Morning journal and courier., 1890-08-07
agreed that the subject did not suffer at an

agreed that the subject did not suffer at all
after the current was first turned on.
~ THE RESULT OF THE AUTOPSY. -s'''s
The autopsy was in charge of D. Jenkins,
Of New York (who handled the knife), DR..
Daniel, DR.. Mcdonald and DIR. Spitz-
ka. DR.. Fell prepared the blood
draYp from the body for examine
ton under the microscope. It was
found when the body was spread out.
on the table that a very severe rigor mortis
had set in. There was little relaxation
and it was with difficulty that the corpse
was Strengthened out On examination it
was found that the second electrode had
burned through the skin. and into the
flesh at the base of the spine, making q
scar nearly five inches. in diameter. The
heart, lungs and other organs. were taken
out and were found to be in good, healthy
condition. They will be preserved for
further examination. The brain, also, Twas
taken out, and it too will be carefully ex-
amined. The examination of the brain
showed that the brain wa1hardened direct
ly under the spot where the electric cur
rent had come in contact with the skull,
and that the blood at that SPOT was hard.
ened, showing that the current had had
direct action on the BRAIN
O1mAND LIE hGrEAL oF THE LAW.
New York, Aug. Cit is.generally CON
coded here that the electrical execution
system is failure and that it ought to be
done away with. The evening papers to-
night will contain editorials, calling for
the repeal Of the law. The entire COM
munity is shocked by the rumors of Kemm-
ler's fearful death and all classes are de-
handing the repeal of the law. Promi-
nent doctors and lawyars are quoted as
saying that there will never be another ex-
scution by electricity in New York state.
RECORD OF KEMMLER's LIFE.
William Kemmler was the son of Phila-
delphia butcher. He was born in 1860
and was brought up among the lowest
surroundings. Most of his early life was
spent in slaughter house. He had no
education, and when he first went to prison
he could neither read.nor write. In 1887
he married a worthless woman in Camden,
N. j., named Ida Porter, but soon discov-
cred she had another husband and deserted
her Subsequently he took up with Ma
Glda Zeigler and removed to Buffalo.
Then he found that his, mistress was
unfaithful and they had frequent quarrels:
On March 80, 1889, ''Tillie Zeigler,"
as she was called, was found un-
conscious on the floor of her room
with twenty-six gashes made by an
axe on her head, shoulders and breast. She
was alive when discovered, but died with
out regaining consciousness. Kemmler
was arrested and convicted of the crime
on the evidence of his four-year-oldd augh-
ter, the only witness of the killing. The
girl when placed on the witness stand told
how Papa had hit mamma on the head
with an axe and kept on hitting her till
she kept quiet" After his conviction
Kemmler made full confession. He was
the first man sentenced to die by electro
cution under the New York law and the
long fight to save him made by the West
inghouse company, whose dynamo was
used to furnish the fatal current, is still
fresh in the public mind.
AN EDITORIAL BY DIR. SHRADY.
The following is copy of an editorial
which DR.. George F. Shrady, editor of
the Medical Record of New York city, tel
egraphed tonight to that Journal The
heightened agony and suspense regarding
the efficiency of electricity as means OF
executing criminals has been finally ter
minated in the legal killing of Kemmler
As was reasonably anticipated, death was
instantaneous, and SO far as can be Judged
the unfortunate subject of the experiment
died without pain. The spectacle pre-.
sented was, however, by no means difyine
to such as hope for improvements of old
methods. Although science has tri-
umphed, the question of the humanity
of the act is still an open one.
While we allow that electricity has been
is concerned, we must also admit
that we have gained little, if any
thing, over the ordinary method OF
execution by hanging. The preliminaries
of electro -thanasia are far from pleasant tt
Icontemplate Alongside of those for hang
ing they are terrible. There is something
more than weird in the preparation of the
deliberate fixation of the victim, the ad
justment of the electrode aud the Thousand
deaths in contemplating one which NOR,
then offsets the quick though
damnable "taking off" The horrors
though hidden, are nevertheless felt
There is something else to be thought o
| than the mere quickness of death. Will
the latter might have been triumphant,
| done, the agony of the criminal dusing tn
preparation must be terrible as compared
| with that of hanging, 1t becomes a seri
Gus question if humanity is not paying to,
dear price for instantaneous demolition
The experiences in tn
| hemmler case, Ill spite OF all tine pre-
| cautions taken, have shown many diff
| culties in the way of general adoption o
the method. 1t is far from simple in it
| application. 1t requires elaborate an,
careful preparation; it multiplies ma
chinery, which, without expert manipula
ton, is liable to fail in its working an,
bring about disastrous results; it may be
source of danger to the executioners ant
| spectators; it increases the expense o
executions; but worse than all, in tn
necessary preparation of the victim Their
is crowned upon him in few seconds al
| amount of horror and suspense which has N,
comparison with any other forms of rapi'
demolition, save those of being thrus
into the muzzle of a loaded cannon or tiet
| to a dynamite bomb. When it is assume,
that the ends of justice and humanity ar
1 reached by the continuance in question
\ and when it must be admitted that evel
this method cannot be Invested either o
cruelty or barbarity, the way seems to b
open for the discussion of the abolition o
capital punishment altogether. From phys
zeal, humanitarian and judicial stand
points, the time is ripe for its considera
ton. We venture to predict that publ
opinion will soon Danish the death-chair a
it has done the rope, and that imprison
ment for life will be the only proper pun
ishment melted to murderer.