Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-07


The warden replied that he could not
let any Of the witnesses go until he had
their certificates. All of this conversa-
ton took but minute. DR.. Batch was
bending over the body, looking at tue
exposed skin. Suddenly he cried out
sharply, "Dr. Mcdonald, see that rup-
ture. - In a moment DR.. Spitzka and
DR.. Mcdonald had bent over and
looking where DR.. Batch was pointing at
the little red spot on the hand that rested
on the right arm of the chair. The index
finger of the hand had curved backward
| as the tiexor molecules contracted, ana
had scraped q small hole in the skin at
the base of the thumb on the back OF the
| hand. There was nothing strange IN
| this alone, but what was strange was
that the little rupture was dropping
| blood. ''Turn the current on instantly,
THIS MAN is NOT DEAD!'
| cried DR.. Spitzka. Faces grew white
| and the forms fell back from the chair.
Warden Durston sprang 10 the door
way and cried ''Turn on the current,
| but the current could not be turned on.
! When the signal to stop had come the
| generator had pressed a little button
which gave the signal to the engineer to
| sion the DYNAMO. The dynamo was
almost at standstill, and the volt
meter registered an almost i'm
perceptible current. The operator
| spraug to the button and gave
sbarp. quick signal. There
was rapid response, but quick
as it was, il was not quick enough to an
ticipate the signs of what may or may
not have been revlving consciousness
AS the group of horror-stricken wit
nesses stood helplessly by, all eyes liked
on the chair, Reminders lips began 10
drip spittle, and in moment more MS
chest moved and from his mouth came d
HEAVY, sTENToRIOUs SOUND,
ouicken1ng and increasing with every
respiration, if respiration it was. There
was no voice but that of the warden cry
ing to the operator to turn on the cur
rent and the wheeling sound-a half
groan-which forced itself past the
tightly closed lips and sounded through
the still chamber with CHASTITY distinct
ness. Some of the witnesses turned
away from the sight, and Que OF
them lay down faint and sick.
1t takes long, long time to tell the
story-it seemed long time reaching d
climax. In reality, there were but
seventy-three seconds in the interval
which elapsed between the moment when
the first sound issued from kemmler 8
lips until the response to the signal came
from the dynamo room. 1t came Win
the same suddenness that had marked
the first shock which passed Throughout
Kemmler 8 body, the sound which mao
Mortified the listeners about the chair,
was cut off sharply.
AS the body once more became rigid q
slimv ooze still dropped from the mouth
and ran slowly in three lines down the
beard aud onto the gray vest, and while
there were
TwITCHINGs OF THE BODY
as the electrician in the next room
threw the current on and off. There wa;
3 to be no mistake this time about the KILL
3 ing. The dynamo was run up to Its
D highest speed, and again and again thu
5 full current of 1000 volts was sent through
l the body in the chair. How Ions
r it was kept in action NJ
| one knows To the excited
group of men about the chair,
seemed an interminable life; for the
men who stood in front OF the volt meter
in the adjoining room and threw IN
j switch lever backward aud forward tins
i had no measurement.
9 DR., Daniel, who looked at his watct
= excitedly, and who thought he had al
i approximate idea of the time, at leas
j said that it was four and half minute
8 in all.
p The warden's assistant, who stool
f around the dynamo said that on tn
q second signal the machinery was ru
only three and a half minutes altogether
IT WILL NEVER BE KNOWN
with any degree of accuracy what tn
!, space of time was-no one was anxiou
to give the signal to stop, all dreade
the responsibility of offering to the ma
a chance TO revive, or to give again
least those appearances of returnln
- animation which had startled the sick
ened witnesses few minutes before
= AS the anxious group stood sllenti.
watching the body suddenly there aros
=, from it q white vapor, bearing with 1t
"a pungent and sickenlng odor-the bod
was burning. Again there were cries
.sstop the current, ,, and again the ward
~ en- sprang to the door and gave quic
order to his assistants. The curren
- stopped, and again there was ielaxa
= ton of the body. No doubt this tin
;, that the current had done its Work,
- not well, at least completely.
DR.. Fell, who stood at the side of tn
correspondent of the Associated Pres;
turned and said, "wen, there is 1
doubt of one thing; that man never su
re fered an iota of pain.
ne AFTER CONSULTATION
s. other doctors expressed the same belle
q II was some mitigation of the horror
in the situation to believe this. There vi
IN some consolation in the thought tn
10 those heavy, hoarse sounds were n
Mt evidence of suffering. But e
ed mitigation was slight-extreme
of slight-when it developed in anoth
D. and just as important point, one
D. which the success of the experime
ds seemed to depend largely if not q
r. together, and these same doctors di
b, agreed materially. Was Kemmler del
when his chest moved, and his lips ga
forth those strange CHASTITY sounds? Sor
:. of the eminent experts in attendance SO
e to the Associated Press corresponds
ca while the body was still warm in t
n chair that there was no doubt that the
- were
SIGNS OF RETURNING ANIMATION,
10 that respiration, for respiration they b
20 lieved 1t to be, was growing stronge
and that in time If the current had n
~, been turned on again he would have r
ar, vived.
." Others. and among them DR.. Spitzk