The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-07-14

the chair. When the electrodes were
removed it was discovered that his
skull and the flesh of his leg had been
slightly burned; but there was no smell
of roasting flesh such as made the
kemmler e~lectrocution SO horrible.
The straps were Embossed and the body
carried back into the rear room.
Smiler did not hesitate when told
that his hour had come, but when
the death chair appeared before him he
almost fell to the floor. His knees
Knocked together and but for the sup
port of his spiritual advisers he would
certainly have collapsed. Warden
Brown quickly read the death warrant,
and Smiler was hastily seated In the
chair. His face took on a CHASTITY hue
and C~onnaughton got no assistance
from this victim in arranging the
straps. Smiler was bound and the cleo
trodes applied in q much briefer time
than SlOcum, and in a few seconds Smi-
Ter also was dead. The same slight
burning under the electrodes was no.
ticed as in Slocum's case.
Wood had been prepared by Fathers
Creeden and Lynch while Smiler was
going to his death and he was all ready.
He uttered no word when the time
came. He walked to death supported
by the priests. Wood betrayed no emo
ton when he gazed upon the chair, but
kept his eyes fixed on the crucifix. He
sat down in the chair dinidently and
his binding was accomplished 80 quick
ly that 1T was only twenty-four min
utes from Smiler's end until death
came to Wood. 1t was becoming easy
to kill men. The witnesses displayed
no emotion. There was nothing to
cause nausea, and death came to its
victims so quickly that it was all over
before they realized it.
Jugiro at first refused to leave his
cell, but when ~Connaughton said Come
on, Joe, be a brave man. the Jap walked
out quietly. Two additional keepers
marched one on each side of the Jap,
while the chaplains followed behind
the warden and his deputy. The Jap
did not seem to comprehend the pur-
poses OF the chair and seated himself
without a protest. A keeper assisted
Connaughton in binding the Jap and
The last act was quickly accomplished.
The current was allowed to remain in
the Jap's body about three seconds
longer Than with the three others; ac-
cordingly his skull and leg were strong
ly marked by the electrodes. Jugiro's
body was taken away. Six bells we're
struck as Il signal to the electrician in
the dynamo room that all was over,
and the witnesses returned to the War
den's room.
The approximate time of turning on
the current in each case was: Slocum.
4.4O; Smiler, $40; Wood, $50; Jugiro,
600. The prisoners had received some
intimation beforehand that the execu-
lions were to take place this morning
and they were prepared for them. They
went to the execution chair bravely
and met their fate without Il struggle.
They offered no resistance. but rather
assisted the keepers when they were
bound down In the chair. The cleo
trOdes were not applied as in the
Kemmler case to the top of the skull
and the base of the spine, but were
bound to the forehead of the con-
demned men and the calves of their
legs. The current was turned on in
each case for twenty seconds. The
voltage was about 1900 and 1000. In
each case there was apparent evidences
of revival as in Reminders case, and in
each of these four cases the current
was turned on a second time. In spite
of the fact that tho sponges were kept
constantly wet all of the executed men
were burned by the current. and espe-
cially about the calves Of their legs.
Medical men present agree that death
came on the first contact and that the
seeming revival was merely reflex mus
cular action. None of the witnesses
was overcome by fright and all of them
who have spoken have m ade the state
ment that the electrodes were success
full and that death in all cases was in.
Simultaneous and painless.