The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1890-08-07

look at it. lie had to turn away.
At the time the shock was ad-
ministcrcd the voltage meter and
incandcsccnt burners registered L.
800 volts and a good, steady cur
rent. The current was first turned
on and held ten seconds and then dis
continued, it being considered amply
sufficient to kill. When the current
was turned off the doctors Instantly
placed their hands upon the chest.
The breast hcavcd spasmodically
twice in the mechanical act of
breathing, but no breath came from the
mouth and the eyes did not open. At
this the current was hastily applied
for the second time and held on this
time for fourteen seconds. When it was
checked the doctors anXiously examined
the body, but failed to detect the slight
est sign of life. Kcmmlcr was dead.
The doctors universally declared tho
electrical execution successful, mas
much as though death did not result in
Stantly kcmmlcr was wholly uncon-
ScIous from the ONE that the cur
rent first struck him. His nerve CEN
tors were instantly paralyzcd, and
though he brcathed, he could neither
feel nor know.
Just before kemmlcr died, and after
he had wished every one good luck, he
said; 81 suppose there are lots of news
paper reporters outside. The ncwspa
pcrs have done me lots of injustice
when they said a few days ago that I
was losing courage. | have never
70, rnl lantl npI ln ,.n ,aunr Ice, ,,x
courage once
Deputy Sheriff Wiling, who stood by
him, said to Il reporter: 'kemmler is
the ncrvicst man | ever saw, and | have
seen many nervy men,"
kemmler's last night on earth was
spent in much the same manner as have
been all his other nights since he began
to recover his health and nervous tone.
lie ate a good supper and he seemed in
no way depressed in spirits. 1t is prob
ably true that the man was glad to die.
That he looked forward with relief
rather thar dread to escape from the
terrible suspense and the torture of
that subtcrrancan Inferno, in which
the willing days of the past few
weeks have been passed. lie told
Daniel, his keeper, on Monlay he
wanted to. die and he told tho gentle
men who called on him at 1880 yester-
day morning the same thing, and there
is every reason to believe that he told
the truth. Nothing short of this could
explain the astonishing stoicism he has
manifested. After the supper things
had been taken away from the table in
the antc-room. TO the two cages where
he, Fish and the good Daniel took their
meals, the usual evening routine be-
gan.
Kcmmlcr was in his best spirits. lie
laughed and chatted and sat on the ia
BILE in his customary way, swinging his
legs and complaining OF nothing save
the heat, At seven o'clock he asked
Fish to bring him out the historical
banjo, and Fish readily complied.
Fish played and Kemmler sang. lie
played the "Old Kentucky Home" first,
and her struck up ''Wait Till the
Clouds Roll By" Kemmler Joined
in the singing. After this Fish's
nimble fingers flew over the
strings to the lively measures of
IL jig, and Kemmler gave merry
whistling accompaniment. Without a
break of any duration this rather ghost
ly concert kept up for a full hour and a
half.
In the meantime Warden Durston AMI
the members of the committee were
busy comforting upstairs in the prison
as to he time and the best manner of
killing one of the performers.
When the cards of admission were
distributed last evening the warden ex-
pressed his wishes as to the assemblage
OF the committeeman at the prison this
morning. lie did not want them all to
come in a body, he said. That would
attract too much attention, even at that
late hour. They must come at intervals,
and begin coming long before the hour
fixed for the execution. lie wished the
first arrival to be as early as $3.50, and
the rest to come at such later intervals
as they might arrange. After some
discussion this point was settled, a
number of the committee remaining in
the prison for the night, the guests of
the warden. DIR. Spitzka and DR.. Jen-
kins, who are guests at the Osborne
House, got the longest sleep of all.
They were called at 5:30.
1t was about 1880 last night that
kemmler was first officially informed
that his last day had come. At that
hour Warden Durston, accompanied
by District = Attorney Quinby Of
Erie County, who tried and con.