Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1890-08-15

some one in the next room, bht t
whom will probably never be XII owl
with certainty, Everything is ready
In almost an immediate response tn
electric current was turned on.
There was a sudden convulsipn o
the frame in the chair. and sbasn
went over it from head TO foot, con
fined by the straps and springs tina
held it firmly, so that no limb or othe
parts OF the body stirred more than
fraction of an inch from its reBting
place. The body remained thus rigit
for seventeen seconds. DR.. SpItzki
looked at his stop watch, and as tn,
tenth second expired he cried out
"Stopn' Stop! cried other VI icei
about. A quick movement of the arm
and the electric current was switched
OH. There was relaxation OF the
body In the chair and the quiet little
group around the chair grew business
like. "He's dead" said DR.. Spitzka
calmly. The rest of the witnesse:
nodded their acquiescence. There was
no question in the mind of any one but
that the stiff, upright object before
them was lifeless.
DIR. Balch was bending over the body
looking at the exposed skin. Sudden.
ly he cried out sharply: "Dr. McDon.
aid. see that rupture" The linden fin
ger of the hand had curved backyard
as the fiexor muscles contracted, and
had scraped small hole in the skin at
the base of the thumb on the back OF
the hand. The little rupture was drop
ping blood. Turn the current on in
stantly this man is not dead" dried
DR.. Spitzka. Warder Durston sprang
to the door way and cried, Turn on
the current, but the current could not
be turned on. When the signal to
stop had come TIE operator had pre- sed
the button which gave the signal to- the
engineer to stop the dynamo. The
dynamo was almost at a standstill.
The operator sprang to the button
and gave a sharp quick signal. There
was rapid response, but quick us it
was it was not quick enough to antici-
pate the signs of what may or may not
nave been revival of consciousness.
AS the group of horror-stricken wit
nesses stood helplessly by all eyes Fl xed
on the chair Reminders lips began to
drop spittle and in moment more his
chest moved and from his mouth CT me
heavy stentorious sound, quickening
and increasing with every respiration
II respiration it was. There was no
voice but that of the warden crying to
the operator to turn on the currb nt,
and Wheeling sound, half groan,
which forced itself past the tightly
closed lips and sounded through, the
still chamber with a ghastly dist net
ness.
Some of the witnesses turned away
from the sight. One of them lay down
faint and sick. 1t takes long time to
tell the story, it seemed long time in
reaching the climax. In reality I'll ere
was but seventy-three seconds in the
interval which elapsed between the
moment when the first sound ISIS ed
from kemmler's lips until the response
signal came from the dynamo-rop ON.
1t came with the same suddenness that
had 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.
Shiny ooze still dropped from the
mouth and ran slowly in three ines
down the beard and ON to the ray
vest. Twice there were twitchings of
the body as the electricians in the next
room turned the curreut IN and off
There was to be no mistake this
time about the killing. The dyna mo
was run up to its highest speed and
again and again the full current of
1000 volts was sent through the body
in the chair. As the anxious group
stood silently watching the body sud
denly there arose from it a white va
por, bearing with it pungent and
sickening odor. The body was bu rn-
ing.
The current was stopped and again
there was relaxation of the bd dy.
No doubt that this time the current
had done its work. if not well at least
completely. DR.. Zell, who stood at
the side of the special correspondent
of the United press, turned and aid:
well, there is no doubt about one
thing, the man never suffered one tota
of pain" In after consultations the
other physicians expressed the 81 me
belief