Arizona republican., 1891-07-22
HIS THEORY PROVED.
The Electrical Suicide of an Eccentric old
 Man,

The Electrical Suicide of an Eccentric old
 Man.
 WEBB CIrY, Mo-, July 21.-For sev- eral years past, there has lived in this city an eccentric old man named John Thomas. He was noted for his kind ness and was always willing to do any one a favor. He was not talkative but on occasions would get confidential and would mourn the fact that he was alone in the world. Thomas spent his odd hours in studying the effect of electricity on animals and the human system. He claimed that the manner of applying the wires to Kemler, at Auburn prison, was totally wrong and was accountable for the apparent tor ture which that unfortunate man was compelled to suffer. His idea was that 1t was the sympathetic ganglis of nerves which should be shocked. He was much interested in the killing of the four murderers at Sing Sing on July 7th, and wrote to XaraelDuN1r r per in 'fhs dss1|1 - . 9iesned from the Press accounts of the affair, but said the whole theory was wrong; there should have been no muscular contraction; the current was applied to the wrong set of electricity used; if proper appliances had been had only one shock would have been necessary. and there would have been no burnind of the flesh nor any of the shocking scenes which were reported in the accounts of the execu- tion.
 He cited several instances where men had been killed by electric light wires, showing that where the current had passed through the hands death was lingering, but when it passed directly through the body death was instantane- ous.
 His theory was to place the electrode over the pit of the stomach and the other at the back, thus passing through the great ganglion of the nerve. This he claimed would cause instaneous paralysis of the heart and lungs; Thomas appeared to become insane on the subject and it was the theme of his conversation at all times and places, and where he for merly was taciturn he became very he had sort of repair and job shop where he would mend the tools of the miners and spent most of his time st tinkering at odd jods. He had been engaged upon some sort of an in- vention for some weeks and refused to admit anyone to the back room of the shop where he slept and where kept his Invention. About & week ago Thomas made arrangements to have an arc electric light placed in his shop. He told the electric light people that he had much work to do at night and that not see well enough by lamp light. Last w eek Thomas was missed from his usual haunts and his door was closed. Some hints that Thomas had dropped, induced his neighbors to break into the house, and they found that he had proved his theory to his own satisfaction at least. He had con- ,tructed the most ingenious apparatus by which he had utilized the electric light current and killed himself.
 With insulated wires he made the to an arrangement of steel rods at his bed which were so arranged that when he laid down one electrode was between his shoulders, and he could then place the other over the pit of his stomach. In each electrode was , sponge which evidently had been moist sned. He had made peculiar switch board which worked in such . manner that the light wire could be cut out and the current deaectsd to the apparatus It the bed this was accomplished by pulling cord which hung at the side )f the bed. When the cord was re- eased the spring would force the switch back, forcing the current back into the light. ov
 Thomas had made all his preparations md then deliberately laid himself upon he bed, adjusted the electrodes and pulled the cord. Death came in an in- Itant and he died without struggle. Not mussle had twitched to disarrange he body. The cord had been released oy the dead hand upon the instant of he shock and second contact was not necessary. The strength of the current sas about 1900 volts, showing that the through the pneumogastric ierve requires neither SO heavy nor 50 prolonged . shock as through the brain md spinal cord. Not mark or blister vas seen on the body to indicate burn