Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-08-15
VOL. 70.
Execution by Electricity.
KEMMLER THE FIRST VICTIM OF
THE NEW METHOD OF LEGAL.
IZED HOMICIDE.

| "
IZED HOMICIDE.
AUBURN, n. Y, August c.
With a snort, sharp shock, pain
less so far as the world will know,
the soul of Wm. Kemmler was
separated from his body at GAO
o'clock this morning. A cap ad-
iusted to the head of a man bound
captive IN StrOu g-lOOking chair ;
a lever quickly swung around the
are of a semicircle; a qulck c)n.
vulsiOu, a sudden revival of mus
cular action; another turn OF the
lever; a pause room filled with
sickenlng fumes.-and twenty-seyen
witnesses of the first electriclde in
history knew that the death OF
Tillle Seigler had been avenged in
law and the crime of Wm. Kemmler
expiated so far as human hands
could tOrce its expiation.
An execution is always a ghast.
ly sight. A lynching bee has
about it an attendant excitement,
born of hurried, bOiSterous action,
which lends an artificial strength to
the nerves of participants and
OnlOOkers alike. But the slow
solemnity of public execution, the
quiet formal preparations for a
judicial killing, are depressing
enough to weaken the nerves and
undermine the courage of the
bravest.
At 6:3S the door at the right Of
the execution chair, leading toward
the execution room, opened and
Warden DurstOn's figure appeared
in the doorway. Behind him
walked spruce looking, broad
ShOuldered little man, full bearded,
with carefully arranged hair cluster
ing around his forehead. he was
dressed in suit of new clothing,
a sack coat and vest of dark gray
material, trousers OF a mixed yellow
pattern, and white shirt, whose
polished frOlt was exposed direct.
ly below a little bow OF lawn, of a
black aud white check pattern.
This was William KemmleT, the
man who was about to un dergo the
sentence of d,ath. Behind him
walked DR.. w. E. HOughton, and
Chaplain Yates. Kemmler was by
far the coolest man in the party
He did not look about the room
with any special degree of interest.
He besitated as the door was closed
behind him and carefully locked
by an attendant on the other side,
as though he did not know exactly
what to do.
"Give me a chair, will yo1,' said
the warden. Some one quickly
handed him a wooden chair, which
be placed in front and little to
the right OF the execution chair,
facing the little circle Of men.
Kemmler sat down cOmposedly,
looked about him and then up and
down without any evidence of fear
or of especial interest in the event.
His face was not stOhd-lt was not
Indifferent. He looked, if anything,
as though he was rather pleased at
being the centre of Interest,"
Warden DurstOn stOO at the left
of the chair with his hand on the
back Of it and almost at the mo-
ment that Kemmler took his seat
be began to speak in short quick
periods:
"NOw gentlemen" he sald, "this
William Kemmler. l have
warned him that be has got to die
and if he has anything TO say he
will say it,"
AS the warden finished, Kemm.
Ter looked up aud said in a high.
keyed voice, without any hesitation
and as though he had prepared
himself with the speech:
"Well, | wish everyone good
luck in this world, and I think ]
am going to good p'ace and the
papers have been saying lot of
stuff that isn't so. That's all 1
have to say
With the conclusion of the speech
be turned his back on the iury.
took of his coat anil banded it to
the warden. This disclosed the
fact that a hole had been cut from
the band of the trousers down so
as TO expose the base of the spine.
Wher his coat was of Kemmler
turned IN the direction OF the door
through which he had come into
the room and began to unbutton
his vest. At the same time the
warden WAS drawing the fnterfer
ing drap y of bis shirt through
the hole IN the trousers and cuttinp
it of sn az to leave the little snr.
tace Of flesh, against which OIe of
the electro les was to press, ahao.