The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1890-08-09

There were cOnvulsive movements OF the
| chest, and there was q demand that the
current be applied again. This was
done. The instant the contact was made
there was capillary congestion of the face
and hands, which is regarded as = post
norton appearance, as though you had
applied q current to a dead body. The
longer the current wa kept on after the
period which we call the death period,
this line of congestion gradually sank,
showing that the blood was no longer
propelled to the vessels, but had settled
down to dependent parts as in dead SUBJ
jects."
THE PRESSURE OF THE CURRENT.
The warden was asked by an associ-
ated press correspondent to state the
pressure at the time the current was first
applied. "About 1900 volts" was the
response. "And was that pressure main
tanned in the. subsequent applications
but it lent the impression that he did not
know. Subsequently there appeared in
the death chamber a tall man, Of dark
hair and moustache, who was said to
have been one of the three men who OPP
perated the electrical apparatus in the
secret chamber. He is authority for the
statement that the volt metre at the mo-
ment of the first application of the cur
rent to Kemmler registered 1000 to 1900
volts, while 1,5OO to 1900 volts were reg
istered al the time of the second applica-
ton
KEMMLER's BODY
was entirely unbound at 7:30, but the
doctors waited until after breakfast for
an autopsy. It was conducted by Drs.
shrady, Macdonald, spitzka and Jen-
kins of New York city and DR.. Daniels
of Buffalo. The doctors prepared
the following preliminary statement
in the results Of the autopsy for
the evening papers and will later issue a
prepared official statement, giving the
result of the autopsy in detail: They all
produced and death was apparently pain
in the electrical apparatus, which re-
ouired a second contact of the current to
insure death. Extensive charging OF the
body at the points of contact of the cleo
trodes, also minute hemorrhages were
found in the Serious membranes and ven-
tricles of the brain. The blood was fluid
and dark. In the longitudinal sinus
corresponding with the region of the con-
tact the blood was carbonized. There
was a decided change in the consistency
and color of the brain, corresponding
with the point of contact. Destructive
changes of the blood corpuscles were
noted. Finally, as to
THE CAUSES OF THE FAILURE
to kill Kemmler instantly there is said,
by all the physicians, to be no doubt
that consciousness was stricken instantly
from his brain. The fact that he was not
instantly killed is the result of improper
contact or of insufficient voltage or
pressure. The contact certainly was not
perfect at the head, for t%wo-thirds of the
contact was upon the mans thick
smoothly brushed hair, the clipped spot
being one-third the size of the electrodes
diameter. Warden Durston says LOO
volts, or pressure, of current wa first
applied to Kemmler. When questioned
tonight by an associated press CORE
spondent, If the twenty incandescent
lamps on the circuit to indicate the pres
ence of the current, were burning when
the bolt was discharged into the muir
derer. He stated they were. This
should not have been. The moment be-
fore switching the current into Kemmler
the test lamps should have been cut out
Each lamp contains fifty volts, hence
twenty took 1000 volts at once out of
the current that went to Kemmler.
That left 700 to cause death. The best
authorities state that Is per cent of the
current is stopped at points of contact,
and that IS per cent is thus Fexpended in
the body. E~ighty-fve per cent. OF 700
volts not consumed to-day by the best
lamps, is 595 volts of pressure. This is
not enough to surely kill a man instantly
with good contact, and that of to-day was
not perfect. Warden Durston has been
through
THE TERRIFYING ORDEAL,
and the knavery of men has been pressed
upon him, so much where least expected
that, as he says, he scarcely knows
whether to trust himself. He will ap-
proach the electricizing of Fish, now
here, with more light. The concensus of
opinion among the witnesses here to-
day is that not the slightest doubt exists
but that q human being may be %instanta-
neously killed by 1000 volts applied
through perfect contact and continued
twenty seconds. The body of Kemmler
will doubtless be disposed of tomorrow
in the prison burying ground, with
quicklime to hasten dissolution.
WORTHY OF THE CHAMBER OF 1~NQUIs1TIoN.
LONDON, Aug. 6.-The Chronicle in
commenting upon the killing of Kemm-
Ter by electricity, says the scene was
worthy of the darkest chambers Of in
QUESTION in the sixteenth century. The
Times says it would be impossible to inn
agine q more revolving exhibition. It
advocates the ethal chamber in prefer
erance to electricity. The Standard
says ''The scene can be described rs q
dis grace to humanity. It will send q
thrill of indignation throughout the civ
ilized world. We cannot believe that
Americans will allow the electrical exc
cution act to stand"
Iowa Democrats.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Aug. 6.-The Iowa
democratic state convention assembled
to-day. The temporary chairman, g. b.