Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-08

before Slocum was bound in the chair.
When the electrodes were adjusted and
the wires attached, the three scientists
glanced at the switch board and said the
current was steady and registered 1900
volts.
Drs. Mcdonald and Rockwell then
stood on either side OF the chair. The
other physicians among the witnesses
also drew near, while the laymen stood
back as though not sure of their nerves.
Drs. Daniels, Southwick and Ward took
especial interest in the preliminaries,
and with watch in hand awaited the sig
| nal.
THE FLUID TURNED ON.
Prof. Landy's hand grasped the handle
of the switch which turned the current
into the wires in the electrocutioner's
closet. Warden Brown raised his hand
and Prof. Landy turned the switch.
Then the warden tapped on the closet.
The unknown man inside gave a quick
pull to the lever. The electric fluid was
released before the sound OF the tap
reached Slocum's ears, and sped through
his body.
There was not tIemor OF his body as
the physician counted the seconds and
when Prof. Landy turned off the current,
Slocum sat rigid and lifeless in the chair.
When the electrodes were removed it
was discovered that his skull and the
flesh of his leg had been slightly burned,
but there was no smell of roasting flesh,
such as made the KeInmler electrocu
ton 80 horrible. The straps were un-
loosed and the body carried back into
the rear room.
sMILER'S HOUR COME.
Smiler did not hesitate when told his
hour had come, but when the death
chair appeared before him, he almost
fell to the floor. His knees knocked
together, and but for the support of his
spiritual adviser he would certainly have
collapsed. Warden Brown quickly read
the death warrant and Smiler was has
tily seated in the chair. His face took
on ghastly hue, and Connaughton got
no assistance from his victim in arrang-
ing the stays. Smiler was bound and
the electrodes applied in much briefer
time than to Slocum, and in a few Sec
onds Smiler was also dead. The same
slight burning under the electrodes was
noticed as in Slocum's case.
WOOD QUICKLY DISPOSED OF.
Wood had been prepared by Fathers
Creeden and Lynch, while Smiler was
going to his death, and he was ready
when the officers came for him. He ut
tered no word when his time came. He
walked to his death, supported by the
priests. Wood betrayed no emotion
when he gazed on the chair, but kept
his eyes on the crucifx. He sat down
in the chair diffdently, and binding
him was accomplished soon. In fact it
was only twenty-four minutes from
Smiler's end, until death came to him.
1t was easy to kill the men. The wit
nesses displayed no emotion. There
was nothing to cause nausea and death
came to its victims soquietly that it was
all over before they realized it.
THE JAP EXECUTED LAST.
Jugiro at first refused to leave his cell,
but when Connaughton Said "Come
on, Jo, be brave man." the Jap walked
out quietly. Two additional keepers
marched, one on each side of the Jap,
} while chaplains followed behind the
warden and his deputy. The Jap did
not seem to comprehend the purpose of
the chair, and seated himsalf without a
protest. A keeper assisted Connaugh-
, ton in binding him, and the last act was
quickly accomplished. The current was
allowed to remain on the Jap's body
about three seconds longer than the con-
tact with the others. Accordingly his
skull and leg were strongly marked by
the electrodes. His body was taken
away. Six bells were struck as a signal
that all was over, and the witnesses re-
turned to the warden's room.
The entire time consumed in execut-
ing the four men was one hour and
tWenty-three and half minutes.
THE ELECTRoCUuoN SUCCESSFUL.
The mistakes OF the electrical experts
which made the execution OF Kemmler
in part failure were carefully avoided
today. The causes of accident and de-
lays at Auburn were known to the
warden at Sing Sing, and they had been
, anticipated in the arrangements for the
J execution Of the four men who were
to be put to death during this week.
The tested voltage of the dynamos had
been brought up to 5000, while the esti-
mated voltage which was turned into
Kemmler's body was only 750. The
weakness of the current at Kemmler's 8
execution was chargeable in part to the
| slipping of the belts on the dynamos,
: and especial precautions had been taken
to avoid this today. The dyna-
mo used was a Westinghouse,
! a counterpart of the style used at Au-
burn, but was supplemented by a
| smaller dynamo intended to augment
, the current. At today's execution, the
, executiener was in a small closet with
: an open top, through which he could
hear anything said to him by the war
| den or any Of his assistants, and the
, electricians were in the execution
' chamber itself. Besides, by the
l arrangement of the switches, it
, was possible for the electrician himself
: to turn the current into the execution
chair, or to turn it off in case the execu-
toner should be confused or fail to re-
+ spond to the warden's signals. With
} these precautions it was thought that
> every chance OF failure was provided
, against.
. NO HITCH IN THE PROCEEDINGS.
! There was no apparent hitch in the
four executions, and they were pro.
! nounced success. The death of the
l four men appeared to the observers to
be painless. Death came like a flash.
Doctors took charge of the four bodies
} Immediately after death, and began an
autopsy, to discover as far as possible
) how rapid had been the killing and the