Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-05-22
CHEATING THE DYNAMO.
Possible Means by Which Condemned
Men May Insuiate Themselves.

Men May Insuiate Themselves.
Henceforth when. by suicide or other
wise, a condemned murderer succeeds
in preventing the carrying out of his
death sentence photographers must
abandon the wcll-worn headline.
Cheating the Gallows, lin favor of one
which describes with greater scientific
accuracy the act of one who
escapes the legal electrical
death Who will be the first
one to cheat the dynamo? Can the
dynamo be cheated. and, if so, how?
These are questions interesting alike to
the sheriff and the victim. \ deputy
can tie a hangman's knot. but can he
make an electrical connection? The
hangman can readily inspect the strands
of his rope, but can he see the volts in
the death current?
1t would be well for any unfortunate
about to be interpOlated in the circuit
of the shrieval dynamo to consult an
electrical expert. He will get some in
formation which may save his life. A
good electrician would recommend
coat of varniSh applied to the body. a
person thus protected would be as in
vulnerable as Achilles. Hair oil being
good insulator, if freely applied to the
head, would GO far toward keeping the
current out of the brain.
The general use of hair-oil does not
receive aesthetic sanction, but as part of
an ante-mortem, or rather, anti-mortcm,
| toilet, it would certainly be in good
form. An inventor of this city has
devised an apparatus to be worn under
the clothing by means of which the
most powerful currents are rendered
harmless. \ close-titting undershirt of
tinScl would protect its wearcr against
any current which might attack the
body. The thick. tough-skinncd palms
of the horny-tisted son of toll are proof
against almost any current short of a
stroke of lightning. and 4 bare-footed
street Arab could safely walk on electric
wires which would paralyZe less cal
| lOuScd SolcS. An incident has recently
| been reported which is of the deepest
| significance. \ lad who was apparent
| lv dead from contact with an electric
wire was restored to consciousness by
being touched with the wire again in
| the excitement attending his removal.
! This would be. if true, a remarkable in.
stance of like curing like, and also
shows possible way of defeating the
| ends of Justice.
| 1t is clearly apparent that the condi-
tions necessary for electrical killing are
! affected by obscure and unthought of
| causes and while it is not likely that
criminal could completely protect him
! self against electric currents, he may
present himself for the death chair,
| either accidentally or otherwise, in
such an electrical condition that cleo
! trical execution will become electrical
| torture. No one can say what will be
! the effect of an electrical current on a
subject worked up to the highest de-
| gree of nervous excitement What
! physician has not given, with safety,
| to a patient suffering intense pain, a
dose of morphine which would be sure
| death under normal conditions?
! In view of all the arguments that can
/ be brought against electrical killing. it
| is clearly in the interest of humanity
and science that such an inhuman law
| should be blotted from our statute books.
! Electrical Review.