The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-07-09
CURR aNTS OF ETERNITY
TURNED ON THE FOUR WRETcHEs
AT SING SING,

TURNED ON TIE FOUH WNE IO1ES
AT SING SING,
Case-Th, rrisone Help Adjust the
Straps witch Houad Them to the Fatal
chair -- deterioration Pronounced a
Sueces-.
SING SIya, n. Y, July s.-The second
electrocution in history took place at
the state prison here yesterday. The
first occurred at Auburn eleven months
ago, when the sentence Of death was
carried out on u illiam Kemmer. Every
precaution had been exercised to AVOID
the mistakes which made Kanmler's ex-
ecution failure The causes of the ac-
cidents and delays q ere were known to
the warden at Sing ng. aud they had
been anticipated iu re arrangements
for the execution of the four men who
were to be rut tO death during this
week. The tcsfaI voltage Of the dyna-
mos had been 3ant uptO 5000, while
the estimated We @ which was turned
into Kemmlrrs ..ar was only 100. The
weal,npsg Of .gr.rnrf, at the Kemmler
execution .M c.. uable. in part. to
the slippiu- oi t.e uelts on the dyna-
mos. and u-Ygsisl precautions had been
taken to avoid this at Sing Sing. A de-
vice for the tightening of the belts, If
they should slip, was ready in the
dynamo room at the north end of the
prison.
Enect of the Kemmler Bungle.
The dynamo ua,d was q Westing-
house, counterpart Of the machine used
at Auburn, but it was supplemented by
a smaller dynamo, intended to augment
the current. The arrangement of the
apparatus for the testing of the current
was clumsy at Auburn-so imperfect
that through the neglect Of one of the
electricians the inCandescent lamp used
TO test the voltage was left burning and
absorbing the greater part of the cur
rents strength when it was turned into
ihe body Of the condemned man. Here,
t Sing Sing. the switch controlling the
lectriC current was SO arranged that
he motion turned the current into the
wire running to the execution chair,
turned il away from the lamps and the
other devices for measuring its strength.
The witnesses to the execution gathered
at the prison in response to the warden's
invitation half an hour or more before
the time fixed for the electrocution TO
take place The warden had invited the
full number Of those whom the law
authorized and directed him to invite,
and as far as he could he had insured
their presence. The law says nothing
about The number of persons who should
be present Ii directs the warden to in
vite certain officials and twelve citizens
Warden Brown interpreted the law to
authorize him TO send out only twelve
Invitations outside of those extended to
the officials named
The Currcnt Turned On.
The approximate time in turning on
the current was, SlOcum, 4:l4; Smiler,
$40; Wood, 5:2O: Jugiro, sos. The
prisoners had received some intination
that the executions were to take place
and were prepared. going TO the execu-
ton chair brayely and meeting their
fate without Il struggle. They offered
no resistance, but rather assisted the
keepers when hound down to the chair.
Electrodes We're not applied as in the
Kemmler case, TO the top Of the skull
and the base of the spine, but were
bound 10 the fOrCheads Of the condemned
men and the calves Of their legs. The
current was turned on in each case for
thirty seconds. The voltage was about
1900 and 1000. In each case there
were apparent evidences of revival as in
the Kemmler case and on each of these
four cases the current was turned on
the second time. In spite of the fact
that the sponges We're kept constantly
wet. all of the executed men were
burned by the current and especially
about the calves of the legs. Medical
men present agree that death came on
the first contact, and that the seeming
revival was merely the reflex Of muscu-
lar action. None Of the witnesses were
overcome by fright, and all have
made statements that electrOCutiOns
were successful, and death in all cases
were instantaneous and painless.
witnesses of the Electrocution.
Almost all of the witnesses to the ex-
ecution have gone to their homes, and
the horde of newspaper men that deco
rated the roadway IN front Of the prison
for twenty-fOur hours have gone away.
The guard about the prison has been re-
moved and affairs have resumed their
customary course. The witnesses of the
electrocution 50 far as known were: DR..
Carlos F. Mcdonald of the state lunacy
commission, DR.. Franklin Townsend and
DIR. Samuel B. Ward of Albany, Charles
DurstOn, warden Of the Auburn prison;
George French, an attorney from AL
bany; DR.. G. E. Daniels and DR.. South
wick of Buffalo, John w. Hogan, dep
uty attorney general of the state; DR..
Wilson of Newburg, Dr. A. w. Rock
well of New York, Professor Laudy of
Columbia college, and George Edgar
Oliver of Albany, friend of Governor
Hill. These witnesses and one or two
others whose names are not known
signed the certificate of death which
Warden Brown is to file with the county
clerk within ten DAYS.