Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-07-09
ELECTROTHANASIA,
Comment on the Execution at
Sing Sing Prison.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE AUTOPsIEs.

Some Expert Views on the New style OF
Killing CriminaIs-An Evening World
Reporter Sees Something That Ply
stefan Declares Did Not Exist-The
New York Press Unit Against the
Secrecy of the Executions Under the
Law-Warlen Brown Denounced.
NEW YORK, July 9.-The following is an
account of the autopsy on the bodies of
the four men who paid the penalty of
- their crimes by electrothanasia Tuesday
at Sing Sing prison. 1t rs given exactly
as it fell from the lips of one of the physi-
clans in attendance, whose name is with
held at his own request: 1--WE selected
the japanese first he said because of
his physical development. He was as re
markedly built a man as / ever saw. A
triangular cut was made directly over the
breastbone. The heart and lungs were
then removed, afterward the stomach
liver, kidneys and bladder. Both lungs
and heart were filled with venous blood
Thecolor of all the organs, as we doctors
say, was perfect. The fluids in the body
were thinner than before death, showing
the rapid disintegration caused by the
marks or burns on any of the men and
they were all possessed of remarkably fine
physiques, while their internal organs
were not diseased in any way.
The Jap Had Big Brain.
"The japanese would really adorn any
anatomical museum. A significant fact
was that his brain was of more than aver
, age size and normal This proved CON
clusively that any talk as to his insanity
was the veriest bosh. As soon as the au-
topsy on his body had been concluded the
organs were replaced and the triangular
aperture closed, as indeed was done with
each of the others. The second man ex-
amined was Smiler. His relatives were
waiting to claim the body Nothing
extraordinary was discovered except that
his left lung had several tubercles. which
might have troubled him in later years
had he lived. Wood and Slocum followed
with the result of showing, as in the 9TH
err perfect internal organs.
1t Was instantaneous Death.
Il have performed a great many autop-
sizes, but never saw one done under more
favorable circumstances. You see that
practically the men were almost the same
as though they had been cut up alive
death came so instantaneously. The aver
age man has not stomach which is
healthy, but JuCigos was wonderfully so.
We all noticed and commented on il. The |
absence Of marks or burn spots is explained !
by the careful way in which the electrodes |
were applied. Usually blister is found |
which is caused by the moisture in the |
sponge cooperating as steam and scalding |
the person. !
Performed with Perfect DecenCN.
IL would like to say that l never saw an |
autopsy performed with greater decency. |
1t could not have been done with more
pains If il had taken place over four kings |
The results from a medical point of view /
were satisfactory, but nothing very valu-
able was learned. As medical men we are
all convinced that the electric chair is
rapid, effective and painless"
DR.. Charles A. Daniels, of Buffalo, one
OF the witnesses, and a participant in the
autopsy, had this TO say. The scientific
value of the execution would not be re-
yealed in the autopsy That will only
come when each physician has made mi
croscopic examination and otherwise test
ed the tissue he has taken away"
An Electrical ExpeDt's Opinion.
All the doctors were positive that the
death was painless. and agreed that cleo
trothanasia was far the most humane
method so far tried of executing the sen
tence Of the law upon criminals.
Horatio B. Beekman, president of the
Edison Electric Light company, of this
city, was present at the execution as an
expert. Mr.. Beekman said: 1T was a
great success. Everything worked smooth
ly. There was no hitch or botch at any
point. \ lady could have witnessed the
entire execution. By that mean there
were no revolving scenes or struggles 1t
was simply one moment living creature
an instant later lifeless corpse, without
murmur or a struggle. As to improve
ments that suggest themselves to an ex-
pert, you may say, that while the appii-
ances may be greatly improved upon, there
will probably never be more successful |
execution than that of yesterday"