The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1891-07-09
FOUR ELECTROCUTED.
eLocuM, WOOD, sMlLER AND AZ
eiGo SENT INTO ETERNITY.

sLocuM, WOOD, sMlLER AND az
eiGo SENT INTO ETERNITY.
Death in Eacl, Case fundamentally
parent REVEALS, as In the Kemmler
Case Pronounced Simply Refiex Action
OF the Muscles-History of the Crimes.
SING SING, N. 2, July flames j.
Slocum, Joseph Wood, Harris A. Smiler
and Shikok Jugigo were killed by cleo
tricity in the prison in conformity with
the law of the state. Slocum was exc
cuted at 4:42 a. m; Smiler at BIB,
Wood at 5:38, and Jugigo at Cos. The
executions went off quietly. All OF the
men were killed on the first contact.
There was no struggle when they were
strapped down, and no resistance Of any
kind. Every precaution was exercised
to avoid the mistakes which made the
Kemmler affair ct. Auburn in part a
failure. The causes Of the accident and
delay were known to the warden at Sing
Sing and they had been anticipated In
the arrangements for the execution OF
the four men. The tested voltage in the
dynamos had been brought up to 5000
volts, while the estimated voltage which
was turned into Kemmlers body was
y5O. The weakness of the current at
Che Kemmler execution was chargeable
N part to the slipping of the belts on
the dynamos and especial precautions
had been taken to avoid this.
The witnesses gathered in the
prison parlors shortly before the hour
fixed for the first electrocution to Jake
place. The warden led the way and
the witnesses went in no particular or
der out of the door of the warden's
house, through short passage, ther
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 condemned mems cells
turned to the right and entered the lit
tie frame building in which the appa
ratus of death had been placed. Oppo
site the entrance of the chamber ant
facing it was
The Death Chair.
It was almost of exactly the same pat
tern as the chair in which Kemmle.
was executed-a plain wooden chat
with perforated wood seat, the bacl
having slight incline. Near the top o
the chair back was rubber cushion TO
the prisoners head and neck to rest on
Above this was figure four" the loni
arm of which was clsnped with tw
wooden set screws to the back of tn
chair. In front of the chair extendet
| foot rest to which the legs of the pris
oner were to be bound. This wa
| the only important particular in whic
| the chair differed from the Kemmle
| chair. Reminders legs were separate
| and fastened to the front legs of tn
| chair in which he sat- The chair wa
placed on rubber mat to insulate II
Behind the chair, built against a part
ton wall which divided the buildin
into two apartments, was closet open
| ing st the top, about seven feet high
In this closet was the switchboard whic
| was to be used III turning the curren
| into the condemned men. Before tn
entrance of the witnesses
| The Executjoner Had Entered
this closet from the other room and 50
! waiting for the signal from the warde
to turn the switch. Who he was is nc
known, and viii not be known author
tatiyely. It is generally supposed thu
the executioner was convict from th
prison detailed for the duty. On th
right of the witnesses as they enTere
was the massive iron door which close
the passage leading into the prison #
the condemned. Itwas almost as mas
i've and impenetratable as the brio
walls about it, and as impervious
sound.
When the witnesses had ranged then
selves about the room the electrical
| touched this button once. The enginee
| responded to the signal and started ii
| dynamos. When the current had bee
| turned on, the electrician threw I'll
| switch which turned it into the row
lamps above his head. They burst I'M
glow of light that rivalled the da
light shining through the canvas CO.
ering of the windows about the sides
the irnproyised execution room. III
prisoners
Went to the Execution Chair
bravely and met their fate without
struggle They offered no resistanc
but rather assisted the keepers wht
, they were bound down in the chat
The electrodes were not applied, as
the Kemmler case, to the top of Il
| skull and the base of the spine, but we
| bound to the foreheads of the CO
| demned men and the calves of the
: legs. The current was turned ON
each case for twenty seconds. In ca,
case there We're apparent evidences
revival, as in the Kemmler case, and
. each of the four cases the current was
Turned on a Second Time.
In spite of the fact that the spong
were kept constantly wet all of the e1
! cuted men were burned by the cure
and especially about the calves Of t
legs. The medical men present az +
. that death came on first contact a.
that the seeming revival was merely
reflex muscular action. None of t
witnesses were overcome by fright, a.
! all Of them who have spoken have ma
: the statement that the electrodes we
successful and death in all cases was
Simultaneous and painless. At 10 o'clo
( Doctors Southwick and Daniels, a
Deputy Attorney Hogan left for {
Il West. N one of them would talk.
Barber, the physician of the prise
n came out shortly after and said that
/, autopsy was completed and that
statement would be given out for s,
u eral hours. Dr.. Mcdonald conduct
y the autopsy.
Their Crimes.
eel Harris A. Smiler, a printer, shot a
8 killed Maggie Drainey, with whom
~ had been living in New York city, Al
e. 1899