Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-04-29
AWFUL SUSPENSE.
A Doomed Man Who Doesn't
Know the Hour.
THE EXPERIMENT IN EXECUTIONS

Which Kemmler, the Murderer, Is Await
ing at Auburn Prison, n. IA Visit to
the Building-The Instruments of Death
DIR. SOuthwicIi's Tests of Lightning-A
Taking OF the Time of Which but One
Man Knows.
AUBURN, n. Y, April 29-The state
prison at Auburn, where Kemmler has
been waiting since midnight on Sunday
for his death by electricity, was built in
1916 and the town grew up around it, like
the homes of tenantry around a great
manor house. 1t looks more like castle
than Jail, and its top is surmounted by a
trivial copper figure of soldier in CONT
mental uniform, as inappropriate and as
vain rs the painted decorations ON an iron
safe. The copper soldier was typical yes
terday of the people of Auburn in their
apathetic interest in what might be going
on inside the stone walls over which he
has stood and kept guard for over half a
century.
Familiarity Breeds Indifference.
The big prison has no interest to them;
they pass it by with the contempt of fam
iliarity, and NJ has less consideration in
their eyes than the post office and the rail-
road station which it faces. So they went
about their business yesterday as uncon-
cernedly as though the eyes of the whole
country and of countries across the sea
were not turned on it with morbid, human
or scientific interest And while all of
these people may wonder at the delay, very
few seem to consider the effect il may have
on the murderer or to regard him III any
other light than the subject of an expert
ment of great scientific interest.
A Momentous Experiment.
For the execution is but an experiment
And how successful the execution may be,
was demonstrated yesterday when Warden
DNrston explained and rehearsed the exc
cution for the benefit of IA few reporters of
the United Press. Among them was Dr.
a. p. Southwick, one of the state commits
sioners, who accompanied them, and who
has experimental on over 100 animals, and
has modelled over half a dozen chairs for
use in execution by electricity He was
| shown the chair which has finally been de-
cided upon, the one constructed by Warden
Durston himself, and of which he is very
justly proud. He thought there was per-
haps a superabundance of straps and fas-
q
The Doctor Tried 1t On the Dogs.
q have killed IN my experiments over a
hundred dogs" said DR. Southwick. "by
electricity, and have never found it nee
cessary to bind them; the only parapher-
MALTA necessary being bit between their
teeth which was fastened to the muzzle,
and which, with the saliva and mucroid
secretiOns in the mouth formed complete
circuit when the necessary wires were at
tached. All | found needful to do was to
attract the dogs attention by word and
then to turn on the current As long as
the current was prolonged the dog stood
rigid as if lac were frozen. The moment it
was turned off he fell limp and unstrung
believe that when this method of execu-
ton reaches its perfection there will be as
little paraphernalia as ] used then; and
that all these straps and bands will be
done away with
The Apparatus of Death.
To show how quickly the victim of the
experiment could be arranged in place
for his taking off one of the visitors was
placed in the chair and the straps and head
piece were placed over him The time was
very brief. The chair itself is straight
backed, large arm chair with movable
head rest, fashioned somewhat on the prin-
ciple of the head rest on the barber or
dentist chair Over the top of the chair
back passes the wire attached to the cap.
and which rests on the victims head
There are in all eight broad leather
straps attached to the chair, all of which
have to be fastened. Two of them fasten
the body; one holds the electroid two
fasten the arms; one passes over each wrist,
and the seventh fastens the leather mask
that fits under the chin and across the
eyes leaving the mouth and nostrils open
to permit the condemned man to breath
for minute or so at least before it is over
The Doomed Man Makes His VIII.
kemmler's most important recent act
has been the making of his will He left
the pitifully few things he owns to those
whom he has been thrown with in the
prison. His Bible went to Daniel Nc
Naughton, his pious keeper, and the Tesla
ment TO Bill Wemple, the other watch
man. He gave pigs in clover" with
which he amuses himself, to Rev Dr.
Houghton, and his slate to Mr. Yates, the
prison chaplain. To Mrs. Durston he gave
abe primer from which he learned to read
under her teaching, and his little book of
Bible stories. There is absolutely nothing
known as TO when the electrocution will
take place, but it is popularity supposed
that it will occur some time before Thurs
day morning.