St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-02
REVIEWING A STENCIL.
The Doctors Make Report on Sing
Sing Execution.

ALBANY, n. Y. Oct. l. = Austin
Lathrop, superintendent of state
prisons, to-day gave to the press the
report of the details attending the ex-
ecution of the four murderers at Sing
Sing on the morning of July z. The re-
port was first presented to Warden
Brown, of Sing Sing prison, by
DR.. Charles 7. Macdonald, of New
York. and Samuel B. Ward, of Albany,
who were the official physicians In
charge of the executions. The report
states that James j. Slocum, the first of
the four who were executed, entered
the death chamber at 4:33 a. IN. Two
minutes and forty seconds were con-
sumed by fastening him. The current,
LASS volts strong, was applied and con-
tlnued twenty-Seyen seconds and then
was broken. The pulse was still found
to be beating strongly and between one
and two minutes later noisy reSpira-
ton was established with considerable
regularity.
The current was Immediately reap
piled and continued for 264 seconds,
being finally broken at 4:39. Respira-
ton then ceased entirely and perma-
nently, and the heart-beats had also
stopped. Twenty-Five minutes later
llEOI IlOItlo StG lIls AlISI DlOcuIl )
body was removed the doctors con-
Guided it was quite possible that the
long continuance of the current was not
so important factor in producing rapid
cessation of the heartbeat, as the sud-
den impact of making and breaking the
contact, and for that reason the next
execution was conducted little differ
emily.
Harris a. Smiler entered the room at
5:06:30. Two minutes later the first of
three contacts of ten seconds each was
made. Even the heart was yet beating
strongly and the current was turned on
nineteen seconds more, when the heart
stopped. One thousand four hundred
and eighty-five volts had been used.
From these results the doctors decided
that the duration of the current was
quite as important an item as the max
ing and breaking of the contact. 1t
was therefore determined to make the
contact in the next case longer, inter
ruptions being necessary to permit of
moistening the sponges.
Joseph Wood was next. Three con-
facts of twenty seconds each were
made, at the end of which time respira-
ton had ceased permanently and no
pulse could be felt, nor any heart beat
heard. 1,4S5 volts had been the pres
sure.
Jugigo, the Jap. was last. At 6:O2:15
a. m. the circuit was closed for the first
time, and three contacts of fifteen sec
onds each followed with two intermis-
sions of twenty seconds each. When
the current was finally broken very
slight 1utterlng was felt at the wrist.
In this case extreme heat was not
iced in the region of the knee
above the point where the lower cleo
trode had been applied, and thermom-
eter held against the skin for only fif-
teen seconds ran up TO 115 degrees, the
highest point it registered, while the
sensation it conveyed to the hand was
such as to render it probable that the
temperature had run up to the boiling
point of water, if not higher. At 6:17
cessation of the heart beat was con-
frmed. The voltage was 1,4S5.
The conclusions of the medical men
are: ''From the experience had in these
four cases we are inclined to the belief
that, while Inconsistencies was instan-
taneous and continuous from the mo-
ment of each contact in each case, vet,
in order to insure that death supervene
as speedily as possible, it is necessary
to continue current of the voltage en-
ployed in these cases for from fifty to
sixty seconds. In each case the tenn
perature of the water near to and at the
edges OF the electrodes was raised
nearly, If not quite, to the boiling point,
SO as to blister the skin more or less ex-
tenSively. There was absolutely no
where any smoking or charring or
hurninp ,;