New-York tribune., 1890-08-07
THE EXECUTION DESCRIBED.
REMOTENESS OF THE MACHINERY FROM
THE DEATH CHAMBER
KEMMLER NET HIS FATE WITH CoURAGE-THE
SPECTATORS NERVOUS AND MUCH
AFFECTED.
fsY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRrBUSE.l

tBY TELEGRAPH To TIE TBIBUSEI
Auburn. n. Y, Aug. 6-There were only few
sreaks of gray in the east when men anu DoSs Ocs''
no assemble at the gates OF the aiyard ana from 'a'
time on until after the execution had taken pdcc 'c'o
was a constant addition 10 the numbers
Kemmlcr aw6ac crroin a troubled sleep, disturbed Dy
the noise Of approaching footsteps NJ the "ido" lc
ing to his cell. He hastily threw on MS co'heN al"
when the cell door was opened, showing OE tnc u'"
light of gasjet Che Warden. Deputy eheHH NehnS'
of Buffalo: the Rev. Dr. Houghton and Chaplain Yates
he was on his feet ready 10 receive them. lie khe"
what they had come and they say he quietly bowed
his head TO listen TO what the Warden had 10 say
The Warden read the death warrant and Wheh ne Nh
ished Kcmmer merely replied in an of-hand way
"All right; am ready" lie turned 10 ''e uePo'N
sheriff whom he had formerly known in Buffalo, and
said .,,
"Joe. want you TO stay right through this tlng.
Don't let them experiment upon more than they
ought to-" Kemmler's trousers at the base o INC sp"c
had to be cut open that the electrode wch rtVcu
there could come in Immediate contact Win the he>H'
His hair too was cut and both onceS were performed
by the deputy sheriff. 1t then near O'CLOCK ana
breakfast was sent in OF which the murderer ana tc
deputy partook When they had eaten, the ministers
prayed for time. AT the proper places hcmiior
made the right response and seemed 10 Oe mo'0
penitent than he had been since the last s'aS oi
execution was gantcd. In the meantime the phySl
a light breakfast and had started for the jail "heh
they passed through the gates of them carrying
curious looking coses, the crowd OF watchers on INC
sidewalk stared at them in openeyed as'ohishmeh''
IL was considerably after o'clock when the last mem
Der Of the Jury entered the jail Then on he OUTSIDE
the crowd waited in almost beathless anxiety for
some sign that all was over.
Kemmer was led from his cell by the Warden al
exactly 6 32 o'clock lie appeared TO be perfectly
at his ease and acted somewhat like schoolboy WHO
must speak a piece and has determined TO do II as
well as possible When he entered The execution
room he found the physicians and witnesses grouped
around the dcath-chair in the form of horseshoe
Gentlemen this is Mr.. Kemmer,7 said the Warden,
in q matteroffact tone.
Bring me a chair the command which came
from the Wardcns lips directly afterwald and one
pushed forward common kitchen chair, upon which
Kemmler sat down. The Warden was extremely
nervous and his hands and voice both trembled. While
Kemmler sat In the chair facing the physicians ana
others he showed signs of breaking down. and
when the Warden tod him that he could say anSting
lie wished lie replied in bold tone with a knowing
nod at tie deputy sheriff:
Gentlemen: / think that l am going 10 a good
place
At sign from the Warden he and the kitchen
chair was pushed back out of the way. kcmmlcr
stepped into the dcathchair with as much cooncss as
IL he were going to have his shoes polished. The
Warden and the deputy sheriff started to iasien the
mans arms with the straps. but the Wardcn's hands
rembed that he could hardly put tho straps through
The buckles. Again the bravsdo OF the murderer was
exhibited. and he said rather sneeringlv;
by God Warden. can't Won keep cool -
When they placed the ecctrode at the base OF hs
brain il did not suit him. and he told the deputy 70
fasten 1t down tighter
Warden Durst0n was now standing In the doorway
leading into what had formerly been selected for the
execution room, and the deputy stepped back from
the chair he cried Good by. William AZ the same
instant rapplng twice the door. whisting sound
heard the switch was pulled down. and the
murderer stiifcned ont in the chair
Drs. spitzka sAd Macdonald were in charge Of the
medical part of tile execution. Dr. sptzka stepped 10
the side of the chair aud watched ntently the man's
face and hands They first turned deadly pale and a
quickly began to change to "a darS red color. me
fingers Of the hand seemed 70 grasp the chair with
trmer hold. and the index in.er OF me M mshi @ iana
into the palm.
seconds when Dr. spitzha aid that tn, man va,
dead. and al signal the machinery was stopcd The
gratulatc them on the successful result when from the
physicians standing about with cvcS fixed upon the
form. came the cry - Turn on The current Imh on
At the instant when the machinery stopped deep
groan seemed to come from Kemmler's iD-. and What
was apparently violent struggle ior breath " s1n lle
body relaxed and became limp, while foam came from
seconds one af the witnesses fantcd and was car
rcd from The room. The signal 20 star, the ma
entered the body. The physicians couM hear the
sound Of the switch il moved The board.
opening aud closing The current rcpeatedy. fhis was
Kept up for about two minutes The clectrode. which
had been partially unscrcwod from it, position at the
base Of the brain. had not in the hurry 70 start thr
machinery for a second time been screwed down
complete the circuit however but it burned the flesh
badly.
the body allowed 70 lie in the chair 10 cool before
the autopsy shOnld be made. II then just q 30
O'Clock. kemmler had Lccn In the death room alto
gethcr only eight minutes
The crowd on the outside Of the gatcs had by this
time become worked mp 20 fever pitch. Eveiy eve
watching the huildinG for some indication tb9i
all was over. Among those there wcr' scor" 0!
more Of foremcn employed in NE prison each VIII
his dinner basket his arm. They were waiting -
be let into the enclosure II Is an unusual thing f9i
them TO be locked out, for they generally Let IN
they would rot Nc allowed 10 90 10 their WORK unti
the execution had taken pace and thoy waited eage'li
for the bell telling them that theY could .n~
through This bell would also tell them that kc.nlrl
was dead. At AS the unnitated ones wsrc -t1rlc'
by the lcud jlngling Of the le. All thcy say va
an 90 gcr rush ~ mon through the gates n aino
Instantly conjccturcd that the long DELAYED execution
by electricity had finally taken place. 1nd there wa
Wild OF men and boys 20 the tcic rraph Ciice
10 announce over the wires that the new method la'
few minutes after the bell rang District htiornc,
Ouimby walked slowly ont Cf the prison doors. dOwi
the high StOOp 10 the walk and out Ia the gate III
was Extremely pale and 10 tic Quest ions Of the re
portcrs replied that Kemmler died Ike q clild. w
Oumby did not see the execution. At The In,
wee overcome ard from the death chamber Int
the corridor. where he fell almost falntng. Whcl
10 revived nc returned tn the cell ard Komm"
lying In the death hair dead. lie supposed that w'a
he said true until he talked with the doctor, LAT Il
A CAREFUL AUTOPSY MADE.
REPORT OF THE PUYSICIANS-SOM TXPER'