Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-10-02
ALATE REPORT.
T5e Doctors Who Saw the Sing-Sing
ElCtrOcutiOnS, Make
THEIR INVESTIGATIONS PUBLIC
,a,- gcur Months WNiing-Thsy Now Know
Eow to Kill People By Electricity
SuccaSsially-A Detailed State
nsnt Of the
Execution.

AIrANY, n. Y, October Austin
rsthrope, superintendent OF State
Prisons, to-day gave TO the press the
r,port OF the details attending the exc
rl,ton of the four murdererS at Sing
Srg on the morning Of July z.
TIE report was first presented to
Warden Brown, of Sing Sing prison, by
DR.. Charles T. Macdonald, of New
York, and Samuel Ward, Of Albany,
who were the official physicians in
charge of the executions.
The report states that James =.
S.ocum entered the death chamber at
H33. Two minutes and 40 seconds were
consumed by fastening him. The cur
rent. ASS volts strong, was applied
and continued p seconds and then was
broken. The pulse was still beating
strongly and between one and TWO
minutes later a noisy respiration
was established with regularity. Inc
current was continued for 264 seconds
Respiration had then ceased perma-
rsntly, and the heart had stopped. Al
Ter Slocum's body was removed the
doctors concluded that it was
rufte possible that the long con-
firuance of the current was not so I'M
u9rtant as the sudden making and
breaking Of contact and the next eXecu-
ri1n was conducted differently.
Harris A. Smiler entered the room at
5.05. Two minutes later the first OF
rbree contacts of 10 seconds each was
made. Even then the heart was beat
ing strongly and the current was turned
on 10 seconds more when the
heart stopped, LASS waits hav-
inc been used. From these
results the doctors decided that the du-
ration of current was quite as import
ant an item as the making and breaking
Of the contact 1t was therefore deter
mined to make the contact in the next
case longer.
JoseDh Wood was next. Three con-
facts OF twenty seconds each were
made. &C the end of which time reSplra-
ton had ceased permanently and no
pglse could be felt nor any heart beat
heard, I, ass volts had been the pres
sure.
Juglro. the Jap, was last. At 6:O2 a.
M. the circuit was closed for the first
time. and three contacts OF fifteen sec
oads each, followed with two intermiS-
the cafrdHtaRtE sffaafS Ue6eeu Weep
slight futtering was felt at the wrist.
IN this case extreme heat was
noticed in the region Of the knee
above the point where the lower cleo
Jf0da had been applied, and a ther-
m0meter held against the skin for only
fifteen seconds ran up to 115 degrees,
the highest point il registered, while
the sensation is conveyed 10 the
hand was such as to render il
probable that the temperature
had run up to the boiling point Of water
IL not higher. At 6:17 cessation of the
heart beat was confirmed. The voltage
was LASS. The conclusions of the
medical men are: "FrOm the experience
had in these four cases we
are inclined TO the belief
tiat while Inconsistencies was
instantaneous and continuous from the
first moment Of each contact in each
case, yet in order 10 insure that death
supervene as speedily as possible, il is
necessary to continue the current of the
voltage employed these cases for
from fifty TO sixty seconds.
in each case the tenn
perature OF the water near and 20 the
edges Of the electrodes was raised near,
j., not quite near 10 the boiling point, so
as TO blister the skin more or less eX-
ceSsiyely. There was absolutely no.
where any smoking or Charring."