The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-08-15

,ng, broad-shouldered little man, wear
ing full beard with carefully arranged
hair clustering about his forehead he
was dressed in new suit of clothing
a sack coat and vest of dark grey ma
terial. trousers of a mixed yellow pat
tern and white shirt whose polished
front was exposed directly below little
bow of lawn of black and white check
pattern.
This was William Kemmler, who was
about to undergo the sentence of death,
Behind him walked DR.. W. E Hough'
ton 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 inter,
est He hesitated as, the door was
closed behind him and carefully locked
by an attendant on the other side, as il
he did not know exactly what to do.
'Givc ue chair, will you?" said the
warden.
Some one quickly handed him a
wooden chair which he placed in front
and little to the right of the execution
chair, facing the little circle of men.
Kemmler sat down eomposedly, looked
about him and then looked up and down.
without any evidence of fear, or of es-
pecial interest in the event His face
was not stoiid, it was not Indifferent
He looked, if any thing, as if he were
rather pleased at being the center Of in
teresS -.- -..
Warden Durston stood at the left OF
the chair. with his hand on the back OF
it and, almost at the moment that
Kemmler took his seat he began to
speak in short quick periods
Now, gentlemen" he said. this is
William Kemmler. have warned him
that he has got to die, and if he has any
thing to say he viii say it"
AS the warden finished, Kemmler
looked Up and said in high-keyed
voice, without any hesitation and as il
he had prepared himself with the speech:
WELT wish every one good luck in
this world, and think am going to a
good place and the papers has been
saying lot Of stuff that amt So That
Is all Ihsye 10 tell"
With the Conclusion of the speech he
turned bis back on the jury and took of
his coat and handed il to the warden.
This disclosed the fact that q hole had
been cut from the band of the trousers
down, so as to expose the base of the
spine, against which one of the elec-
trodes was to press
When his coat vas of Kenmler
turned N the direction of the door
through which he had come into the
room and began to unbutton his vest
Warden Durston called attention 20 the
fact that it was not necessary TO re-
move his rest, and Kemmler calmly
buttoned It again and carefully ar
ranged his tie.
Don't hurry about this matter said
the warden BE perfectly cool"
Kemmler was perfectly cool He was
by all, odds the coolest man in the room.
When his tie was arranged he sat
down in the electric chair as quietly as
If he were sitting down to dinner
Warden Durs:en stood on the right
and George Yelling, Of Albany, on the
left They began Immediately to adj
just the straps around Kemmler's body,
the condemned man holding up his
arms so as to give them every assist
ance- When the straps had been adj
justed about the body, the arms were
fastened down, and then the warden
leaned over and parted Reminders feet
SO as 70 bring his legs near the legs of
the chair
When the straps had been ad justed to
the body and limbs, the warden placed
his hand on Reminders head and held
1t against the rubber cushion which
ran down the back of the chair Kemm-
ler's eyes we're turned toward the oppo-
site side OF the room. Before, they had
followed the warden in his movements
about Then the condemned man made
one or two remarks in perfectly clear,
composed tone Of voice: We'll, 1 wish
everybody good luck" was one of them.
and ''Durston, see that things are all
right. twas another
Deputy Vieling unfastened the thumb
screws which held the figure 4 at the
back of the chair in place and began to
lower it so that the rubber cap which
held the saturated sponge pressed
against Reminders head. The warden