Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-07-07
CAME LIKE A FLASH.
Death Was Easy for the Murderers
at Sing Sing.
THE AFFAIR 4 PERFECT SUCCESS.
All the Details Carried Out With
out a Hitch.
WHAT THE WITNESSES SAY.
THE AFFAIR a PERFECT SUCCESS.
WHAT THE WITNESSES SAY.
DIED WITHOUT PAIN.

SING SING, N. Y, July THE four murder
ers, Slocum. Smiler, Jugigo and Wood. con-
demned to die in the electric chair for their
crimes suffered death early this morning.
They died without a struggle. The second
electrocution in history took place at the state
prison here today. The first occurred at Au-
burn eleven months ago when the sentence Of
death was carried out on William Kemmler.
Every precaution had been exercised here to
avoid the mistakes which made the Kemmler
affair in part failure. The causes of the acci-
dents and delays there were known to the war
den at Sing Sing and they had been anticipated
in the arrangements for the execution of the
four men who were to be put to death during
the week. The tested voltage of the dynamos
had been brought up to 3.OO0 while the esti-
mated voltage which was turned into kemmler's
body was $50. The weakness of the current at
the Kemmler execution was chargeable in part
to the slipping OF the belts on the dyIfamos
and especial precautions had been taken to
avoid this at Sing Sing. A device for the
tightening of the belts if they should slip was
ready in the dynamo room at the north end of
the prison building for use in case the resist
ance of the body of any one of the condemned
men in the chair should cause unusual strain
on the dynamo and threaten an accident. The
dynamo used was Westinghouse a counter
part of the machine used at Auburn, but it
was supplemented by smaller dynamo in
tended to augmen: the current.
BETTER ARRANGEMENTS THAN AT AUBURN.
The arrangement of the apparatus for testing
the strength of the current was clumsy at Au-
burn-so imperfect that through the neglect Of
one of the electricians the incandescent lamps
used to test the voltage were left burning and
absorbing the greater part Of the currents
strength when it was turned into the body Of
the condemned man. Here at Sing Sing the
switch controlling tia electric current was 80
ha
rent into the wire running to the execution chair
turned it away from the incandescent lights
and the other devices for measuring its
strength. The executioner at Auburn was in a
room adjoining the execution chamber, and the
warden in giving him the signal to turn on the
current had to step from the chair to the COM
municating door and speak through the door
way. When the current had been turned off
from the body of Kemmler the first time this
connecting door was fastened and when there
were strong indications that Kemmler was re-
viving it was some time before the warden
could get to the men in the other room to tell
them to turn OH the current again. At todays
execution the executioner was in a small closet
with an open top, through which he could hear
anything said to him by the warden or any Of
his assistants and the electricians were in the
execution chamber itself Besides, by an ar
of the switches, 1t was made posi-
BILE for the electrician himself to turn the cur
rent into the execution chair or turn it off In
case the eXecutlOller blOulu become confused
or fail to respond to the wardens signals.
With these precautions it was thought that
every chance Of failure had been provided
against.
THE WITNESSES.
The witnesses to the execution gathered at
the prison in response to the warden's invita-
ton half an hour or more before the time fixed
for the electrocutiOn to take place. The war
den had invited the full number of those whom
the law authorized and directed him to invite,
and far as he could he had insured their
presence. The law says nothing about the
number o. persons who shall be present 1t
directs the warden to invite certain officials
and twelve citizens Warden Brown inter-
preted the law to authorize him to send out
only twelve invitations outside of those ex-
tended to officials named, and he believed that
if one OF the witnesses invited should fail to
come or should write declining the invitation
he would have no authority to invite any one
to fill the vacancy even if there should be legal
time in which the invitation could be given.
He had therefore written in advance to those
whom he had selected as witnesses, asking them
If they would serve, and he had obtained as
surances from the twelve that they would be
present before he sent formal invitations to
them. OF the officials invited he could have no
assurance that any would be present, but as the
law did not require their presence the warden
did not care very much whether they came or
not
"If we are the only people here when the
time for the execution comes" said the warden
on Saturday, indicating with his left hand Head
Keeper COnnaughton. who sat near him, sit
will go on just the same"
No delay of any of the witnesses therefore
would have delayed the execution. The crowd
which fingered along the road in front Of the
prison when the witnesses began to arrive was
not large. It was composed almost entirely of
the representatives of newspapers and of the
two press associations. Warden Brown had
declined to permit the representatives of the
press associations to have access to the execu-
ton chamber, either as witnesses or assistants
and it was known several days before the
execution took place that the account of it
which might be published must be obtained
from the twelve citizens who had been invited
to be present il they could be persuaded to
talk about it.
PREPARATIONS TO HANDLE THE NEWS.
Extensive preparations had been made to
handle what news could be obtained as rapidly
as possible. Near the place where the tenn
porary execution room had been built was q
trestle running above q series OF lime kilns.
Adjoining this was small frame building of
two rooms. This building had been leased by
the prison people to lime company which
sublet for the occasion OF the execution to the
representatives of the press.
Special wires had been strung to it and oper-
ators had sat with fingers on the key from mid
nlKnt OF SUNDAY WdltlnR LOT the SlSnal 10 SEND
a bulletin to the whole world that the execu-
tions lad taken place.
LAWYER HAIRE's MISSION.
At1 80 Lawyer Haire came out of the warden's
fee accompanied by the warden's son. He
borrowed carriage, promising to return in
five minutes and after mysterious conference
with the driver was carried away in the direc-
ton of the village. He refused to say any
thing about his interview with the warden
When Lawyer Haire returned from his mys-
terious quest it developed that he had been
after a copy Of Wallaces reports containing
the decision Uf the Supreme Court on which
he based the claim that he was entitled to q
stay of execution on the filing Of his appeal for
habeas corpus. Deputy Attorney General
Hogan was with the warden and they held q
conference with Mr.. Haire, which lasted until
O'Clock. When Mr.. Haire came out he said
he did not know what to expect; that the war
den had not given him decision: The warden
sent word that he was lying down and that he
had nothing to say. Then the carriage hur-
ried Mr.. Haire away toward the village and the
excitement occasioned by his visit subsidized.
ASSEMBLING OF THE WITNESSES.
The witnesses to the execution gathered in
the prison parior shortly before the hour fixed
for the first electrocution to take place. The
warden led the way and the witnesses went In
no particular order ont Of the door of the
warden's house, through short passage,
then with turn to the right through the door
In the prison wall With another quick turn
to the left they skirted the wall Of the con-