The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-07-15
KILLED By ELECTRICITY
FOUR MURDERERS ELECTRCCUTsC
AT SING SING PRISON.

AT SING SING PRISON.
There Was Terrible Shock and Ihen OBJ
liyfon-No;hfn2 to Tcrrify the spec.a-
tors-The Men Died Without Sirus-
gle.
SING SING. y. y, July Tile f'"T
miserable murderets-Slucnm, Snlltr.
Wood and Jugigo-wtre put to death
here early this morning III th- electrical
chair; the first named al t POI. Iii. ;nti
the others later, at interval OF tbout
half an hour apart-Jug!go, the last
victim, receiving The deadly lightning
stroke at sos a. IN.
Most of the men were awake when,
shortly before o'c.ock, the priests ard
the chaplain appeared. Chaplain Ed
gerton spoke a few words of comfort
to Jugigo, when he told HIM that the
end was near, but the Jap did net re-
cei7e them in a grateful spirit. and the
chaplain passed on to Smllers cell,
while the two priests busted themselves
respectively with Slocum and Wood.
The condemned men took very calmly
the announcement that the sentence
was about to he executed. They were
dressed when the chaplain and the
priests entered. Their clothing was
much alike-a suit of dark diagonal,
white shirt and collar and black tie.
About a. m. the witnesses dlstrlbu-
ted themselves about the death cham
ber The electrician was il charge OF
the apparatus for measuring the cur,
rent, which was fastened to the side OF
the closet opposite the entrance to the
cell room. 1t consisted of volt-meter,
a resistance coil, and row OF twenty
incandescent lamps, each measuring
100 volts. A heavy switchboard formed
the connection between the wires from
the DYNAMO room at the other end OF
the prison grounds and the wires N
the executioner's closet adjoining. y
push button communicated with sig
nal bell in the dynamo room. When
the witnesses had ranged themselves
about the room, the electrician touched
this button once. The engineer re-
sponded to the signal and started the
dynamos. They had been tested up to
1900 volts during the morning. when
the current had been turned on the eiec-
trician threw the switch which turned
it into the row OF lamps above his
head. They burst into glow of light
that rivalled the daylight shining
through the canvass covering OF the
the windows about the sides OF the lm-
provised execution room.
The testing apparatus showed again
a satisfactory strength OF current. The
electrician advised the warden OF this
fact. The warden went to the great
iron door at which stood one OF the as
sistants, whom he had appointed under
warrant of the law, and it was opened
to permit him to pass through. II
was gone only couple OF minutes. In
that time he had notified Head Keeper
Connaughton. who was in the con-
demned cell room, that the chair was
ready for the first OF the condemned
men.
The death warrant was not read to
the condemned men in the cell as was
done In the case of kemmler. The
warden had said that he did not know
anything in the law requiring him to
read the death warrant. AS a precau-
tionary measure he would read it, but
not at the time Of the execution
sometime before, if possible. 1t was
his wish to prevent the other men
knowing that the first man had been
taken from his cell if it was possible to
do so. So the exit from the cell room
was made as quietly as possible. The
warden and the head keeper walked
ahead, then the condemned man, be.
tween the two priests, Father Creeden
and Father Lynch, then the Two guards.
When the witnesses had gathered IN
the chamber some OF them appeared
very nervous, and all showed signs CT
great strain on their sensibilities.
Slocum had been selected as the first
victim, and as soon as the good priests
had finished their supplications, he
said be was ready and stepped out of
his cell with alacrlty. The walk to
death began. Following the Warden
and his deputy came Slocum, between
two priests, who beid aloft in front OF
him crucitix, at which he steadfastly
gazed. Two keeper deputies brought
up the rear of the fatetul procession.
Slowly the heavy doors swung back.
and with a solemn tread and mien the
little procession walked into the room
where the silence Of death prevailed.
They had but few steps to take. The
chair was directly in their front. AS
the leaders parted the chair stood out
in all of its aWfulness before the man
about to sit in it and die. Slocum
halted at the Warden's command just
on the edge OF the rubber mat which
was to protect those who were watching
his life 60 out. The doomed mans
gaze was riveted on the chair. Then it
wandered to the dangling wire and the
closet from which it was suspended.
Back to the chair 1t came like needle
to the magnet, and be started as though
he had received shock from the wire
when the Warden began reading the
death warrant, while the reverend men
engaged in silent prayer. The wit
neSses were grouped to the left of the
chair. The scientists stood in front Of
the switchboard watching the current,
which they read like book as 1t flashed
in the lamps and through the recording
instruments. The execntioner was
heard to rise from his chair in the closet
and place himself ready to do his duty.
With an attempt at smile Slocum
seated himself in the chair and leaned
his head back against the rubber rest
as though he was simply preparing to
be shaved. The forced smile remained
on his face, and as Fathers Cresden
and Lynch took up their position in
from. of him be again directed his gaze
at the cross while Connaughton began
fastening the straps. Slocum's eyes
were clear and he appeared to be in
perfect physical condition. He took
his eyes from the cross long enough to
aid Deputy Warden Con1aughton in
his task, and then until the shield was
placed on his face, his lips moved in
prayer as be looked lixedly at the cross.
Straps crossed and re-crOsSed his body
and his legs were tightly bound to the
foot rest. Then his arms were fastened
and Slocum could Nd longer move a
muscle. Finally an oddly arranged set
Of straps that pound his chair in one