New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-08
PRICE THREE CENTS.
MURDERERS MEET DEATH.
FOUR PAY THE PENALTY OF THEIR CRIMES.
THE EXECUTIONS ADMIRABLY MANAGED-rHERg
WAS no SUFFERING IN THE CHAIR AND
THE END WAS INSTANTANEOUS
IN EACH CASE

IN EACH CASE.
Sing Sing, July (SpeciaD AIf there have been
any doubts honest or otherwise, rs TO the cer-
tainty Of instant death to a human being upon
the application Of an electric current Of strong
voltage they ought 10 be dispeed when the re-
suits Of to-day's executions are made known Ihe
four murderers who were put to death In the
prison here this morning died without the least
struggle. People interested in trying to cry down
this method of ending the lives of criminals kept
up their fight to-day, and one Of them spread
story of terror and horror in the death room. All
the evidence obtained from trustworthy sources
disproves this absolutely No one Of the four men
who died here in the electric chair suffered the
least pain Unconsciousness came instantaneously,
and after the current had been applied for twenty
seconds life was gone beyond recall Subse-
quently a current was applied for two or three
seconds to insure certainty
The first man was killed at 4 al o'clock this
morning, the next at :12, the third at 5 :37, and
the last at :06 o'clock This makes an average
of o little more than twenty minutes between
each execution.
The electrodes were applied TO the base Of the
brain and to the foot Of the spinal column. This
was done in the case of Kemuler, and the only
faults in that execution were due to an incompe'
tent warden, defective dynamo, and an excited
doctor. At the Sing Sing Prison the dynamo is
powerful enough to produce 1900 volts Of cur
rent with ease. At the same time the eXecn
tion was in charge of cool-headed man.
GATHERING IN THE FATAL ROOM.
Immediately after Deputy Attorney General
Hogan decided this morning that the petition for
a stay presented by r. j. Haine Woods lawyer,
did not in any way act as stay, preparations
were made to begin the executions. The sleeping
physicians, experts and witnesses were awakened
and were taken to the fatal room. About this
time the electric lights in the building began to
die out gradually and the armed guards who sur
rounded the prison increased their vigilance At
the same time a relief force of armed guards was
sent 10 the front of the building, 10 stand watch
az the death line, which had been drawn against
the reporters.
In a few moments a huge volume of smoke
began to come from chimney at the lower end
| Of the northern tier The engine from which this
smoke came the dynamo The cloud Of smoke
continued 10 ascend for some time, and it evil
dent that big head of steam was being generated.
Soon pun of vapOr assembled from an escape pipe
which stands near the chimney. This meant that
the engine which runs tie dynamo was in opera
ton
THE FLAG TOLD OF sLoCUM's DEATH.
Then all eyes were strained to keep track Of
the halyardS q flagstaff on the roof OF the
prison house. II had been arranged that flag
should be run up Immediately after each execu
tion certain color representing certain prisoner
Suddenly the steam disappeared and once more
smoke poured from the chimney. The engine
hod stopped running, and the eager watchers out
side of the prison knew that one of the prisoners
had been killed.
WHO was p" every tongue. AT last
! the hayards seemed to be moving. They were
moving, and in an instant white flag appeared
above the corner OF the cupola, behind which the
man who had hold of the ropes was concealed.
in his hand White stood for Slocum. In
moment there was wild rush of carriages, as
drivers wound their whips around the bodies Of
the horses attached to vehicles filed with news
paper men. A mile and a half race TO the tele.
graph Office began, with every horse in mad
gallon. Just the instant when the white flag
appeared the boom of the sunrise gun at West
Point was heard. Following it quickly, almost
as an echo, came the morning salute at Peeksldll.
With each execution there was the same anxious
watching for the smoke the steam and the flag
which told the story of another death The next
flag TO appear was blue. That was the color
chosen for Smiler Just twenty-four minutes
later black flag displayed and Joseph Wood
had been killed. In twenty-siX and half min
utes the showing of red flag told the reporters
that Shihiok .Jugiro, the japanese. had tiied
Just one hour and twenty.one minutes were con-
sumed in the executions.