Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-08-07

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 in
stantly. This man is not dead
cried DIR. Spitzka. Faces grew white
and forms fell back from the chair Ward
en- DurstOn sprang to the doorway and
cried: Turn on the current But the
current could not be turned on When the
signal 10 stop had come, the operator had
pressed the little button which gave the
sign 10 the engineer TO stop the dynamo.
The dynamo was almost at a standstill and
the volt metre registered an almost impre-
cept0le current. The operator sprang TO
the button and gave a sharp, quick signal.
There was rapid response, but quick as
il was, IL was not quick enough 10
anticipate signs of what may or
may not have been reviving consciousness.
As the group of horror-stricken witnesses
stood helpleSsly by, all ewes fixed on the
chair, Kemmler's lips began to drip spit
tie and in moment more his chest moved
and from his mouth came heavy sterter
Gus sound, quickening and increasing with
every respiration. There was no voice but
that of the Warden crying to the operator
10 turn on the current, and the wheeling
the tightly closed lips and sounded through
the still chamber with CHASTITY distinctness.
Some Of the witnesses
TURNED AWAY FROM TIE SIGHT.
One of the men lay down sick. II takes
a long long time TO tell the story. 1t seem
ed a long time reaching the climax. In
reality there We're but scveuty-thrce sec
onds in the interval which elapsed between
the moment when the first sound issued
from Kemmlers lips until the response 10
the signal came from the dynamo room. II
came with the same suddenness, that had
marked the first shock, which passed
through kemmler's body. The sound
which had Mortified the listeners about the
chair was cut of sharply, as the body once
more became rigid. The slight ooze still
dropped from the mouth and ran slowly
IN three lines down the beard and on TO the
gray vest Twice there We're twitchingS OF
the body as the electricians in the next room
threw the current on and off. There
was 10 be no mistake this time about
the killing. The dynamo was run up TO its
highest speed again, the full current OF
2OO0 volts was sent through the body in the
chair How long it was kept in action no
one knows IL will never be known with
any degree of accuracy what the space OF
time was. No one was anxious 10 give the
signal TO stop. All dreaded the response
bility of offering 10 the man chance TO re
yive or give again at least those appear
ances of returning animation which had
startled and sickened the witnesses = few
minutes before As the anxious group
stood silently watching the body, suddenly
there arose from il a white vapOr bearing
with it sickeuing odor. The body was
burning. Again there were cries TO stop
the current and again the warden spraug
TO the door and gave the quick order TO his
assistants The current stopped and again
there was the relaxation Of body. There
was no doubt this time that the current
had done its work, If not well, at least com
pietely.
PAINLESS EXECUTION.
Dr. Fell, who stood at the side Of the
special correspondent of the Associated
Press. turned and said; "Well, there is
no doubt about one thing. The man never
suffered "a bit of pain After further con
sultauOn. the physicians expressed the
same belief IL was some mitigation of the
horrors of the situation TO believe this.
There was some consolation in the thought
that those heavy, hoarse sounds were not
evidences of suffering, but the mitigation
was slight. extremely slight, when IL de-
velOped i'm another and just as important
point. on which the success of the expert
ment seemed TO depend largely, if not al
together-thcse same doctors disagreed
very materially. Was kemmler dead
when his chest moved and his
lips gave forth those strange CHASTITY
sounds. Was hs breathing, or was there
involuntary and phenomenal action OF the
chest muscles: Some OF the eminent eN-
pcrts In attendance said 90 She Associated
Press correspondent. while the body was
So, 81 tf.nf fhara un
doubt that there were signs of returning
animation-that the respiration for reSpi-
ration they believed il To be- was growing
stronger and that in time if the current
had not been turned on again, he would
have revived. Others and among them
DR. SpitZka, stand with equal pOsitiveness
70 the conviction that the first shock killed
kemmler instantly DIR. SOuthwick tthe
father Of the system of electric killing
believes that Kemmler was dead, but they
think that the current should have been
continued longer than Il seconds. which
was the official time of the first contact.
There is no way in which Il positive deter
miuation OF this question can be made. IL
will always remain unsolyed.
THE AUTOPSY WAS BEGUN
al about 9 O'Clock 1t was in charge Of DR..
Jeukiugs, of New York (who handled the
knife; Drs Daniel Mcdonald and Spitzka.
DR.. Fell prepared the blood drawn from
the body for examination under the micro
scope. IL was found when the body was
spread out on the table that very severe
rigor mortis set in with little relaxation,
and il was with difficulty that the
corpse was Strengthened out. On examina-
ton it was found that the second electrode
had burned through the skin and into the
flesh al the base Of the spine, making a
scar nearly five inches in diameter. The
heart, lungs and other organs were taken
out. and were found 10 be in good, healthy
condition They will be preserved for
further examination. The brains also
were taken out and will be carefully eX-
/ animal