The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-07-14
KILLED BY ELECTRICITY
FOUR muRogRERs ELEcTRocUTEo
AT SING SING PRISON.

tors-Tho msn Died Without a strug-
gle.
SING SING, N. Y, July THE four
miserable murderers-Slocum Smiler,
Wood and Juglgo-were put to death
here early this morning ia the electrical
chair; the first named at 4.20 a. m. and
the others later, at interval of about
half an hour apart-Jugigo, the last
victim, receiving the deadly lightning
stroke at sos q. m.
Most OF the men were awake when,
shortly before4 O'clock, the priests and
the chaplain appeared. Chaplain Ed
Agerton spoke q few words Of comfort
- Jugigo, when he told him that the
Vend was near, but the Jap did not re-
/ ceive them in a grateful spirit. and the
chaplain passed on to Sm!ler's cell.
Z respectively with Slocum and Wood.
The condemned men took very calmly
the announcement that the sentence
was about to be executed. They were
dressed when the chaplain and the
priests entered. Their clothing vas
much alike-a suit Of dark diagonal,
white shirt and collar and black tie.
About 4 a. m. the witnesses distribu-
ted tbemsC. YES about the death cham
Der. The electrician was in char &c 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 q yOlt-meter,
q resistance coil, and a row Of twenty
incandescent lamps, each measuring
100 volts. A heavy switchboard formed
h connection between the wires from
the dynamo room at the other end of
the prison grounds and the wires in
the e~xecutioner's closet adjoining. A
push button communicated with a 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
5000 volts during the morning. When
h current had been turned on the cleo.
trician threw the switch which turned
it into the row of lamps above his
head. They burst into a glow of light
that rivalled the daylight shining
through the canvass covering of the
the windows about the>sideS OF the i'm
provised execution room.
The testing apparatus showed again
q 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 ap pointed under
warrant of the law, and it was opened
to permit him to pass through. He
was gone only a 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 u 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
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 of
great strain on their sensibilities.
victim, and as soon a. the good priests
had finished their supplications, he
said he was ready and STEPPED out Of
his cell with alacrlty. Thu ala to
death began. Following the Warden
and his deputy came Slocum, between
two priests, who held aloft in front Of
him>a' crucifix, at which he steadfastly
gaZed. Two keeper deputies brought
up the rea of the fateful 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 protectthose who were watching
his life &c 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 a needle
to the magnet, and he started as though
he had received a shock from the wire
when the Warden b-gan 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 a book as it 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 IA 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 Creeden
and Lynch took up their position in
FROM of him he 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 ~Connaughton in
his task, and then until the shield was
placed on his face, his lips moved in
prayer as he looked fxedly 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 no longer move a
muscle. Finally an oddly arranged set
Of straps that pound his chair in one
position and covered his eyes were put
inplace. Now Doctors Macdonald and
Rockwell and Professor Laudy ap-
preached to attach the electrodes. The
positive electrode was placed on Slo-