The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-07-09
FOUR MURDERERS EXECUT-
ED BY ELECTRICITY AT
SING SING, NEW
YORK.
A SHOCK AND ALL WAS OVER.
Description of the Execution Chair and
the Scene in the Death Chamber
by Witnesses Present.

SING SING, N. Y, July THE kill
ing of the four murderers, Slocum,
Smiler, Wood and Jugiro, was done
this morning. Slocum was killed at
4:42t, Smiler was put to death at OLA,
Wood met his doom at $3.50, and Jugiro
was killed at 6:06.
About o'clock the witnesses and
jurors were let into the death cham.
ber. The experts had previously ex-
amined everything and said they were
satisfied the machinery of death would
work perfect At 4 o'clock Slocum
walked into the death room accompan-
led by Father Credon. He seemed to
be making tremendous efforts to keep
his composure. He had received Faith
er Creden's last Office and had declar-
ed himself ready to die. He was then
firmly strapped into the chair and the
death current turned ON. Death was
instantaneous. There was sudden
contraction of the nerves and then all
was over.
Smiler followed next. Rev. Mr.
Edgerton cheered him up. Before
Smiler had time to think he was strap
ped into the chair and in an instant
later current of electricity was flash
ed through him that sent him into
eternity.
The next followed was the negro.
He had been worked up to q state OF
religious enthusiasm, and while in
this frame of mind he was fastened to
the chair
AND KILLED BY THE FATAL SHOCK.
Ingiro was stubborn to the last.
There was the usual ferocious, ugly
look on his face. He was closely
guarded and short work made of him.
There was no apparent hitch In the
four executions, aud they were pro
nounced success. The death of the
four men appeared to an observer to
be painless and death came like q
flash 1t was one awful shock and
then oblivion.
Doctors took charge of the bodies,
after death, and began an autopsy to
discover as far as possible how rapid
had been the killing and the precise
effect produced.
The witnesses were besieged by the
reporters as soon as they made their
appearance from the prison. All of
them refused to say anything, how
ever, except that the executions had
passed off without any hitch and had
been success. Warden Brown had
laid strict injunction of secrecy upon
all, and had evidently made such an
impression on their minds that they
were 10th to talk. All looked thor
oughly used up and exhausted. They
had been through a terrible ordeal
and the effects were plainly visible.
E. A. Brown, purchasing agent Of
the state prison, said that there was
no doubt that the executions were alb
solutly painless. "The horse killed
yesterday In the final test OF the ma
chinery" he said, twas done before he
fell. Its eyeballs were as natural as in
life after death and this was the con-
dition OF the men put to death. Each
walked calmly to death and there was
not q struggle, or hitch at any stage
of the proceedings. When the cur
rent was turned into a mans body, he
DIED so QUICKLY
that 1t was difficult to realize that
death had occurred"
The witnesses to the execution gath
cred at the prison in response to the
warden's invitation half an hour be-
fore the time fixed for the execution to
take place. The warden had invited
the full number Of those whom the
law authorized, twelve, and all were
present. The law does not require
their presence, but only says that a
certain number shall be invited.
Warden Brown had declined to permit
representatives of the press to have
access either as witnesses or as associ-
ations, and it was known several days
before the execution that the facts
must be obtained from private citi-
zens who had been invited.
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