New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-02
THE FoUR ELECTRICAL EXECUTIONS.
CONCLUSIONS DRAWN IN A REPORT BY DRs.
MACDONALD AND WARD.

CONCLUSIONS DRAWN IN REPORT BY DIS
MACDONALD AND WARD.
Albany. Oct 1.-Austln Lathrop, Superintendent Oh
State Prisons, tOdey gave to the press report u ~
details attending the execution Of the tour nuueiclS
at Sing Sing on the morning of July 7. The report
yrhich was first presented to Warden Brown OF Sing
Sing Prison, is signed by DIS. Carlos T. MacDohoio
Of New-York, and samuel b. Ward, Of Albany VINO
were the official physicians in charge OF Tile eAeou
tions aud is in part as follows:
In all these eecrode was so apP ib aS
TO cover the forehead and temples, aud the OtnerS
larger Jne-the calf of the right leg, except ~ h o
case Of Joseph Wood in which It was appnea o 70 viii I'm
left leg The electrodes were thoroughly VIZ 80
solution of salt and water before the current Was
turned on and moiste9ed at Intervals V Whe1 '0
current was interrupted, With the same soiuUon, 81
LANES j. Slocum entered the execution room ~
4 :33. The electric current was cOmPioUeu, t.rorty
first time at 35 40. The first contact iasteu t G
seer seconds nt the end of which time 1t was broken
but the pulse still FOUND 10 DO octtoiIs 80 nc nj
ana T Established with considerable regularity
The current was Immediately reappned anu ,IS
for 26 IA seconds being finally DlOAen " ~ H.
ResnIraiion had then ceased entirely and permanently
and auscultatiOn showed that the hearIoc1v9 . M
stopped Professor l.. II. Landy reports t"ay hiar
nresture in this case amounted to 145o Volts. AiteI
the removal of socums body consnitau0a @o ~ tbe
nnanimos feeling that It quite possible that the
long continuance OF the current was nov 50 t 90
9rior iu producing rapid cessation Of the heartbea as
no sudden impact of mixing and breaking the contact
and Tor that the next execution was coIuuc'cd
INV will be- noticed that in the first case the current
was annipd for ffty three seconds In all Al the enc
of that time the respiration and the heartOeae iau p
nonentlv ceased In the second case farrls y. omi
ler,sl nj the end of three contacts OF zen Secolus
the heartbeat was still strong ana az the cnu vi Wy
Irth opplcaon Of nineteen seconds, hau perHlaneUtH
ceased IL would appear from this tha tne dura,En
- tho cnrrent was quite important an Item as lle
1naiiup and breaking Of the contact. II was tncio
fore determined to make the contact IN te netS TsS
q little longer interruptions Deih5 hece9Sa'! W P''
nit of mostoning the sponges. Il q. oo S .ha
Iosenh Wood entered the room at ~ anu lne
oloct circuit was completed at IA 40 Three con-
facts OF twenty seconds each were aae az @
pulse could be felt at the wrist ana ~ nSar'Deao
heard on ascultatlon Professor Lal3 i It tSe
I'm this pressure OF l472 vo ri - w. de-
termined to make them little shorter IN inc he6O
Schlchlok Jugro entered the room at ~ % d. III
AT :O2 rs tho circuit was closed ior tg l e
loved with two intermissons Of twenty secOnGs eaon
When fine current finally broken very
slirht dutteIng was felt at the wrist IN tlS case eA
trcne heat was noticed in the region OF the knee ABOVE
the nont where the lower electrOde had been ap
Piled and Thermometer held against tns sM ,ba oe
6nIv fifteen seconds ran up TO 115 degrees the s.esI
lie hand was such 10 render i probaDe III t tc
tnTneraure had run up TO the boiling point ot W3ter
II nGt higher At III the cessation OF tie hcar, h
was confirmed The body was removes I pto. snT
roon at G "a The pressure reported by ProieSSor
iandv i'm this case was !, 4s5 volts. -
Fr6n the experience had In these four cases we
are declined Ia the hehet that, WhIie n,onnepT
in tIntare OuS and continuous ON u MS nloi1Slt
t cnntact in each case yet in order TO insure mat
de,tb su>ervene as speedily rs possible, IL Is nesss
70 continue current Of the voltage employed IN tsse
ceseS Tor from fifty sixty seconds. IN each ease
%e tomnerature OF the water near 20 and az the cages
~ the electrodes raised nearly II n8t IuSe, 10
the boiling point so as No aSsouey Nowhere any
tv,obInC or charrng or burning Inc autoPles IN ~
sHose Gases were made soon as cOuld conveniently
he done after the executions