The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1890-08-14

straps, breathleSS watchers with every sense
bent upon the moveless wretch bound head,
hand and loot. and no sound, save bird
SONGS in the bright sunshine outside the
windows. The bar o. heavy shade at one
window was lifted by the straying
breeze and fell back against
slight. but to the tense and breathless
watchers in the basement death chamber it
seemed equal TO the sound ofclashinE arms.
DR.. Spitzka and DR.. Shrady, drawn by deep
interest almost unconsciOusly from their
places, moved on tip-toe to places by the
chair. But all was still and no man spoke.
Every faculty. was contributing to that oil
vision. Such q scene there never was on
earth before. No man ever before had died
thus by the deliberate purpose OF his fellow
man.
After that convulsive start that marked
the stroke OF lightning upon kemnller
there was no movement OF muscle nor
twitch Of nerve. The features from the
bridge of the nose to the chin seemed to
have been pursed up, as those of one facing
sleety storm or OF one breaSting power
Iul dust bearing wind.
There. that's enough. Take off the cur
rent" said the warden's chosen physicians
Macdonald and SpitZka-after seventeen
seconds had passed, an~~ warden passed
the word within the adjoining room, where
some one had let on the current and where
the same one
CUT IT OFF.
Happiest of all in the room was DR..
Southwick OF Buffalo, the ather electri-
cising in capital cases, and who has been
studying and working upon the subject
since 1881.
There" he exclaimed, as he strobe away
from the chair to a knot of witnesses at the
other end of the room, there is the culmi-
nation of ten years 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 a movement in the breast
of the man whom all believed had died one
minute and forty seconds before. Soon
there was another movement, accompanied
by sudden gasp, and then the breast be-
gan to heave with long, deep, stertorous
respirations.
''Start the current, start the current
again, shouted Dr.. SpitZka. All crowded
about the chair and watched the laboring
wretch, whose breast, despite the broad,
tight bands about him, was rising and fall
ing with strong force. Slightly foamy
saliva was exuded from the mouth, the en-
tire body racked in the efforts of the organs
| to resume their functions, and deep ear
| fell upon some lest consciousness should
| return The doctors declared, however,
| that the man was beyond consciousness,
and some thought the action which startled
| all and sent the warden away with a
white face to order the current returned
was only reflex muscular action.
THIS SPECTACLE
was continued from Gas until 6:47 o'clock.
There came again to the figure in the chair
another shock, under which the straps were
strained again. The lungs however, filled
again and again while the current was pour
ing through the unconscious body.
At 6:5I another groan of dismay was
| heard near the chair and smoke was OBJ
! nm fro X lartc hoo
He's burning" shouted one.
Cut otf the current" cried another.
Hes dead. There's no use in keeping
up the current longer" said some one else.
! Again the warden gave the signal to open
the switch and the body in the chair, sur
been given it, developed no further move
ment.
He's unquestionably dead" said DR..
Macdonald
Almost Immediately attendants began to
nnbind the corpse in the great chair.
about 7:3O and the doctors determined
autopsy The witnesses returned to the
hotel tor breakfast, with the understanding
that they should return at s:15 a. M. The
physicians had been slow to move the
autt until undutiabie post-mortem
! .O4e 49,. -u.- :, ethe dissecting
table and laid it upon the back. Al
! 9:57 a. H., three hours and six min
utes after the current through Kemmler
! was stopped, the table was wheeled beneath
the windows, through which the sunlight
+ then was streaming and at the call or in
| spection all gathered around while DR..
Jenkins of New York prepared to use the
/ scaipel and the saw. DR.. Shrady sat near
and IN short hand took the running de-
scription OF conditions developed, himself
! prompting and at times directing.
/ Examination of the electrodes on the
| fatal chair disclose that the sponge in the
one at the base of the spine was dried and
! scorched by heat generated, owing to i'm
perfect contact or to insufficient wetting of
the sponge during contact. The result was
terrible burning of the back. clear through
to the spine. The skin in contact had been
burned to a black cinder, and the flesh
above had been cooked until yellow, while
| the inner tissues had been baked.
The sponge in the upper electrode had
been singed though not so much as the
other and the scalp only singed instead of
incinerated.