Evening journal., 1891-07-06
THE DEATH CHAIR WAITS
Sing Sings Four Murderers to
Die This Week.
THE DREAD TIME is STILL SECRET.

~+-A-~'H '""NNaAAp RRophh HObh anu
A. smiler Are Anxious to Have the
Horrible Suspense Ended--Jugiro the
Japanese Is Not Resigned to HIS Fate
SING SING, n. Y, July 6-With the
striking Of the hour of 10 midnight began
the week in which, according TO the law Of
the state, Horace A. Smiler, James J. Slo-
cum, Joseph Wood and Shihiok Jugigo
are to die by electricity at Sing Sing pris-
on. The only man who knows the day
and the hour when the men will be taken
to the death chair is Warden Brown. HI
has not given the slightest inkling Of his
intentions, nor has he even whispered who
the first victim will be; but it is believed
that one or more Of the condemned men
viii die today.
The arrangements for the state killing
are complete. Everything Is ready. The
big engine at the north end Of the prison
yard was in motion last night. The whii
Of its fly wheel could be distinctly heard
on the railroad track just outside the high
wall Puffs Of steam were coming from
the exhaust pipe with spiteful regularity
In Perfect Working Order.
Electrician Z. T. Davis made final in
spection of the dynamos and all the con
nections to the switchboard in the morn
ing He found everything in perfect work
ing order. IL needs but the touch OF a
lever TO transfer the electric force to the
chair in which the men are to die.
Guards were ordered on duty on the
highway in front of the prison at noon
They marched up and down, and strangers
were not permitted to pass them. just be-
low the south wall Of the prison are three
limekilns. A track leads from the high
ground out upon the tops Of the kilns.
From the track the south yard of the
prison and the buildings in which the
tragedies are to be enacted can be plainly
seen.
The witnesses TO lie Present.
Quite a number Of Sing Sing people ex-
pected to 60 out on this track at midnight
and gaze at the bleak walls, but even that
privilege has been cut off The track has
been closed by fence Some boys had ex-
pected TO climb the nearby telegraph poles,
but that will not be permitted. The state
is going to kill its condemned prisoners
very privately
The law says that twenty-seven persons
can be admitted. Twenty-seven will in
all probability be present. The number
viii be made up by the sheriff Of New
York or his representative, the district at
torney Of New York or bis representative,
the spiritual advisers Of the unfortunate
men, the medical experts, the post -mortem
examiners, the warden OF the prison and
the guards selected by him.
In the Chamber Of Death.
The death chamber is a wooden structur,
80 feet long and "A feet wide, with slight
\ ly slanting roof. Three OF the walls are
formed OF common pine lumber Is feet
high, and the rear wall Of the cell house.
serves as the fourth The building is di
vided into two rooms, one of which Is the
death chamber proper, the other the
autopsy room. They are each about is By
"a feet. The one at the south Is the death
chamber, and from the south end OF this
room next to the warden's part Of the
prison wing door opens into a long GOV.
cred walk leading from the warden's resi-.
dence into the chamber
Through this walk will pass the twenty
seven men who are to witness the killing.
1t has been covered in order to prevent the
! cOnvicts, who are at work in the fields
overlooking the courtyard, from seeing
any signs OF the crowd.
The Death Chair.
In the last of the rooms farthest from
the door leading into the covered passage
way are the death chair and the apparatus
connected with it, The chair is in every
respect similar to the one in which Kemm-
Ter suffered such awful agony 1t resem-
bles nothing SO much as one OF the massive
oaken dining chairs of early English days.
The back is high and stiff The arms ex-
tend straight out at right angles with the
back flush with the front OF the seat.
The legs are squat and out of proportion
to the back, and so low are they that the
knees Of the occupant are even with the
hips. The thing looks clumsy and i'll pro-
portioned.
To Secure the Doomed Men.
There are straps on each Of the arms to
pass over the prisoners forearms and
straps on each of the uprights, forming
the back to pass over his biceps A stout
strap below these bicep straps is to pass
I over the abdomen and another above to
pass over the chest These will hold the
condemned against the negative electrode
which is to rest at the base OF the spine on
the bare skin. Another strap, split in
front to afford breathing space, will pass
over the eyes and under the chin A rub
Der cushion will serve for headrest. and
figure four Of wood will slide up and
down on its stem in the center Of the top
most crosspiece in the back Of the chair.
On the lower or horizontal piece OF this
| figure 4 is a cup with a sponge in 1t. This
/ Is the positive electrode and from it up
/ through the remaining part of the figure
/ to a hook above the chair curls a snake
/ like piece Of wire. This hook resembles
the neck Of shower BATH and It curls
| backward, first upward, then downward,
until it disappears behind a closet door in
the corner Of the room.
The Executioner's Closet.
This closet is about six feet square and
contains the switchboard, the various in
struments used 10 measure the force Of
the electric current and the fatal switch.
When the time comes 1t will also contain
the executioner. who will enter through a
door in the rear Of the closet and remain
| concealed from view. The dynamo from
which the fatal current will be derived is
located in the north end of the prison. at
least quarter of a mile from the execu-
tion chamber.
The current viii be conveyed through
big copper wires over the house tops. The
| dynamo is similar in every respect to the
one used to kill KemmleT, but Warden
Brown says it viii be handled more skill
fully than the other was. The wires have
! all been connected and tested Nothing
| now remains TO be done but to seat the
victim in the chair, go through the terri
bly, agonizing process Of strapping him
and turn the switch.
IL All Works Well.