Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1891-07-17


trousers OF dark pattern, a white
Shirt turn down collar aud BLACK
| cravat.
DIR. Mcdonald fixed his eyes on the
stop watch in his hands and watched
it tick off minue fractions of seconds.
When it marked twenty seconds he
nodded to Electrician Davis. who stood
with his hands still on the switch wait
ing for the signal. 1t had been de-
cided that to wait for the executioner
in the closet to respond to signal
would mean loss of time which would
| mako the duration OF the current un-
certain and destroy some OF the scien-
tific value OF the experiment So the
electrical apparatus had been so con-
structed that when the current was
turned on the chair circuit it could be
thrown out OF both the chair and the
executioner's closet by the operation
of Electrician Davis lever, so that
when DR.. Mcdonald nodded to the
electrician he threw the switch bar
across the board and the current ceased
to flow through the apparatus of death.
From the chair Slocum's remains
were carried to an adjoining apart
ment where they were laid out on one
of the long tables for the autopsy.
The next man chosen was Smiler,
the Salvation Army bigamist who MUIR
dered one of his wives. TO summon
Smiler the warden had to pass the cell
of Wood, but in front OF all the con-
demned mems cells iron screens had
been drawn SO that none of them knew
before his time which OF the others
had been summoned The warden
passed around the screen which shut
in Jugiro's cell and then he came to
Smiler. He came out supported by
Rev. Mr.. Edgerton on one side and
Rev. Mr.. Law on the other He be-
trayed no fear as he faced the curious
eyes OF the witnesses in the execution
chamber and looked for the first time
on the death chair.
The contact in this case, as in the
others. with perhaps some almost in
appreciable variation) was twenty sec
onds. The current measured some
fifteen hundred volts At the end OF
twenty seconds the current was turned
off, but only for minute. The chest
OF the man in the chair began to heave
and the current was turned on once
more, until, as in the case of Slocum
1t burned the flesh.
Wood was the third to be executed.
He came willingly, accompanied by
the two priests, and went through the
ordeal oravely. The first contacts in
Woods case, as in the others, did not
seem final. and it needed Il second, and
was continued until the flesh was
singed. satisfying the physicians that
he was dead.
In Kemmler's case the burning OF
the body was ascribed in part to the
fact that the sponges at the electrod es
were not well wetted. In ali four cases
today the sponges were wetted in
stantly and still the body was burned.
The reason for this result will have to
be sought elsewhere.
The fourth man to meet death was
the Japanese Jugiro. 1t had been en-
pected that if any of the prisoners
made resistance to being placed in the
chair it would be he. The brute ma
ture which broke out in violence many
times during the course OF his confine-
ment might have been expected to
make supreme effort at the last to
thwart the law or annoy and injure its
administrators. but the long term of
his confinement had bowed Jugiro into
tame submission. When the warden
and the keepers came to him in his
cell he was seated on the floor. He
sprang up as though he met the sum-
mons gladly and he surveyed his
guards quietly. He was dressed like
the others-in black coat and vest,
dark trousers, white collar and black
ties. He took his place quietly, suf-
fered the attendants to bind him with.
out protest and stolidly awaited the
shock. 1t came to him as to the others
and with like results. The first con-
tact did not destroy all appearance oil
life and the second burned the flesh.