Evening journal., 1891-07-08
DEATH FROM A DYNAMO.
Sing Sings Homicides All
Easily Killed.
TWO SHOCKS FOR EACH MURDERER.

The Executions Pronounced a Great Sue
cess = The Men Died Instantly and
Neither Of Them created Scene When
the Fatal Moment at Last Arrived.
SING SING, N. T., July "A white flag
ran up the halyard Of the aagpole at Sing
Sing prison Tuesday. It clung 70 the pole
a moment, then unfolded and spread to
the breeze. A shudder ran through the
watchers on the bluff near the prison, for
the flag OF truce proclaimed that Murderer
James J. Slocum's battle with the deadly
electric current was at an end and that
slocum's soul was before its maker for
judgment. With aching eyes the watchers
without the prison stillregarded the gaunt
pole There were three more lives TO be
snuffed out; three more flags to fiutter at
the poles top Exactly half an hour later
blue flag crept up the pole and mutely pro-
claimed that Harris A. Smiler had met
the shock and died. Twenty-Five minutes
more were ticked off by tine watch, then a
crapelike emblem-a grewsome black flag
was outlined against the sky.
AS OtAAAy nv tht AAhks
There was no skull and crossbones upon
the black bunting, but it was as surely an
emblem Of death as ever hoated from n
pirates ship. As the black flag was un-
folded to the breeze the lifeless body Of the
negro manslayer, Joseph Wood, reelined
In Warden Browns chair.
The black flag came down from the staff,
t,.k taa Taf,r I14nd sod
bit of bunting announced that the ghastly
proceedings were over and that Shibuya
! Jugiro, the Japanese murderer, had also
paid the death penalty. All the flags were
| about two and half feet square. The
warden wanted to give the reporters some
sign by which they would know when the
state had killed the men. He selected the
black flag for Wood because Wood was a
black man. The blue flag was picked for
Smiler at the suggestion of some one who
called attention to the blue clothes he used
to wear In the Salvation Army. The white
Gag was chosen because it was easy to see,
and 1t was made the signal for Ball Player
Slocum. The red flag was for Jugiro.
They All Died Instantly.
| According to the statement OF DIR. Rock.
we'll, one OF the witnesses, the execution
was successful in every way. The men
went TO the chair without trouble and
death was instantaneous in each case But
the current was applied twice to each mar
so that there could be no possibility Of hi
being still alive when his body was turne'
over TO the physicians. There were non
of the disagreeable sights at their execu
tions that made the Kemmler affair 8
horrible.
The Killing OF slocum.
Slocum went bravely TO the chair. II
said nothing, and even assisted the ply
sicians by placing his limbs In position
The deputies were all old men, aR
1 much practice with the fastenings ha
made them expert, though this was th
first time that they put them on in carr
est. They drew across his chest and unde
] his arms the broad bands which were t
hold his body in place, no matter what b'
fell it, and quickly harnessed his arms I
those Of the chair. His legs were ais
strapped tightly. Then the figure wa
brought down and the mouth and for
4 head covered by deadly band, and fnall
the electrodes were adjusted and I'll
sponge tightly pressed his forehead an
I the bare calf Of his leg.
stolid as an OK
DIR. Mcdonald worked as coolly as II
was merely preparing to test the machin
His quick eye took in every detail. Ono
or twice in low tone he gave some wor
of instruction.
The prisoner was as stolid as an OK.
Now one Of the keepers took Ion
necked can, and poured some cold sa
water on either sponge. Slocum whince
slightly, but uttered no sound. The nigl
before the electrodes had been plunge
into an insulated bucket OF water, and
/ an incredibly short space Of time be
4 heated it to boiling. II took but thirt
. seconds to dry out q saturated spong
Suddenly DR.. Mcdonald looked over u
: ward his colleagues and gave a slight mo-
He was standing behind the chair no
with q stop watch in one hand, a handke
chief in the other.
DR. Rockwell nodded in return and I
suddenly dropped the white signal, an
Davis, the electrician, standing at Il
switchboard three feet away, turned ii
little lever which shunted the current {
to the line OF the hidden executioner
the box behind. Slocum's hands we
n clinched. The twenty-four arc ligh
Q burned steadily, for they took but an i
fnitesimal part Of the tremendous currei
approximating 1900 volts.
Tho Deadly Moment.
Who was the executioneri No one WI
knows will tell. But Il was said to be
we'll known member Of the prison sta
who should be present, but was invisibl
He turned his switch almost simultaneou
ly with the other.
AT once the body became rigid and h
y visible portions Of the face grew crimso
Il The great straps just creaked with 81
strain Their edges fairly cut into d
tiesh Of the arms and legs, and 10 seemi
as if the body would leap from the chair
it were not so strongly pinioned.
A sigh ran through the spectators al
then-then they were looking on inaI
mate fish, and the touch Of nature whi'
makes the whole world kin had fed fc
ever James Slocum was no more.
- smile ON His Face.
~ The doctors gathered close about al
noted the effect, exchanging notes. The
were rubber mats underneath for safet
but no one thought Of danger. The hai
of death in one Of it's most potent and su
s. den forms was before them. They ystudi
! il keeply, for it was a rarity and eve
Ls point and feature was invaluable. ~
fixed smile still remained on Slocum
face, but 1t did not look pleasant und
the apoplectic hue. A prayer had died
an sudden death upon his lips
81 Twenty secondsl They sped away swi
er than you would think, and at the Ell
a. Electrician Davis, responding to nc
ss switched the current off, and the lin
! body collapsed and shrunk, but was he
: by the sustaining straps. The death Ii
20 inside the closet was still open, for the 5