The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-07


newspaper man. had tainted. and lay on g
bench. where he was being famed.
With a renewal of the current the figure
in the chair again strained its straps, but
the lungs again filed. The warden and hli
electrical helper were anxious beyond meas
ure, and % minutes after the current had
been reapplied the switch was opened and
shut rapidly twice.
LIFTED BY THE SHOCK.
Each time the body in the chair wa;
lifted by the shock, the shoulders lifted &c
the level of the tops Of the ears and tie
features contracted. Then smoke was
observed curling from KemmleT's tack
The body was still and the current was
again turned of.
Hes unquestionably dead" said DR..
Macdonald, land he would never have
moved after the spasm Of the first shock
had the current been maintained twenty
seconds. and less time with a stronger
current
THE BLOOD CoAGILATED.
One of the Buffalo doctors seven minutes
after the straps were removed cut the skin
at the pemple for a microscopic specimen
| of the dead mans blood. 1t was immedl-
ately examined and found to be slightly
coagulated While the witnesses were yet
examining the body or comforting with
each other upon the event of the murderer s
death, Warden Durston produced his death
| certificate, which was read and signed by
each witness Of the execution.
STRENGTH OF THE CURRENT.
| To inquiries as to the pressure of the cur
rent when first applied TO Kemmler, War
| den Durston replied about 800 volts. As to
the pressure on the other applications War
| den DurstOn was not clear, but a man who
came into the room while these questions
were being asked, and who is said to have
| ham of fha fhraa ms who Vgnrkad the
electrical apparatus made a statement that
the volt metre at the momelt of the first
| application Of the current TO kemmler
registered 900 to 800 volts, while 800 to
| 1000 volts were registered at the second ap-
| plication.
| AN AUTOPSY.
Kemmler's body was entirely unbound
about Z 80 o'clock.
An autopsy was held about three hours
after death, and was conducted by Drs.
George T. tShrady. Carlos T. sMcDonald,
E. C.. Spitska and William T. Jenkins, of
| New York city, and G.. NJ. Daniels, of
| Buffalo The doctors prepared prelimin-
| airy statement on the result of the autopsy,
and will have prepared an official state
ment giving the results in detail
HIS DEATH PAINLESS.
| They all agree that inconsistencies was
| instantly produced and death was painless,
| Notwithstanding some slight defect in the
| electrical apparatus which required a Sec
ond contact Of the current to insure death.
| An extensive change of the body at the
points of contact of the electrodes was found,
and also hemorrhage in the Serious MEM
| branes and inventicles of the brain. The
| blood was fluid and dark In the Longitude
nal sinus corresponding with the region of
| contact the blood was carboniZed. Therewas
decided change in the consistency and
color of the brain, corresponding with the
| point of contact. Destructive changes of
the blood corpuScles were noted.
THE SPONGE TOO DRY.
The 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 the heat generated, owing to
| imperfect contact or insufficient wetting of
the sponge during the contact The result
was terrible burning of the back, clear
through to the spine. The skin in the con-
tact had been burned to a black cinder, anc
the flesh above had been cooked until vel
| low. The whole inner tissue had beer
baked. The sponge IN the upper electrodt
had been singed, though not so much as the
other, and the scalp barely singed.
WHY DEATH WAS NOT INSTANT.
| AS to the causes of the failure to kill
| Kemuler instantly there ia said by all tn,
| physicians to be no doubt that conscious
ness was stricken instantly from his brain
| The fact that ne was not instantly killed il
the result Of improper contact or Of in
| sufficient voltage or pressure. The contac
| certainly was not perfect at the head for two
| thirds of the contact was upon the man
| smoothly brushed hair, the clipped spot be
ing one-third the size of the electrodes diam
eter. The consensus of opinion among the
witnesses here to-day is That not the slight
est doubt exists but that a human beinI
may be instantly killed by 1000 volts. ap
piled through perfect contact and continued
twenty seconds.
The body of Kemmler will doubtless b
disposed of tomorrow in the prison buryin
ground. with quicklime, to hasten dissolu
ton.
DR. sHRADY'S EDITORIAL.
DR.. Shrady. who is editor of the Meolico
Record, tonight telegraphed an editorial t
his paper, from which some extracts ar
here gwen. He says: The lengthene
agony of suspense regarding the efficienc
of electricity as a means Of executing Grim
nails has been finally terminated in the leg,
killing Of Kemmler. AS was REASONABLE
anticipated death was instantaneou
unfortunate subject of the experimeI
died without pain. The spectacle presente
was, however, by no means edifying I
such as hope for improvements of oil
methods. Although science has triumphet
the question of the humanity of the act
still an open one.
AS HORRIBLE AS HANGING.
wv bile we allow that electricity ha
been a success as far as killing is concerneC
/ we must also admit that we have game
little, If anything over the ordinary metho
Of execution by hanging. The prellminari
Of electro-thanaSia are far frol
pleasant to contemplate alongside of tho:
, for hanging. They are pretentiously hol
rible. There is something more than weiI
in the preparation of the machine, the d.
liberate fixation of the victim, the adjus
ment of the electrode and thousand deatl
in contemplating enc which more tina
offsets the quick, though damnable takin
off, The horrors, though hidden, al
, nevertheless felt. There is something ell.
to be thought of than the mere quickness
death.
AGONY OF THE CRIMINAL.
"While the latter might have bee
triumphantly done the agony of the erin
inal during the preparations must
terrible as compared with that of hanging
, 1t becomes a serious question II humanity
not paying too dear price for lnstantaneol
demolition. The awe and mystery Of deaf
are intensified thousand fold IN anticip
ton of what this instrument of subj