Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-07-07
By the Swift and Unsrring Method Of Electricity
All the Preparations Made to Send Them Into
Rtarnity in the TwiHkls Of the Bys-Im-
proved Apparatus to b Employed.

during the night. Every one dOouO unO
prison professed ignorance Of the War
den's whereabouts.
The chair in which the condemned
men will suffer death is a substantial
as well as comfortable looking piece OF
wOOd-workerS' mechanism aud with the
connections with the dynamo was de-
signed by Capt Hilbert, the prison ma
chinist, under whose supervision it was
built. II is constructed in very work
man-hke manner and differs very mate
rally from the chair used in the execu-
zion of Kemmler at Auburn prison.
The chair faces the east, and direct
" behind IL is a low cabinet for the use
Of the man who tVrns on the cur
rent, who is thus out of sight OF every
body.
Directly back Of the cabinet, against
which the cabinet stands, is door
leading directly TO the dynamo room.
On the side Of the cabinet is sliding
door, which on being opened reveals
the switchboard by which the signals
are given TO the operator who stands In
IN the cabinet and turns on the fatal
current.
The first object which meets the eye
Is card OF printed directions, y
which are framed and read as follows:
Five bells-Get ready.
One bell-Turn on current.
Two bells-Turn on more current.
Three BeilS-LeSS current.
One Bell-Shut of current.
Six Bells-All through.
Underneath the directions is a little
electric bell button, which is pressed 10
give the signal 70 the operator. Next
10 the placard is the test switch. This
switch turns on the current into dozen
or more incandeScent lights at the top
of the switchboard, aud also into the
ammeter aud vOltmetre, which are IN
the side with the resistance box. All
these are arranged TO test the strength
OF the current before it is put in opera
ton on the condemned man. Under the
new law there will be no story given out
by the prison authorities telling how
the murderers spent their last night on
earth, nor will the world ever know just
what they had for breakfast.
Capt. Hilbert the designer OF the
chair, Is proud Of its completion, and es-
pecially OF the code of signals. The
failure of these ia the Kemmler case
was one Of the things that made that
electrocution such horrible affair. The
Captain in speaking OF mis- device asserts
that 10 is able 20 xiii twenty-five men an
hour. He has made an Improvement on
the arrangement OF ths electrodes which
differs materially from that OF the
Kemmler case. In the latter, the cur
rent was passed directly through The
body and heart. The inventor OF the
Sing Sing chair has a new plan for ap-
plying the electricity TO the wrists, or to
one wrist and ankle.
The first arrival of any Importance
this morning was eX-Wayden Brush,
Mr.. Browns predecessor. Twenty min
utes later, Warden Durstand, OF Auburn,
the man who executed kemmler, was
seen walking down the road. Father
CreedOn, has also arrived. At S o'clock
the Warden appeared cOmming down
the road TO the prison. The first thing
he did was TO issue an order TO the
guard to keep every one away from the
Office and the walk In front OF IT,
I've go. to keep you people away
now" he said. 1--WE treated you as
cordially as know how and given you
every facility possible, but today l must
have my house to my self. I have d
big lob ahead of me aud must have q
chance to rest and be quiet. II l have
anything Ofiicial-a stay or any thing
like that will come and give it to
YOU"
The Warden declined 10 say where he
was last night. To question whether
there was any chance OF the execution
occurring to-day he would only reply;
'YOu must use your own Judgment
about that.
A statement was made from a semi
official sOurse, however, that there
would be no execution to-day; that it
would occur in ali likelihood at day
break tomorrow.
AID. 10. carriages continued to az
rive at the prison, but reporters were
kept back by the armed guards and were
not allowed TO even speak 10 any one
inside the dead line" II is believed
that these carriages contained those in
-vited 10 witness the executions by
Warden Brown, and their arrival in
dictated that the end Of the murderers
was not far of.
The arrangement of the cells Of the
prisoners who are TO be executed was
changed this morning il is said. The re-
arrangement has placed the four murder
ers who are TO be executed in the four
cells on the left Of the passage in the
following order: JugirO, Smiler, SlO-
cum ana Wood. This is the order in
which IL Is expected they will be exc
cuted az short intervals apart. There
seems very little doubt that all four
will 20 IN one day.
shortly after l o'clock the prison
Chaplain appeared and entered the
Warden's Office. he was accompanied
by a ministerial looking person, but
the Chaplain refused 20 answer any
questions and would not give his COM
panion's name. The Priests from the
village have not yet come up, and up 10
l o'clock no more witnesses had arrived.
The crimes for which the four are TO
be executed are as follows;
Harris A. Smiler, was AT one time 4
Salvation Army captain. He was
nrinter by trade, and hSd developed a
rare faculty for getting married. Atthe
time the crime was committed there
,vere three women living 20 whom he
had been married, and meme OF them
md been divorced. The last one TO go
through the ceremony with him, Maggie
Drainev. was his victim. He had been
living with her at 2s4 Seventh avenue,
but on account Of bis brutality she had
determined 10 leave him. He came
home partly drunk on the night Of
April 3. 1889, ana when she refused TO
1ronise % remain with him, he shot
ner dead.
James Slocum lived az Cherry
-. - LII bean . hasn ball nlaYer