The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1891-07-17

much longer.
Meanwhile the witnesses had distrib-
nted themselves about the chamber.
The electrician. r. J. Davis. was In
charge Of the apparatus for measuring
the current. which was fastened 10 the
side Of the closet opposite the entrance
| 70 the cell-room. IL consisted Of a volt
meter, resistance coil and row Of
twenty incandescent lamps. each meas
uring 100 volts. A heavy switchboard
I formed the connection between the
wires from the dynamo room az the
I other end Of the prison grounds and the
( wires in the cxerutinner's closet .ldioin-
| ing. A push-hutton communicated with
q signal bell in the dynamo room.
| When the witnesses had arranged
themselves about the room. the electro
clan touched this button once. The en-
gineer responded 10 the signal and
started the dynamos. They had been
tested up 20 5000 volts during the
morning When the current had been
turned on. the electrician threw the
switch which turned il into the row Of
lamps above his head. They burst
into glow OF light that rivaled the
daylight shining through the canvass
covering Of the windows about the
sides Of the improvised execution room.
The testing apparatus showed again
satisfactory strength Of current The
electrician advised the warden OF this
fact The warden went 10 the great
iron door at which one Of the assistants.
whom he had appointed under warrant
of law. and il was opened to permit
him 10 pass through. He was gone
only a couple of minutes In that time
he had notified Head Keeper Connaugh.
ton. who was in the condemned cell
room. that the chair was ready for the
first Of the condemned men. Tie
death warrant was not read to the
condemned man in the cell. as was
done in the case Of Kemmler. The
warden had said that he did rot know
anything in the law requiring him 10
read the death warrant As a precau-
tionary measure, he would read il. but
not at the time of the execution
sometime before II possible. II was
his wish 70 prevent the other men
knowing that the first man had been
taken from his cell if il was possible TO !
do SO. So the exit from the cell room
was made as quietly as possible.
The prisoners went To the execution
chair bravcly, and met their fate with
out a struggle. They offered no resist
ance. but rather assisted the keepers
when they Were bound down in the
chair. The electrodes were not APP
piled. as in the Keinmler case. on the
top Of the skull and the base Of
the spine. but were bound to
the foreheads Of the condemned
men and 10 the calves Of their legs.
The current was turned on in each
case for twenty seconds The voltage
was between 1.5oO and 1000. In each
case there were apparent evidences Of
revival. as in the Keinmler case. and in
each of these four cases the current was
turned on a second time. In spite Of
the fact that the sponges We're kept con-
stantly wet all of the executed men
were burned by the current. and es
pecially about the calves of the legs
The medical men present agree that
death came on first contact. and that
the seeming revival was merely reflex
action. The electrodes were
successful, and death Hh all cases was
and painless.
The entire time consumed in execut-
ing the four men was an hour and 23i5
minutes. Slocum was executed al 4:4s
A. m, Smilcr at 5:i3. Wood at SIS and
Jugigo at sos.
DR.. Aiphonse ID. Rockwell. the man
who devised the eiectrode. and who
was one Of the three commissioners APP
pointed to supervise the deterioration.
was the first OF the experts 70 emerge
to the depot 10 catch an early train tc
New York. lie said: 1--WE are pledged
to secrecy: but do not think am
violating that pledge in saying that all
four executions were an unquIified sue
cess. The men all died painlcsslv and
without a struggle. Further than this
can not speak
I. A. Brown. purchasing agent Of thu
state prison. said that there was M
foubt that the elccfrOcutions were ali
solutely painless. 1.-The horse killed il
The final test Of the machinery Ii.
said. was dead before il fell. Its eve
balls were a. natural as in life aftc,
death. and this was the condition Of the
men put 70 death. Each walked calmly
TO death. and there was not struggle
or hitch ut any stage Of the proceed
ngs- When the current was turned
into a mans body he died 80 quickly
hat il was difficult TO realize that death
mad occurred
The autopsics. contrary to expccta-
lion, were performed BY o'clock. and
he corps of the physicians left the depot
after short time for New York and Al
Dany DIR. Mcdonald, who conducted the
execution and autopsy. was asked for
statement. lie declined to give any. /
saying that the results world be rivna
,ut in Albany in official shapc
All OF the witnesses have gone AM I
he prison has returned to IL normal a
state. l
Warden Brown SAYS that al infurrrrl q
ion will be given OF AZ The oslicr "a !
he superintendent OF prisons in Al