, 1890-08-07

Hardly Q minute had elapsed since the
adjustment of the straps There was no
time for Kemmler to have weakened,
even if his marvellous courage had not
been equal to the test of further delay,
bu there is no fear that he would have
lost courage. He was as calm in the
chair As he had been before he entered
the room.
At the warden's question, DR.. Fell
stepped forward with a long syringe in his
hand and deity wetted TWO sponges which
were at the electrodes, one on top of the
head and the other at the base of the
spine. The water which he put on them
was ~impregnated with salt. DR.. Spitxka
answered the warden's question with a
sharp AL right" which were echoed by
the others about him. Ready" said
Durston again, and then Good by" He
stepped to the door and through the
opening said to some one in the next
room. but to whom will probably never be
known with certainty: Everything is
ready" An almost immediate. Response
came. and at 6:43A the electric current
was turned on. There was q sudden con-
vulsion Of the frame In the char confined
by straps and springs that held him firmly
so that no limb or other parts of the body
stirred more than a small fraction of an
inch from its resting place. The witch
ing that the muscles of the face under
went gave it for a moment an expression
of pain, but no cry escaped from the lips
which were free to move at will.
No sound came forth to suggest that
consciousness lasted more than an infinite
small fraction of a second, beyond the cal
c~ulation of the human mind. The body
renamed 10 a rigid position for seventeen
seconds. The jury and witnesses who had
remained seated up to this moment came
hurriedly forward and surrounded the
chairs. There was no movement Of the
body beyond the first CONFUSION. 1t was
nut a pretty sight, this man in his shirt
sleeves, bound hand, foot, body and ever
his head, with q heavy framework press
ing down on tae top of his skull. DIR.
Mcdonald held q stop watch in his hand
and as the seconds few BY he noted their
passage. Spitxka. too, looked at = stop
watch and as the tenth second expired he
cried out, Stop" The warden turned
to the doorway and called out. Stop"
to the man at the lever. A quick move
ment of the arm and the electric current
was switched of. There was a relaxation
said Spitxks, calmly.
-. o6tco Wh6 DCuutuk ONcI tue DSut
looking at the exposed skin. Suddenly
see that rupture" In a moment Drs.
Spitzka and Mcdonald had bent over and
were looking where Bates was pointing at
a little red spot on tbs hand that rested
on the right arm Of the chair. The index
finger had curved backward as the muscles
contracted and scraped a small hole In the
skin at the base of the thumb on the
back of the hand There was nothing
strange 10 this alone, but from the little
rupture was dropping blood.
Turn the current on instantly; the
man is not dead" cried ,SpitIka. Faces
grew white and forms fell back from the
chair. The warden sprang to the door
way and cried. Turn ON the current"
but the current could not be turned IN.
When the signal to stop had come the
operator had pressed q little button which
gave the sign to the engineer TO stop the
dynamo. The dynamo was almost at u
standstill and the volt metre registered an
almost imperceptble current. The op
orator sprang to the button and gave a
sharp, quick signal. There was a rapid
response, but it was not quick enough TO
anticipate the signs OF r~eviving conscious
ness.
As the group of horror stricken wit
nesses stood helplessly by, all eyes fixed
on tie chair, Kenmler's lips began to
drip Spite and 10 a moment more the
chest moved and from the mouth came q
heavy stertorious sound, quickeuing and
increasing with every respiration. There
was no voice but that of the warden cry
ing to the operator to turn on the current
and the Wheeling. sound half groan.
which forced itself through the closed
lips sounded through the still chamber
with ghastly distinctness. Some of the
witnesses turned away from the sight and
one tainted. 1t seemed a long time reach
ing the climax. In reality there were but
seventy-three seconds in the interval
which elapsed between the momen when
the first sound issued from kemmler's
lips until a response to the signal came
from the dynamo room. Ii came with
the same suddenness that marked the
first shock which passed through Kemm-
ler's body. The sound which had hor
ritied listeners about the chair was cut off
sharply, as the body once more became
mouth and ran slowly down the beard
were twi'chings of the body as the cleo
az ~ az at1N OOu thiSW "A Jul
rent on and off.
There was to be no mistake this time
about the killing. The dynamo was run
up to its highest speed, and again the full
current of 1900 volts was sent through
the body. How long it was kept in action
no one knows. To the excited group
about the chair it seemed an int rmina-
BILE time. DR.. Daniels, who looked at a
watch excitedly, and who thought he had
an approximate idea OF the time at least,
said it was four and a half minutes in all.
The warden's assistant, who stood over
the dynamo, said that on the second sig
nal the machinery was run only three and
a half minutes altogether.
No one was anxious to give the signal
to stop. All dreaded the responsibility of
offering to the man a chance to revive or
give again, at least, those appearances OF
returning animation which startled and
sickened the witnesses a few minutes be-
fore. AS the anxious group stood silently
watching the body, suddenly there arose
from it a white vapor bearing with 1t a
pungent and sickening odor. The body
was burning. Again there we're cries to
stop the current, and again the warden
sprang to the door and gave a quick order
to his assistants. The current stopped
and again there was a relaxation of the
body. No doubt this time the current
hsd done its work if not well, at least
completely.
DR.. Fell, who stood at tie side of the
special correspondent of the Associated
Press, turned and said; well, there is
no doubt about one thing, the man never
suffered an iota of pain"
In after consultations other physicians