The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-07-10
DEATH WASINSTANTANEOUS
Drs. Southwick and Daniels Say the
Electricized Murderers Did Not Suffer.
All Were Killed at the First Contact Of the
Current-Cut Of in the Middle of . Syl.
lsble-Secrecy Criticised by DR.. Shrsdy.
NO PAIN.
Two Witnesses Of the Electrical Execution
Say Death Was instantaneous

and DR.. Daniels, the two Buffalo witnesses
of the electrical executions at Sing Sing.
returned this morning. They were inter
viewed by a reporter. and each one. SO far
as the law allowed him, spoke of the re-
markable scenes of the death-chamber In
which they were participants. Each OF
these gentlemen had witnessed the kemm-
Ter execution, and were. therefore, prepared
20 make careful and valuable comparative
observations when Witnessing the recent
executions DR.. Soutnwick was q member
of the original State commission on elec-
trical execution.
The executions were q success in every
way said DR.. Southwick, land there was
not the slightest hitch. Electric executions
have come to stay. These executions have
demonstrated that the method 10 humane
do you say that all tour diedinstantiy"
Yes. sir. They died the instant the cur
rent reached them"
''Do you say there was no sensation. no
senslbilIty after the current reached them2'
There was no sensIblllty whatever after
the current reached them. 1t was an alb
s~olutely painless death in all four cases"
did you read the press report of the ex-
ecutionf''
Il did"
Nv as it accurate!n
1T was in the main. Somebody must
have leaked. 1t was thought that one of
kAC kudAd6 LOlu n obOlN " Aobhs
NOW. Doctor, this system of execution
lie on trial before the people, and l am gong
to ask you another question or two. In
that report IL was stated that q second
shock was given each of the ment"
Yes. sir"
"And that at the second shock the bodies
Strengthened MP and became rigid"
KILLED At III FIRST SHOCK.
Quite true. That was the case. But
there was no life in the bodies. The same
effect would have been produced in q third
or fourth contact. The electric current
would produce the contraction SO long as
there was any heat in the body"
why was that second shock givenf"
ITO prevent the muscular exhibition that
was noticed at Reminders execution"
Did any sound come from the men after
they got the first shockf"
None whatever"
Was there any burning of the fesh?"
There was not. There was a slight
scald. raising a white blister, and that Is
all"
Smller's body reached New York the face
was found to be burned in several places"
That was q downright lie" -
"What were the scalds or blisters likes"
The electrodes had q sponge saturated
with salt water. This water became heated
because of continuation of the current, and
became hot enough to blister the skin. But
before the salt water became hot the man
was Ocdu. hDON6 TIC clt VI OuoO LILO ncu
there was q small white blister. In kemm-
lers case there was n brown mark, which
was not the case IN the recent executions.
repeat that the only approach to burning
was o small white blister raised by the
heated water"
How can you be sure, Doctor, that the
men died instantly"
"Ill tell You one very satisfactory test,
Slocum was praying when he died; so was
Wood. The others said nothing, but 1 par
ticularly observed SlOcum. He was saying,
Lord have mercy on my soul when he re-
ceived the shock. He had just said the
word my and started to say SOUL The
sibIlant sound of the g was made, but the
word soul was never uttered. Some con-
siderable time ago was asked how quickly
death would come In such q case. l replied
Slocum died the syllable soul was cut in
two. Could anybody ask for q better evil
dence of instantaneous DEATH Another in-
dicatioD was the appearance of the mems
features at death. They were undisturbed,
UNCHANGED from what they were in life. 1
suggested that they should close their
eyes, SO that the salt water from the cleo
trode on their foreheads should not run
into their eyes and give them needless pain.
They did close their eyes. That action
made a certain contraction of the features.
That contraction was there after the men
were taken from the chair. There was
not a single person who saw the execu-
tiOns but say they were instantaneous and
painless, and q humane method of pro-
dueing death"
How did they approach the chairw
WAS there any disturbance or resist
ances"
None whatever"
did the men say anythingf"
"Smller and JuglrO said nothing. Wood
and Slocum prayed"
Would you suggest any chan ges that
might be made to better the method of exc
cutIonf" =
Same cbanoes might no moda bu< mona
that could bring quicker or more painless
death. L think it would be q good idea to
have the current come through the hands.
which would be placed hanging down at
the sides of the chair. My idea is to have
the head free; let the man be a man while
living. and be able TO look around. / have
a couple of electrodes in view. and am now
having them tested. There may be some
Is demonstrated. Electrical execution is
instantaneous. painless. humane"
What was the force of the currentp
Sixteen hundred volts"
DIR. DANIELs's TESTIMONY
Tine executions were AN unqualified sue
cess in every way" said DE-. Daniels. 1.-THE
men had no sensibIlity of pain. and they
died instantly. The executions demon
strated that the electric method is Quick.
painless and humane"
as there any burninge"
Il saw none, and L looked at all the
bodies as carefully as did any man in the
death-chsmber. Perhaps some of the water
from the sponge, being superheated from
continuation of the electric current. ran
down the sides of their faces aud slightly
scalded them. but if so | saw no evidence
OF IL. The statements made that the men
were burned are false. There was no dis
turbance of any kind. There was nothing
revolving. ANY woman could have wit
messed the executions without being dis
tressed, except from the knowledge that
death was present. There were no sounds
from the men. They were dead the instant
the current reached them. True. when the
second shock was given them they became
rigid again, but that did not denote life.
The result of the application of an electric
current Is 10 contract. Dead horses have
been made to kick and dead frogs to Jump
by application of electricity. There were
no sounds, no burning. no odor of burning
flesh. nothing whatever that would revolt
any spectator"
Dr. Daniels also spoke of one of the men
praying and reaching the Kissing sound of
IS" when the shock came. 1t cut the syi-
liable In two,' he said; not another sound
came from him. ] look upon that as a sr-
preme test" Dr. Daniels also said. Cone
of the men died with a smile on his face.
lie was smiling just before the current
was applied. When he was taken
from the chair the smile was still there set
in his face. If there had been pain there
would have been contraction. Each of the
men had his mouth free and would have Mt
tered sounds if sensibility had not been