Smyrna times., 1890-08-13
The Murderer's Brain Roasted and the
Blood Cooked IN the arteries.

his body for fifteen seconds when the
electrOde at the head was removed.
Suddenly the breast heaved. There
was straining at the straps which
bound him, purplish foam covered
the lips and was spattered over the
leather head band.
The man was alive. Warden, physi-
clans, everybody lost their wits.
There was a startled cry for the cur
rent to be turned on again. Signals
only half understood, were given to
those in the next room at the switch
board. When they knew what had
happened, they were prompt to act,
and the switch-handle could be heard
as it was pulled back and forth break
ing the deadly current into jets.
The rigor of death came on the in
slant. An OdOr of singed hair
filled the room. For moment a blue
fame played about the base of the vic
Tins spine. One ofthe witnesses nearly
fell to the floor. Another lost control
of his stomach. Cold perspiration
beaded every face. This time the elec.
tricity flowed four minutes.
Kemmler was dead. Part of his
brain had been baked hard. Some of
the blood of his head had been turned
into charcoal. The flesh at the small
of his back was black with fire.
This binding of the man had taken
more time than was anticipated. In
trials made many times since the chair
was first put in position, this work
had been done in as short a space of
time as Is seconds. Frequently the
experts and Warden Durston had said
Kemmler need not be in the death
chamber more than ten minutes. No
one noticed this, for, although the min
utes now seemed to move with lead
ened weight, looking back at it as
though this part of the execution took
but a few seconds.
1t was the awful incidents to follow
that made the time so long. DIR. Fell,
OF Buffalo, stepped forward on the nod
from the warden. Here the syringe
came into play. 1t was filled with a
very strong solution of caustic sod a
which he injected through small
aperture in the sponges which form
part of both electrodes. This was done.
for two purposes, both vastly impor-
tant-the first to make better contact
for the current, soda being an ex.
tremely good conductor; secondly to
prevent any burning or scorching of
the flesh.
All was over except the giving OF
the word. The warden stepped back
to where he could reach the door lead
ing into the execution room.
"All right" he said. For one mo-
ment his eye looks over at the chair
No, nothing has been forgotten.
"GOOd-by, William"
Rap! Rap! he knocks twice on
the door.
"GoOd-by," comes in muffled voice
from the chair. There is a sudden
rigor. perceptible shiver, tremor, a
passing of a wave over the body in
quicker time than it can be told. The
hands and fingers contract in a grasp
on the oak of the chair arms. Quicker
than the eye can take in the whole
form of the man something has hap.
pened to it. That something" should
be nothing" death;
All the scientists have watches in
their hands. Some of them have
stOp-watches.
DIR. Spitzks and DR.. Macdonald. who
must take the responsibility ofdecid
ing when death has come, gaze intent.
ly at the body. In the lines of the
flesh, from the nose to the corner O,
the mouth, comes a blueish tinge. A
frOth of the same hue is on the lips
Almost Immediately the tint changes
to purple. The current has been con.
tinued now fifteen seconds.
"That will do" cried DR.. Spitzka
Turn off the current. The man is
dead"
There is every indication of death
That change of color about the nose i.
sure sign. DR.. Macdonald said moth.
ing. But he did not raise any objec.
tiOns. There was rush of the scien
lists about the chair, to get a clos,
view of the face when the strap should
be removed, Some one removed th,
electrodes from the head. They fel
back almost as if themselves shocked
by the current.
The man was alive his lips twitched
he brOathed quickly, automatically
and the colored froth on his lips wa.
blown away. The body shook anC
shivered. There were graspings by
the hands. If the man was alive hi
was in an agony of convulsion.
AAO - hAANVA 4 urn Ou bAdb CuTFeu
again."
Quick, more current %
"He's not dead" several of the doc
tors cried out at the same time. The
warden was nervous too. The elec
trode was pushed back on the head
and Durston knocked again and agar
on the door. Inside they must have
lost their wits too. Meanwhile tn,
eontOrtions of Kemmler continued.
Suddenly there was the noise of th,
switch violently turned on in the othel
room again. Again It was pushed
back and forth.
Horror the movements of the body
ceased, but the room was filed will
the odor of burned flesh and singeC
hair. At the base of the spinal column
o small blue lick of flame showed for
second or two and went and came
There were blanohed faces in th,
/, crowd. One man turned and vomited
Others turned away and hid thei