, 1890-08-07
The Electric Currents First
Legal Victim.
Executed in Auburn Prison at
$40 a. m. Yesterday.
The First Shock Fails to Kill
the Murderer.
Sickening Sights in the Cham
Der of Death.

AUBURN, N. T.. Aug. Cat 6:36 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 a
spruce looking, broad shouldered little
man, full bearded and with carefully ar
ranged hair clustering around his fore
bead. he was dressed in a suit of new
clothing, sack coat and vest of dark grey
material, trousers of mixed yellow pat
tern, white shirt, whose polished front
was exposed directly below a little bow of
lawn of black and white check pattern.
This was William Kemmler, the man
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 det rec of interest. He hesitated
as the door closed behind him and was
carefully locked by an attendant on the
other side. as though be did not know ex
actly what to do.
Give me a chair, will your" said the
warden. Some one quickly banded him
a wooden chair, which he placed in front
Of and a little to the right of the execu-
ton chair, facing the little circle of men.
Kemmler sat down composedly. looking
about him then up and down without any
evidence of fear or especial interest in the
event. His face was not stolId, and not
indifferent. He looked, il anything, as
though he was rather pleased at being the
center of interest. Warden Durston
stood ct the left OF the chair with his hand
on the back of it. and almost at the mo-
ment 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 be will say it,"
As the warden finished Kemmler look
ed up and said In a high keyed voice,
without any hesitation and as though he
had prepared himself with the speech:
Well, | wish every one good luck in this
world, and l think L am going to a good
place. and the papers has been saving a
lot of stuff that isn't so. That's all 1
have to say"
With the conclusion of his speech, be
turned his back on The Jury and took off
his coat and handed il 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.
When the coat was off Kemmler turned
in the direction of the door through
which he cIme into the room and began
unbuttoning his vest. At the same time
the warden was drawing the interfering
draperyU vi the shirt through the hole in the
trousers n cutting it off so as TO leave a
little surface OF flesh, against which one
OF the electrodes was to press, absolutely
bare. Warden Durston called Reminders
attention to the fact that it was not
necessary to remove his vest and he calmly
buttoned it again aud carefully arranged
his tie.
Don't hurry about this matter" said
the warden. BE perfectly cool" He
vas 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 though
he was sitting down to dinner. Warden
Durston stood on the right and George
Vieling of Albany on the left. They be-
gan Immediately to adjust the straps, the
condemned man holding up his arms so as
to give them every assistance. hen the
straps had cen adjusted about the body
the arms were fastened down, and then
the warden leaned over and parted
Reminders feet so as to bring the legs
heal the legs of the char. While the
straps were being arranged Kemmler said;
Take your time; don't be in a hurry,
but be,sure that everything is all right"
8 Two or three times he repeated these
phrases. Warden Durston treasured him
with the remark that it would not hurt
him and that he (Durston) would be with
him all through. But it was not fear that
Kemmler felt, 1t was rather a certain
pride in the exactness of the experiment.
He seemed to have a greater interest in its
success than those who had made prepar-
atoms for it and who we're Watching its
progress to its final. fatal conclusion.
When the straps had been adjusted the
warden placed his hand on Reminders
head and held 1t against the rubber cush-
ion. which ran down the back of the
chair. Reminders eyes were turned to-
ward the opposite size of the room. Be-
fore, they had followed the warden in his
movements.
Then the condemned man made one or
two remarks in a perfectly clear and com-
posed tone of voice: "Well I wish
everybody good luck, was one of them,
and "Durston, see that the things are all
right" was another, Deputy Vleing
unfastened the thumb-screw which held
the figure "a at the back OF the chair in
place and began to lower it so that the
rubber cup which had a saturated sponge
pressed AGAINST the top of Reminders
head. The warden assisted in the prepar-
alton BY holding Reminders head.
Kemmler said: "Ohl You had better
press it down further, l guess. Press that
down" So the head piece was I'M
clampei and pressed further down.
While it was being done Kemmler said;
"Well, | want to do the best / can. /
can't do any better than that" Warden
Durston then took IN his hand the leather
harness which was to be adjusted to Kemm-
ler's head. II was a muzzle of br ,ad
leather straps which went across the fore
head and chin. The strap pressed down
against the nose OF Kemmler until it fiat
tened it down slightly over the face.
When the harness was put in place DIR.
Spitzka. who was standing near the chair,
said softly: God bless you Kemmler."
and the condemned man answered:
Thank you," softly.
The door leading into the room where
the switches were arranged was partly
open and man stood in the doorway.
Beyond him we're two other men, which
OF them was to touch the lever and make
connection with the chair was not known.
The dynamo in the machine shop was
running at good speed and the volt metre
on the wall registered q little moro than
1000 volts. The warden turned 10 the