The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-07-08
IT Was A SUCCESS
The ElectrOcutiOns at Sing Sing
Were Successful.
THE FOUR CONDEMNED CRIMINALS
They Met Their Death Bravely-Disagreement
Among the Witnesses as to Occurrences
In the Death Chamber.

prison here early this morning. The men
were James G. Slocum. who killed his wife
December 81, 1889; Harris A. Smiler, an
who murdered his second wife April 3,
1889; Joseph Wood (negro) ar aqueduct
laborer, who murdered fellow laborer, an
Italian named Carlo Ruff, in May, 1889, and
Shbuya Jugiro, Japanese sailor, who bru-
tally killed fellow countryman, Mura
Canni.
The execution of the four men is declared
to have been perfectly successful and with
out any of the horrors attending the excel
ton of the murderer Kemmler at Auburn
prison. There are, however, statements
from witnesses which do not confirm the
assertions by the officials. There is an in
teresting fact connected with the expert
ment made yesterday in the presence Of
the witnesses of to-day's electrocution
which has bearing on the seeming in
efficiency of single contact. A horse was
brought in to be killed. The dynamo was
run up to a speed which would generate
from 500 to 600 volts, the force of the
current which it had been determined
demned men to-day. The first contact, on
account of the greater resistance of the
animal, was twenty eight seconds. 1t did
not Kill the animal. 1t seemed TO have
stunned him, and second current and a
third were turned on before the work was
completed. The necessity of two con-
facts, which is affirmed to have
been the case in each electrocution
to-day, finds its excuse, il not
its explanation, in the experience with the
horse at yesterdays experiment Wit
nesses OF the execution signed an agree
ment last night that they would not reveal
what occurred within the execution
chamber. The autopsies were performed
by o'clock this afternoon and the corps of
physicians LETT the depot a short time after
for New York and Albany. DR.. Mac
Donald, who conducted the execution and
autopsy, was asked for a statement. He
declined TO give any information, saying
the results would be gwen out in Albany
from official sources. When asked TO deny
the statement that the men did not die in
stantly he said: 81 have nothing to say as
TO that Inconsistencies was immediate
and the men suffered no pain. They made
no resistance at all.
do you deny they were burned.'
Il decline To be interviewed on that
point
Dr. Ward was asked: "Did the first
shock kill the men,"
And he said: ST don't care to answer
that I think the execution was success
full %
The bodies of Jugiro, Wood and Slocum
will be buried late tonight in the potters'
field in quicklime. Smiler's body will be
removed by his wife in the morning.
When all the preparations were COM
plete this morning Warden Brown, Deputy
Warden Connaughton and two keepers
went to Slocum's Cell. He was quickly
marched into the execution chamber.
When the iron door had been closed behind
party, Slocum stood silent and stolid. He
showed no depth of interest in the cere-
mony In which he was to be participant.
The warden did not ask the prisoner if he
had anything TO say, and ne did not volun
teer anything. The prisoner walked quI-
city to the chair and sat down. The war
denis assistant stepped forward and drew
across his chest and under his arms heavy
straps which were securely fastened 10 the
back of the chair. Then about his wrists
and over his arms they drew other straps
which they Duckled closely, so no straining
under the influence of the current of cleo
tricity could throw the body into ugly con-
cortions, or move 1t from the posi-
ton in which the two electrodes
pressed against it and formed the
circuit through which the current
legs were quickly strapped TO the legs of
the chair. The last straps to be put in
place were the ones across the face They
were belts rather than straps. One was
drawn across the beard of the prisoner and
partly over his mouth, but not so far as to
prevent speech. The other was fastened
over his eyes and pressed down over his
nose. When the straps were all in place.
the figure ~" above his head was loosened
and brought down so the electrode fastened
TO the end of it at the base of the coil
spring hung in front OF his forehead. When
the sponge in the electrode was adjusted
the electrode was fastened in position by
strap passing about the head. Then the
second electrode was put in place. The
right right leg of the prisoners trousers
had been split up the side so the
electrode could be bound to the calf OF
the leg. 1t was fastened in place
Then the sponges in the electrodes were
thoroughly saturated with salt water; then
the doctors again carefully examined the
straps. Warden Brown stood outside as a
mere iooker-on. AS the doctors finished
nodded to DIR. Mcdonald, who dropped
handkerchief. Electrician Davis shifted
the switch bar, which threw the whole
strength of the current into the circuit
passing to the death chair. The turning on
of this current was the signal for the IN
known executiOner believed to be con-
vIct), within the closet Almost stimuli
taneously with the turning OF the current
he shifted the switch. In an instant the
body in the chair stiffened against the
straps; every muscle was firmly set and
the straps strained; the edges pressed
deep into the yielding flesh OF the face
and gripped the clothing tightly
The expression of the face was lost under
the broad bands drawn across the eyes,
nose and chin, but the skin exposed to view
had turned purple red. When DR.. Nc
Donald,s stop watch had marked twenty
seconds, he nodded to Electrician Davis,
who turned of the current. The effect on
the body of Slocum was almost instantan-
eous From a position of great muscular
activity, it suddenly subsidized into hollow
chested collapse. Instead of straining
against the straps, it hung against them
limp and unsteady. A moment of uncer-
tainty followed. Would the dead man ap-
pear to revive as kemmler had done. The
seconds passed slowly, how many Of them
them is not known, but in less than a min
ute's space there came between the lips Of
the paid face hanging in the death harness,
a rush Of air which whistled between the
half clinched teeth and ended in half
sigh, half groan. Only once did the limbs
Donald could raise his hand to
give the signal the electrician threw the
switch, the electric current rushed through
the death circuit and the body in the chair
stiffened again against the straps. The
time of contact was not made public but
DR.. Mcdonald has record Of it. The stop
watch did not regulate the length or con-
tact this time. The same unhappy event
that brought Kemmler's execution to a
close made q sudden end Of Slocum's exc.
perience in the death chair. The skin and
f1esh of the leg and almost Immediately