Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-08-15

more than small fraction OF an
inch from its resting place. The
twitching that the muscles OF the
face underwent gave to it for a
moment an expression OF pain, but
no cry escaped from the lips, which
were free to move at will. No
sound came forth to suggest tnat
consciousness lasted more than an
infinitely small fraction of second
-beyond the calculation of the
human mind.
The jury and the witnesses, who
had up to this moment remained
seated, came hurried'y forward
and surrounded the chair. There
was no movement of the body be-
yond the first cOnvulsiOn.
DR.. Mcdonald held his stop.
watch in his hand, and as the sec
onds flew by he noted their pass
age. DR.. Spitzka, too. looked at
the stop watch, aud az the tenth
second expired he cried out "stop.'
"Stopw cried the voices about.
Tho warden turned to the door.
way and called out "stOp !" to the
man at the lever. A quick move
| ment of the arm and the electric
current was switched off,
There was a relaxation of the
body in the chair.-sllght relaxa-
ton but the straps held it so
firm in the chair that there was
not a quarter Of an inch variation
IN the position OF any part of the
frame. The quiet little group
around tue chair grew business
like.
"He is Dead" said DR.. SpitSka,
calmly.
"Oh, he's dead :" re-echoed Dr.
Mcdonald, with confidence.
DR.. Batch was bending over the
body looking at the exposed skin.
Suddenly he cried out sharply
"Dr. Mcdonald, see that rupture y
In a moment Drs. Spltzka and
Mcdonald had bent over and looked
where DR.. Balch was pointing at a
little red spot on the hand that
rested on the right arm of the
char. The index finger OF the
hand had curved backward, as the
fexor muscles contracted and had
scraped a small hole in the skin at
the base of the thumb on the back
of the hand. There was nothing
strange in this alone, bat what
wss strange was that the little
rupture was dripping blood
"Turn the current on instantly I!
This man is not dead" cried DR..
Spitzka. Faces grew white and
forms fell back from the chair.
Warden DurstOn sprang to the
doorway and cried: Turn on the
current" But the eurrent could
not be turned on. When tae sig
nal to stop had come, the opera
tor had pressed the little button
which gave the sign to the engln'
eer to stop the dynamo. The dy'
namo was almost at standstlll,
and the volt metre registered an
imperceptlble current. The opera
tor sprang to the button and gave
a sharp quick signal. There was
rapid response, but, quick as 1t
was, it was not quick enough to
anticipate the signs OF what may
or may not have been reviving
consciousness.
AS the group of horror-stricken
witnesses stood helplessly, all eyes
| fixed on the chair, Kemm!er's lips
began to drip spittle and in a mo-
ment more his chest moved and
from his mouth came heavy stertO
rous sounds, quickenlug and in
creasing with every respirdtion-iI
respiration it was. There was M
voice but that of the warden cry
ing to the operator to turn on TIT
current and the wheeling sound
half groan, which forced itself pas
! the tightly closed lips sounded
through the still chamber wit
e hastily distiDctness.
Some OF the witnesses tune
sv ay from the sight; one of ther
Law down faint and sick. 1t take
a 10 ug, long time TO tell the story
IL re emed long time reaching
climax. in reality there we're bu
seven ty.three seconds in the inteI
val VIII lch elapsed between the me
ment " hen the first sOnnd issne
from Knmmler until the respOnS
to the signal came from the dynam
room. Ii came with the same sn'
denness that had marked the fir
shock which asSed through Kemu
, ler,s body. Tire sound which ha
8 horrifed the listeners about Il
, chair was cut off sharply as Il
body once more became rigid, an
,l,oHnoI fro