Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-08-13

was not quick enough to anticipate the
signs of what may or may not have
been reviving consciousness.
AS the group of horror-stricken wit
nesses stood helplessly by, all eyes fixed
on the chair, Reminders lips began to
drip spittle, and in moment more his
chest moved and from his mouth came
heavy stentorous sound, quickening
and increasing with every respiration
It respiration it was. There was no voice
but that of the warden, crying to the
operator to turn on the current, and
the wheeling sound, half groan, which
forced itself past the tightly closed lips,
sounded through the still chamber
with CHASTITY distinctness Some of the
witnesses turned away from the sight.
One of them lay down, faint and sick.
The Shiny ooze still dropped from the
mouth, and ran slowly in three lines
down the beard and onto the gray vest.
Twice there were twitchings Of the body
as the electricians in the next room
brew the current on and off.
The dynamo was run up to it's high
est speed, and again the full current of
1000 volts was sent through the body in
the chair. How long it was kept in
motion no one knows. To the excited
group of men about the chair it seemed
an interminable life. For the man who
stood in front of the volt-metre in the
adjoining room, and threw the switch
lever over backward and for,
ward, time had no measurement.
DR.. Daniel, who looked at his
watch excitedly, and who thought he
had at least an approximate idea of the
time, said that it was four and half
minutes in all. The warden's assistant,
who stood over the dynamo, said that
on the second signal the machinery
was run only three and half minutes
altogether. 1t will never be known
with any degree Of accuracy what the
space of time was. No one was anxious
to give the signal to stop. All dreaded
the responsibility of offering to the man
a chance to revive or to give again at
least those appearances of returning
animation which had startled and sick
ened the witnesses few minutes be-
fore.
AS the anxious group stood silently
watching the BODY, suddenly there
arose from tia white vapor, bearing with
it a pungent and sickening odor. The
body was burning. Again there were
cries to stop the current and again the
warden sprang to the door and gave the
quick order to his assistants. The cur
rent stopped and again there was relax
alton of the body.
It takes long, long, time to tell the
story. 1t seems long time reaching
climax. In reality there were but
seyenty-three seconds in the interval
which elapsed between the moment
when the first sound issued from
Kemmler's lips until the response
to the signal came from the dynamo
room. 1t came with the same sudden
ness that marked the first shock which
passed through Kemmler's body. The
sound which had Mortified the listeners
about the chair was cut off sharply
as the body once more became rigid.
No doubt this time that the current
had done its work-if not we'll, at least
completely.
DR.. Fell, who stood at the side of the
special Correspondent of the Associated
Press, turned and said: "Well, there
is no doubt about one thing. The man
never. suffered an iota of pain" In
after consultations the other physicians
expressed the same belief.
LAST EXECUTION BY ELECTRICITY.
AUBURN Prison, AUBURN, n. Y, Aug.
S.-Immediately after the execution,
Dr. Shrader, the eminent physician,
said to a reporter: Gas far as Kemmler
was concerned, the scene was most har
rowing. | mean by that his conduct
was SO admirable. He displayed such a
gentle dignity through it all that it went
straight to the heart of every one
present. When the electric current
was applied he stiffened out under the
shock. | think that consciousness was
at once lost, but that life was not ex-
tinct After the current had been ap-
piled a number of seconds | think [
myself said dead Then DR.. Fell
rushed in and began to loosen the
head-piece. There were convulslve
movements of the chest, and there
was a demand that the current be
instant the contact was made there was
q capillary congestion of the face and
hands, which is regarded as post
norton appearance, as though you APP
piled the current to a dead body. The
longer the current was kept on after
the period which we call death period,
this line of congestion gradually
sank showing that the blood was no
longer propelled to the vessels, but had
settled down to the dependent parts as
in dead subjects
AS to the results so far as it touches
upon the question of the pract1cability
and ACCESSIBILITY of inficting the death
penalty, DIR. Spitzka gave reporter
permission to say this as coming
from him: II regard this as by far
more dignifed execution law than
any hanging / have ever witnessed,
but its scientific uncertainty, after so
much expense and time, leads me to be-
lieve that this method will not be
adopted in other states, and that this
will be the first and last electrical exc
cution.'
MURDERER REMINDERS CRIME.
AUBURN Prison, Auburn, N. Y, Aug
6.-Kemmier was man Of low mental
and moral qualities. The surroundings
of his birth and early life were very
bad. His father was butcher in Phil
adelph1a, where William, the murderer,
was born in 1860. The boy grew up in
the shambles and in the market place.
He worked in the slaughter house with
his father, then he became brickyar
worker, and finally he became buck
ster on his own account. In 1887
Kemmler married worthless woman
named Ida Porter, in Camden, N. J.
Two days later he found she had been
previously married, and he left her to
I. m!