Telegram-herald., 1890-08-07
Place no Orders Until You Have Visited the Great
Nearly Quarter ofa MiilionDoliars Worth ei
Samples Under one Root


an. r4CsG4s The et1lt r---SAeAi &kt0 a.
stla aEe current wAs irregular.
ths eolt- metre e Ing back and iorth be-
tween so and 4 500 volts.
Al tue eaa ~ sexenseeR Seconds
the current VAS broken In second
the chest ralaxed and something lige 3
gasp Vas given forth. Every one N@s
sure Kemnler N4s net YET dea1. DIS
spisxka and Mcdonald looked al
Kemuler momeat aud taen
gave orders - apply the cur
rsat again. Warden Durstoa cl0sod
TIE lever The same rigidisy
Of body was seen as before. froth be
gan coming from the mouth. The war
der broke The circuit several times,
each break being followed by relaXa
t0n. At the end of thirty-tNo seconds
the current Was finally broken. keiam-
lers chest slightly collapsed AID be
Was dead beyond doubt
After half an hour the electrodes
were removed. The hair on The head
was not burned, and there we're no
marks on the back or oontoruons on The
face. The body was unsgrspped and
taken from the chair and placed on
table
Little by little it becomes evident
that the whole truth Of the KemmleF
execution MAS not told by the men Who
saw the occurrence Most oi The Wit
nesses when they first came out Of the
prison, though their looks showed that
they had been through terrible strain,
united as II by common consent ia d tale
that the electrocutlon had proved a sue
cess. But not an were able 70 do This
DR.. Fowler was pale and haggard when
he escaped from the scene of lhe legm
killing. and he CALCULATED il horror
stricken tones: "ThereN never be an
other executor by thai means"
When witnesses left tie prison they
were bcsiegcd by q swarm Of reporters
and hundreds q spectators. d. Spltz-
ka said the execution in itself was sue
cessful, but declined 10 say more until
after the autopsy. DR.. Mcdonald. pres
ident Of the State lunacy commission,
said:
The execution was -1ccess. but the ma
chinery was seriously 90 fault The State
ou.ht ncver 20 have made the warden ex
be the same way. They ought 20 have
special experts under State employ. As
long Is We have capital punl.hmcnt il should
not degenerate into mere experiment
Execution bY electricity - preferable 10
haueiug II The machine had bcecn right
DO second application would have been
necessary. Undoubtedly kemmlcr was alive
after the first application, though not sucer.ng.
This sort of machine should not be used. There
should be a capable 3 0O0 volts machine, made
by the State and supcrs sea Dy competent ciec.
tricians. would not care 10 see another exc
cution."
Tho chair for the condemned was
made OF heavy oak and resembled an
ordinary roclining-chair. The incline
OF the occupant was about that OF a
man in Larbcr's chair. There were
adjustable sliding foot and head
rests. The cap for the con-
demned was put on in his cell
By the warden, n the presence
OF a sheri:- and a physician. In the
cap WAS an eloctrodc or metal plate
covered with a sponge saturated with
salt water. A strap fastened 10 the cap
was carried down under the arms and
secured TO strong belt around
the chest On one foot was placed
a special shoe fitted with an
electrode. The electrical resistance Of
the subject was determined in tie cell
by means Of reliable instruments.
The condemned was then conducted
to the execution room and placed
in a recumbent position in the chair.
to which snaps were fastened 10
the chest belt and ankle straps The
electrodes, pressing slightly on head
and foot, were connected with flexible
wires passing through the chair and
running 10 the dynamo. Al a signal the
executioner closed the circuit and The
current was continued until the con-
demned man was tortured 20 death