The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-08-16

which forced itself past the tightly
closed lips sounded through The still
chamber with ghastly diatinctness.
Some OF the witnesses turned away from
tho sight. There were but seventy-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
| tho dynamo room.
The dynamo was run up to its highest
speed and again and again the full cur
rent of 1000 volts was sent through the
body in the chair. 1t was kept in action
four and half minutes. Suddenly
there arose from the body a white vapor
bearing with it a pungent and sicken-
ing odor. The body was burning Again
there were cries to stop the current, and
| again the warden sprang to the door and
gave the order to his assistants. The
current stopped and again there was the
relaxation of the body. No doubt that
this time the current had done its work.
Dr. Fell turned and said: "Well, there
is no doubt about one thing. The man
never suffered an iota of pain"
1t is said that George y. Irish, Of AL
bany, n. V, pulled the lever which
closed the circuit through Kemmlcr's
body. He was one of the three persons
in the room adjoining the execution
cell. The other two were electrician
Davis and one of the prison keepers. IT.
is understood that the voltage was be-
tween 900 and 1,50O on the first shock,
and that it ran up to 2,000on the second.
After the execution the doctors held
an autopsy. The body of the dead man
still sat in the electric chair, the limbs
rigid, the expression of the face (but
for the discolorations of the skim un-
changed. The rigor of the body was
matter of comment and surprise among
the physicians. The jaw had not fallen
and the pleasant expression with which
Kemmlcr had greeted tho witnesses as
he entered the execution room still lin
gercd about the features.
The examination of the brain showed
that it was hardened directly under the
spot where the electric current had
come in contact with the skull and that
the blood at that spot was hardened
showing that the current had had action
direct on the brain.
The following is an editorial which
DR.. George f. Shrady, editor of the
graphed last night to that journal: "1ho
heightened agony of suspense regard
ing the efficiency of electricity as a
means of executing criminals has been
finally terminated IN the legal killing
of kemmler. AS was reasonably antic- |
ipated death was instantaneous and so
far as can be judged the unfortunate
subjecFbf the experiment died without |
pain. The spectacle presented was, |
however, by no means edifying to such
as hope for improvements of the old |
methods.
"While we allow that electricity has
been success as far as the killing is
we must a'so admit that we
have gained little if anything over the
ordinary method of execution by hang
ing. The preliminaries of electro-than-
asia are far from pleasant to contem-
plate. Alongside of those for hanging
they are pretentiously horrible. There
is something more than weird in the
of the machine, the delib-
crate fixati on Of the villain, the adjust
nent of the elcctrode and the thousand
leaths in contemplating one, which
more than Offsets the quick though
lamnable taking off, The horrors,
5hough hidden, are nevertheless felt.
There is something else to be thought
,f than the more quickness of death.
While the latter might have been tri-
done, the agony of the crimi-
nal during the preparations must be
-errible as compared with that of hang
ng."
THE experience in the Kemmlercase,
n spite of all the precautions taken,
lave shown many difficulties in the way
If general adoption of the method. 1t
s far from simple in its application. 1t
equires elaborate and careful prepara-
ions; it multiplies machinery, which,
without expert manipulation, is liable
o fail in its working and bring about
disastrous results; it may be n source of
Ianger to the eXecutioners and specta-
ors; it increases the expense of eXe-
but worse than all in the nec-
ssary preparation of the victim there
S crowded upon him in few seconds an
mount of horror and suspense which
olds no comparison with any other
orms of rapid demolition, save those of
'eing thrust into the muzzle of a loaded
annon or tied to a dynamite bomb"