Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-02
rsrEc1LL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsrArcHi


AUBURN, n. Y, August 1.-The first
criminal in the world to suffer the legal
punishment of death by electricity will be
killed at the State prison here during the
present week. This fact is as certain as any
thing human can be.
On some day during the week, probably
on Tuesday. at an hour which is likely to
be fixed either just before sunrise or just
after sunset, William Kemmler will
be dragged out of his stone cage and
into a dimly lighted room where he will
see nothing but big oak chair with straps
and buckles on it, and something over a
score of men around it looking intently at
the chair and at him. Within less time
than it takes to tell Kemmler will be tightly
bound in the chair and there, while the
people in the room held their breath,
current of electricity 1000 volts strong, Will
rush through the mans body, sriffening it
with one great shudder.
HoRRID SCENE.
II will be a horrid scene. Kemmler has
been thinking all about it for IA months.
Perhaps the body will burn and sizzle, too:
no one can tell Then the body will be un-
strapped, and just as quickly as they can
the surgeons will get at it with their knives
and saws. The old English law prescribed
that the bodies of persons executed for high
treason should be "anatomized."
But no mans body whose head ever
hung at Traitors Gate was ever so
thoroughly cut up. by the doctors as
Kemmler's will be. Kemmler's body will
be minutely dissScted, from the toe nails TO
the brain of his head. While his
blood is yet warm doctors will peer
at its corpuscles through micro
scopes. Muscles and blood and brain
and bone will be searched and sifted as
carefully as science knows how. The doc
tors will 60 away from the prison carrying
parts of Kemmler's body with them in cans.
What is left of the body will be buried in
lime in the prison yard. The favorite part
of the body for medical examination will be
Eemmler's spinal cord.
NOT A SUFFICIENT SUPPLY.
Warden DUrston has already had more
applications for parts of Kemmler's
IL
half dozen Kemmlers to kill. There will
probably have to be great number of exc
cutions be ore science can really find out all
it wants to know on the subject.
II is, of course, still possible that
Kemmler's execution will be STAYED or pre-.
vented in some way. Any judge might
issue writ staying the execution, provided
some lawyer invented an ingenious enough
pretext. But to the lay mind there seems
no hope for Kemmler from this source.
The only imaginable pretext might be the
fact, frequently referred to. that the electrical
dynamo witch will kill Kemmler was OBJ
tained by fraud from the Westinghouse
Company by Harold P. Brown. The dyna-
mo to be used was not purchased directly
from the Westinghouse people, but through
q third party, and of course the Westing
house people would not have sold it know
ingly for its real purpose.
The company might therefore have an
action against somebody for fraud. Good
lawyers say, however, that no judge would
interfere by Injunction to prevent the use of
the oynamo, as the company has ample
remedy at law for whatever damages it may
have sustained.
NO REMAINING PLEE.
This disposes of whatever there is in
right of any hope Kemmler may have from
the law. Every other plea of his has been
nullifed by the courts of last resort. There
is no doubt that Warden Durston-would be
only too glad to have the colrts take from
him the duty OF killing Kemmler, but
Warden Durstou would not be glad if this
duty was removed by Kemmler's suicide.
There is little doubt now that kemmler is
in such a condition of mind and body that
he would commit suicide If he could, and
the strict watch that has been Kept upon
him for so long is now kept more vigilantly
than ever Up to within month KemmIer
was we'll and strong in every way, and
seemed to have no fear of death.
The tremendous conceIt and stupidity
which stood him in such good stead at the
time last set for his execution has now
pretty we'll faded awav. kemmler is still
mentally dull, but he is awakened to the
fear of death now as be was not before. The
IA months of solitary confinement have done
their work. When he was last sentenced he
realized that the United States Supreme
Court had decided against him and he began
TO really appreciate that he must die.
UNDER EXCELLENT CARE.
Two keepers have watched him constant
lv. Chaplain Yates OF the prison, and The
Rev. o. a. HoughtOn, OF this city, have
visited him often. Everything has been
done that could be done to make him cheer
ful. He has been fed on the "hospital"
Iare of the prison and has had what delica-
cies he wanted besides. The keepers have
read novels to him and writing materials
have been allowed him. He has loved to
spend his time writing his name upon CARDS.
He has talked but little.
On the night of July 10 last Kemmler was
taken slightly sick. Probably rom lack of
exercise his legs became swollen. and he
suffered quite little pain. His physical
misery seemed to start his mind working
and for the first time he groaned and moaned
about his approaching death. The doctors
and keepers quieted him as best thev could.
The prison officials and all who are in a
position to know are very reticent now about
Kemmler's condition, but there is no doubt
that he is in bad way, would make vay
with himself if he could, and NAV make a
struggle when the time comes to kill him
self
VERY CLOSELY WATCHED
But there is not much Likelihood of
Kemmler's committing suicide. He is
watched too closely. 1t is remembered,
though, that just previons to the time set for
his execution, Kemmler was allowed to
make or himself in amusement seemingly.
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