. The twitching
that the muscles of the face underwent
gave il for moment an expression OF
pain, but no cry escaped from the lips.
which were free to move at will, and no
sound came forth to suggest that con-
sciousness lasted more than an infinitesi-
NAL part Of second-an interval beyond
the calculation of the human mind. The
body remained In rigid position for sew
enteen seconds. The jury and witnesses.
who had remained still up to this moment,
the chair. There was no movement Of the
body beyond the first CONFUSION. 1t was
not-a pretty sight. The man was in his
shirt sleeves. bound hand. foot. body and
even head. with heavy framework press
ing down on TOP Of the skull
DR.. Mcdonald had stop watch in his
hand and a. the seconds few by he noted
their passage. Spitxka. too. looked at the
stop watch and as the tenth second ex-
pired, he cried out. "Stopp Stopr' cried
other voices about.
Thu warden turned to the doorway and
called out "stopi" to the man at the lever.
A quick movement of the arm. and the
electric current was switched of. There
was relaxation Of the body in the chair.
He's dead" said Spitzka, calmly.
HE WAS NOT DEAD.
Dr.. Balch was bending over the body
looking at the exposed skin. Suddenly
he called out sharply, DR.. Mcdonald. see
that rupturew In u moment DR.. Spitzka
and DR.. Mcdonald had bent
over and were looking where
Balch was pointing at little red spot on
the hand that rested on the right arm OF
the chair. The index finger of the hand
had curved backward as the muscles had
COUu0CScOs 8uu oCK8PcQ - exuou 0O1e III the
skin at the base of the thumb on tho back
of the hand. There was nothing strange
in this, but the little rupture was dropping
blood.
Turn the current on instantly. The
man is not dead r. cried Spitzka,
The faces grew white, and the forms
fell back from the chair, The warden
sprang to the doorway and cried. .sTurn
on the current"
But the current ccnId not be turned on.
When the signal to stop had come. the
operator had pressed little button which
gave the sign to the engineer to stop the
dynamo. The dynamo was almost at a
: standstill. and the volt meter registered an
almost imperceptible current. The oper-
stors sprang to the button and gave q
sharp, quick signal
sroSs OF REvrvrSG LIFE.
There was . rapid response, but 1t was
not quick enough, and there were signs of
reviving consciousness. As the group of
horror-stricken witnesses stood helpessly
by all eyes were fixed on the chair. Kemm-
ler's lips began to drip spittle, and in a
moment more his chest moved and from
the mouth came q heavy, stertorous
sound, quickening and increasing with
every respiration. There was no voice
but that of the warden crying to the oper-
ator to turn on the current, and whizzing
sound, ahaif groan which forced itself past
the lightly closed lips. echoed through the
still chamber with CHASTITY distinctness.
THEY KILLED HIM THIS TIME.
Some OF the witnesses turned away from
the awful sight. and one tainted. 1t seemed
to take long time to reach the climax.
but in reality only seventy-three seconds
elapsed between the moment when the first
sound issued from Kemmler's lips and the
response to the signal came from the dv-
namo room. 1t came with the same sud-
denness that marked the first shock that
passed through Reminders body.
The sound which had Mortified the listen-
ers about the chair was cut off sharply. and
as the body once more became rigid a
shiny ooze still dropped from the mouth.
trickling slowly down the beard on to the
gray vest Twice were there twitchings of
the body as the electricians in the next
room threw the current on and of.
There was to be no mistake this time
about the killing. The dynamo was run
up 10 its highest speed, and again the full
current OF 1900 volts was sent through the
body. How long IL was kept In action no
one knows. To the excited group abont
the chair it seemed an interminable time
DIR. Daniel. who looked at his watch err.
citediy. and who thought he had an an.
proximate idea of the time at least. said il
was four and half minutes in all. The
warden's assistant, who stood over the
dynamo, said that on the second signal the
machinery ran only three and half min.
xRtA al