Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-07-09
HOW THEY SHUEFLED OH
Further Details or the Eiectrocu-
ZION az sang Sing
The VICTIMS BURIED II QUICK LINE
An nss witness graphically Relates
ths sTery az Their Taking or
Effects Of the sasek
lpea st0esm.

0t<t TA'Hs ~ % ~ - EsAA4E .
CT the eleetrocat.on on TUESDAY gives
The following account OF slocum's
death.
slocan made 10 resistance as ne sss led
mo tae execution ro0Ea osst szliSed qaLetiy 10
ths sEslr 4ad sat Gosa- A nc seated hiInssf
aad leaned back TIE wsrden's assistants
stepped lcFS ard and crew across Eis chest ani
under ais arms the heavy straps. ~nleh were
securely fastened 70 tne back Of the chair.
Then about his wrists and over his arms
they drew osaes straps which they Daesied
closely. HIS legs were quickly strapped 70 rhs
legs q ne chair De. Mcdonald superintendent
ths ad.as tmsnt. The last 70 be pus in place
were one across the face. almost
over the mouth. but not so as 10
prevent speeea ard another over the
eyes aud tho upper part OF tie nose Then the
-nx1rs four over Slocans head WAS brought
down aud the eleetrode fastened 10 the
hsadstTap The secoad eleetEode vas fast
ened 10 the right leg near the calf ssis
Il the trousers having been left for that pur
pose. Ths wires were then attached 10 the
electrodes. As the doctors flashed their In
spection Of the straps. they nodded 20 DIR. Nc
Donald who stood bohind the chair with
watch In one hand and a handkerchief in the
other. The handkerchief fell. AID al the
signal Electrician Davis tcfned the
switch bar which threw tho whole
strength Of the electric current into the circuit
passing through the execution chamber The
farming On Of this current was the signal for
the unkno~n exeeutioner within the closet
He instantly shifted the switeh.
Immediately tho body an the chair stinened
sgalnst The straps perfectly rigid Every mus
&c nrm SET as though some awful
effort 10 escape from the bonds that
held IL tight msfe them lie springs Of tenn
persd steel The straps strained with the
peculiar sound OF strvtchi1g leather. Their
edges pressed deep into the yielding flesh OF
me face a1d gripped lie clothing tightly.
me expression Of the face WAS lost under
TIE broad bands drawn across the eyes AZ
the nose and chin. bat the skin EXPOSED TO
view turned a purple red The spectators
drew about the chair standing the rub
Der mats for safety. sad the physicians COM
pared notes on the physical phenomena pre-
seated Or. ncDoaad nxed his eyes the
stop watch ia his hand When IL marked
twenty seconds he nodded 10 Electrician Davis.
who stood with his hands still on the switch
waiting Cor the signal Davis turned .
switch aud the current ceased to now
The effect on the body Of Slceum
was Amos, Instantaneous. From q position Of
great muscular activity 10 suddenly subsidized in
hollow chested collapse Instead Of straining
against the straps il hung In them limp and un
steady.
A moment 81 uncertainty followed Would
the dead man appear 10 revive a. Kemmier
had dones Would his chest heAve and his
lips give forth the sound OF bresthings The
experts a Auburn had said that the current
turned ON kemmler was TOO weak-that 10 had
been turned or TOO soon. Throagh this
body steady current OF 100 volts had
been runniag-twiee the strength Of The aver
ag- current tia. passed through Kemmlers
body. II had been for twenty seconds. or
i've seconds longer than the current Ia the
Kemmlsr case. Would the man move or
al ate amin rfru. 81
turning life that had korrined the spectators
a. Auburn,
The seconds passed slowly-how many OF
them IL not known. but in less than a
minutes space theirs came between the lips
of the pailid face hanging IA the death har-
ness rush OF air which whistled between
the half clinched teeth and ended in half
sigh. half grosn only did the lungs
seem to contract. Quickly as Dr. Mcdonald
could raise hts hand TO give the signal
the electrician drew the switch and tho
electric current rushed through the death
circuit sud the body In the chair stiff
fened again against the straps. the
time OF the contac. was not made
public DR.. Mcdonald has the record OF IT,
The stop watch did not regulate the length
OF the contact this time. The same uE-
happy event that brought the Kemmler
execution TO q close made a sudden end Of
slocums experience IN the electric chair
he s&ln Aau Hc>l OF the leg anu almost I'M
metiately afterward the skin OF the fore
head began 20 smoke DR. Mcdonald again
sisnaied the electrician 20 turn the switch. the
current was Withdrawn and Instantly the body
collapsed again This time there no re-
spouse from the muscles. The figure huisy
silent and notioniess in the straps There was
no doubt that Iiocam was dead
The electrician signaled the engineer. the
dynamo stopped and the whirring sound that
sounded so closely 10 the waiting ears OF the
watchers without through the silent morning
mir had died away. The warden's as
sistants stepped forward and loosened
the electrodes. One BY the straps
which confined the body TO the chair were IN
buck ed. Unlike those OF Kemmler. Slocum's
remains we're 50 limp they would have slipped
from the chair as the las, strap was unfastened
had not The attendants held them IN place.
From the chair Sloeum's BODY was carried to
The adjoining apartment who're N was laid out
On On. Of TIE long tables piacsd there for the
autopsy.
The second of the condemned men
chosen was Smiler. the Salvation Army
bigamist, who murdered one of his
wives Again the white handkerchief
fell, the electrician threw the switch,
and in a moment later the straps
loosened under the strain OF the taut
muscles "a the electric current shot
through the body. The contact
in this case as In the others with
perhaps some almost inappreciable
vsriasionl was twenty seconds The
current measured some 1 500 volts. At
the end of twenty seconds the current
was turned off, but only for minute.
The chest OF The nan in the chair be-
gan 20 heave aud the current was turned
on once more, until. as in the case of
Slocuu. IL burned the flesh Then it
was shut of again.
Wood was the third TO be executed.
He came willingly. accompanied by
two priests. ard went through the
ordeal bravely with substantially the
same results. The first contact in
Woods ease. as in the others. did not
seem to be anal and IL needed a second.
and was continued until The flesh was
sipged while satisfying the physicians
that the man was dead
The fourth man to meet death was
the Japanese Jrgigo He took his
place in the chair qaietly suffered the
attendants 20 bind him without protest.
aud stoiidly awaited the shock. IL
came 70 him "a 10 tae other three and
with like results. The FIRST contact
did not destroy al appearance of life.
and the second burned the hesh- There
was no doubt of The death Of the Jap
when he was taken from the chair.
In Reminders ease the burning Of
she hsdv vas sserie-d in part 20 the
fast that the sponxss Sc the electrodes
-. - al ,.-.f&a.& Il all f,x,~
eases today the srcuEes were wetted