The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-08-15
KEMMLER EXECUTED.
THE WORK DONE IN A MOST
sUNoLINo MANNER.

BUN0LlNG MANNER.
The Current Thrown on Too Quickly and
u Most sickeninE Sight Follows-A
Mnndsr in Preparing the Death-Deai-
Ing Apparatus-Scenes and Incidents.
With q short, sharp shock, painless SO
for as the world will ever know, the soul
of William kemmler was separated from
his body at GAO on the morning of
the 9Th. The black cay was adjusted
to the bead of the man bound cap
tive in a strange looking chair. the
lever was quickly swung around the
arc OF a semi -%circle. q quick convulsion, a
alden revival of muscular action, another
nrn of the lever, a pause, q room filled
with sickening fumes of burning flesh, and
twenty-seven witnesses OF the first %electri-
eide in history, knew that the death of
Title Zeigler had been avenged in law, aud
the crime of William Kemmler expiated $
far as human hands. could force its eXpia-
ton. While Warden Durstou could have
found q hundred willing substitutes for
any one of the twenty-seyen witnesses
which the Law had compell,d him to call
in, it is safe to say that TO one of the
twenty. seven found any pleasure in the
spectacle. The effort to surround the af-
fair with
A Halo Ut Mystery.
such as the law contemplated was not sue
cessful. The outer world did not know
the exact hour which had been liked for the
event, but it knew the time Appropriated
and q little assemblage of lolterers ut the
gate of tie prison before dawn this NOM
ing was good evidence that the interest in
the event was keen and general. Besides
these curiosity seekers an active corps of
newspaper reporters gathered in the broad
road in front of the prison grounds and
waited for the signal that would tell them
that the execution was over. At 5 o'clock
this morning there was a rapping at the
room doors. and a general awakening
throughout the hotels in Auburn. Warden
Durston had left a quiet call" for his Wit.
nesses and they were otderel to report ut
the prison at 6 o'clock. BY $40 ali were
present and seated in a little circle around
the execution chamber waiting for the APP.
pearance of the warden aud charge. AT
$3.50 the door at the right of the execution
chair leading toward the execution room
opened and Warden Durston appeared.
Behind him walked u spruce looking,
broad shouldered little man, full bearded
aud dressed in a suit of new clothing and
white shirt, whose polished front was OK.
posed directly below a little bow of lawn
This Was William Ke,ninler,
the man who was about TO undergo the
sentence of death. Behind him walked
DIR. Houghton and Chaplain Yates.
kemmler 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 was closed behind
him and locked by the attendant on the
other side as though he did not know ex-
actly what to do. The wooden chair was
placed in front and a little to the right of
the execution chair, facing a little circle of
men. Kemmler sat down composedly,
looking about him and then up and down
without any evidence of fear or of espe,
cial interest in the event. He looked, if
anything, as though he was rather pleased
Mt being the center Of interest. After he
had been seated the warden said: Now,
gentlemen, this is William Kemmler. 1
have warned him that he has got to die,
and if he has anything to say he will say
it, AS the warden finished, Kemmler
looked up and said in a high keyed voice,
without any hesitation and az though he
had
Prepared Himself With q Speech.
"Well, 1 wish every one goodluck in this
world, and l think l am going to a good
place. The papers have been saying a lot
of stuff that isn't SO. That's all l have to
say With the conclusion of the speech
he turned his back to the jury, took off his
coat and handed it to the warden. This
disclosed the fact that u hole had been cut
from the band of his trousers down SO as
to expose the base of the spine. Kemmler
then sat down in the electric chair us
quietly as though he was sitting down to
dinner. The warden stood on his right
and George vierling. of Albany, on his left.
They Immediately began to adjust the
straps around kemmler's body, the con-
demned man holding up his arms SO as to
give them every assistance. When the
straps were adjusted about the body, his
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
arranged, kemmler said to the warden and
his assistant Take your time. Don't be
in a hurry.
BE Sure That Everything ls All Right
Two or three times he repeated these
phrases. Warden Durston reassured him
that it would not hurt lin and that be
(Durston) would be with him all the way
through. But it was not fear thai
Kemmler felt. 1t was o rather certain
pride in the exactness Of the experiment
He seemed to have o greater interest in it,
success that those who had made the
preparations for it and who were watching
its progress to its final conclusion. Whel
the straps had been all adjusted to the
body the warden placed his hand o,
Kemmler's head and adjusted the rubber
cap With q saturated sponge. The warder
then took in his hand tho leather harnes,
to adjust to the head of the condemned
It was q muzzle of broad leather strap,
which went across the forehead and CHI,
of the man in the chair. The to,
strap pressed down against the nose o
Kemmler until it was fiattened dow,
slightly over his face. Warden Dursto,
turned to the assembled doctors when h.
had finished these things, and said: ID,
the doctors say it is oil rlght?' At tn
warden's question DIR. Fell stepped for
ward with q long syringe in his hand an,
J quickly wetted the two sponges whicl
were at the electrodes, one on top of til