The Portland daily press., 1890-08-07
PARALYSIS INSTANTANEOUS.
What the Post Mortem Examination
Showed the Physicians.

AUBURN, N. Y, August 6.-When KEN
mler was pronounced dead there was no
haste about taking him out of the chair. He
sat there for Ia minute or two untouched.
Then the warden took away the harness that
held his head. The head rested quietly up
right. the eyes half open. The doctors ex-
amined the discolorations in the temples
where the leather band had crossed them.
Finally some one removed one shoe, the 9TH
er straps were undone, the body slid for
war da little and rested In stiff pose. half
in and half out of the chair. The physicians
consulted for few minutes and determined
they would hold the autopsy in an hours
time. The room was then cleared and most
of the witnesses went to their hotels to get
breakfast.
Before $50 most of the doctors returned to
| the prison to prepare for the autopsy. The
| body of the dead man still sat in the electric
| chair, the limbs rigid and the expression of
| the face. but for the discolorations of the
| skin, unchanged. The rigor of the body was
| matter for comment and surprise among the
| physicians. The jaw had not fallen and the
| pleasant expression with which Kemmler
greeted the witnesses as he entered entered
determined that Dr. jenkins of New York
should do the work with the surgeons knife
because of his long experience in performing
1
The body was placed on a table in the GEN.
tire of the room, and a small wooden box
| placed under the head. The limbs were
Strengthened out as far as possible, and a
convict summoned from the prison to take
off the clothing. its removal revealed scar
five inches in diameter, where the second
electrode pressed against the base of the
spine, showing that the current had burned
through into the flesh. The body looked
healthy and we'll nourished. DR.. Shrady
suggested the necessity of making the exam
ination formal, and volunteered to act as
| secretary.
The first step taken was to bind clinical
thermometer to the nape of the neck and
take the temperature. The record demon
strated that the man was dead beyond al
question. Then DR.. jenkins took sur
geon's knife and began operations. The
| heart,-lunss and nthar- organs were
taken out, and their cond. .tion noted carefully
All were put in Mueller's fluid for preserva
tion and future examination. The top of the
skull was removed. and the brain taken out
This was the most interesting feature of the
examination as the theory on which the
claims of greater humanity for this method
of execution were based is the theory thai
tie electric current paralyzes the brain ant
instantly destroys all sensation. The physi
clans found evidence OF the effect Of the, cur:
rent on the formation of the skull, blood anG
brain tissue directly beneath the point o.
contact. which satisfied them that paralysi;
of the brain was immediate. The surgeon.
report will not be made Immediately.
1t is said tonight that George B. Irish. Of
Albany, N. Y, pulled the lever which CLOSED
the circuit through Kemmler's body. Irish
says the voltage was at no time below wha
the doctors said last night that it ought to be
1t is understood the voltage was between
1000 and 1900 on the first shock and ran up tt
1000 on the second.