, 1890-08-07


delay. but there is no fear that he would
have lost courage, as he was as firm IN
the chair as he was before ho entered thf
room.
At the wardens question, DR.. Fell
stepped forward with long syringe in
his hand and deity wetted the two
sponges which were at the electrodes,
one on the top oftho head and the other
at the base of the spine. The water
which he put ON them was impregnated
with salt. DR.. Spi,zka answered the
warden's question with n shout, "All
right" which was echoed by tho others
about him.
Ready" said Durston again, and
then, Good bye"
He stepped to the door and through,
the opening and said to someone In the
next room, but who will probably
never bo known with certainty: Every.
thing Is ready"
There was AN almost immediate re-
sponse and at 6:i3la the electric current
was turned on.
There was sudden convulsion OF the
frame in the chair. A spasm went over
Kemmler from head to foot. He was
confined by the straps and springs that
part of the body stirred more than n
small fraction of nm inch from its rest
ing place. The twitching that the mus
cles of tho face underwent gave 1t for a
moment an expression of pain, but no
cry escaped from the lips, which were
free to move at will. No sound came
forth to suggest that consciousness
lasted more than an Infinitely small frac-
ton OF a second-a time beyond the cal
culation of the human mind.
REviviNe CONSCIOUSNESS.
The body remained in rigid position
for seventeen seconds. The jury and
witnesses, who had remained seated vi
to this moment, came hurriedly forward
and surrounded the chair. There was
no movement Of the body beyond the
first convulsion.
his shirt sleeves bound hand, foot and
body and even head. with heavy frame
work pressing down on top of his skull,
DIR. Mcdonald held stop watch in
his hand and as the tenth second eX-
pired, he cried out. Stop"
stop" cried other voices about, and
the warden turned to the doorway and
cried out Stop" to the man at the
lever. A quick movement OF the arm
and the electric current was switched
oil. There was relaxation of the body
in the chair.
'He Is dead" said Spitzka calmly.
Dr. Balch was bending over the
body looking at the exposed skin, when
suddenly hc cried out sharply:
"Dr. Mcdonald, see that rupturel'
In n moment Drs. Spitzka and Nc
Donald had bent over and were looking
where Balch was pointing at little red
spot on the hand that rested on the right
arm of the chair. The index finger OF
the hand was curved backward as the
had contracted and had scraped
a small hole in the skin ut the base OF
the thumb on the back of tho hand.
There was nothing strange in this
alone, but the little rupture was drop
ping blood.
Turn the current on instantly. The
man Is not dead" cried Spitzka.
Faces grew white and forms fell back
from the chair. The warden sprang to
the doorway and cried:
Turn on the currcnt"
But the current could not be turned
on.
When the signal to stop had come the
operator had pressed a little button
which gave the sign to the engineer to
stop the dynamo. The dynamo was
almost at a standstill, and the volt
meter registered an almost imperceptible
current. The operator sprang to the
button and gave sharp, quick signal.
There was a rapid response, but 1t was
not quick enough to anticipate the signs
of reviving consciousness. as the group
borror-stricken witnesses stood help
lessly by.
All eyes were fixed on the chair.
Kemmler's lips began to drip spittle,
and in moment more the chest
moved.
From the mouth came heavy ster-
torous sound, Quickening and increasing g
with every respiration. There was no
other sound but that of the warden cry
ing to the operator to turn on the
current.
The Wheeling sound, almost n groan,
which forced itself past the tightly.
chamber with ghastly distinctness.
Some of the witnesses turned away
from the sight One tainted.
IL seemed long time in reaching the
climax, but In reality there were but
seventy-three seconds in the interval
which elapsed between the moment
when the first sound issued from Kemm-
ler's lips until a response to the signal
came from the dynanio-room.
1t came with the same suddenness
that marked the first shock which passed
an trtla %
The sound which had horriiied the
listeners about the chair was cut oil
sharply as the body once more became
rigid. A Shiny ooze still dropped from
the mouth and slowly fell down the vest.
Twice there were twitchings of the boIy
as the electricians in the next room
threw the current on and oil.
There was TO be no mistake this time
about the killing.
The dynamo was run up to its highest
speed, and again the full current was
sent through the body. How long il
was kept in action no one knows To
the excited guard about the chair it
seemed an interminable time. DIR,
Daniel, who thought he had an approxi-
mate idea of the time, at least, said IL
was four and half minutes in all. The
warden's assistant, who stood over the
dynamo, said that on the second signal
the machinery RAN only three and one.
half minutes.
No one seemed anxious to give the
signal TO stop. All dreaded the respon-
sibility Of offering to the man chance
to revive or give again at last that ap-
pearance of returning animation which
had startled and sickened the witnesses
a few minutes before.
As the anxious group stood silently
watching the body, suddenly there ar, 20
from II o white yapOr, bearing with IL Il