Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-07-09

otNt4AANI VI tAaAAAA- ~ Will AAHN nG
seen that Warden Brown was uuex-
pectedly successful in his melancholy
task. The first victim of the deadly
chair, Slocam, was dispatched at 44a,
and at 6:0e Jugiro, the japanese sailor.
paid the penalty of his misdeed One
hour and twenty-four minutes only We're
required to dispatch the four murder
ers. The greatly increased voltage over
that used in the execution of kemmler
was one reason that the executions
were more successful, though doubt
less the experience gained in that first
affair was great help in this Fuller
details may bring out new points,
but the general results as far as can
be ascertained with the slim facilities
of obtaining the news is a very decid-
ed improvement over the previous exc
cution.
The witnesses were besieged by re-
porters as soon as they made their APP
pearance from the prison The majority
Of chem refused to say anything, how
ever, except that the executions had
passed off without any hitch, and had
been success from a scientific stand
point. Warden Brown had laid strict
injunction of secrecy upon them all,
and had evidently made such an i'm
preston on their minds that they were
10th to talk. All looked thoroughly
used up and exhausted, They had been
through terrible ordeal. and the eff
fleets were plainly visible upon their
faces.
The prisoners had received some in
timation beforehand that the eXecu-
tions were to take place, and they were
prepared for them. They went to the
l'execution chair bravely and met their
fate without a struggle. They offered
no resistance, but rather assisted the
keepers when they We're bound down
in the chair. The electrodes were not
applied as in the kemmler case to the
| top of the skull and the base of the
spine, but were bound to the fore
heads of the condemned men and the
calves of their legs. The current was
turned on in each case for twenty see
onds. The voltage was about 1,500
and 1000. In each case there were APP
parent evidences of revival, as in the
Kemmler case, and in each of these
| four cases the current was turned on a
| second time. In spite of the fact that
| the sponges were kept constantly wet,
all of the executed men were burned by
the current, and especially about the
calves of the legs, The medical men
present agree that death came on the
first contact and that the seeming
! FPNr1Ugl rt1a1.alrr
cular action. None of the witnesses
were overcome by fright and eleven of
them who have spoken have made the
statement that the electrodes were sue
cessful and that death in all cases was
instantaneous and painless.
A witness gives the following ac-
count of Slocum's death:
| Socum made no resistance as he was led
into the execution room, but walked quietly TO
the chair and sat down. AS he seated himself
and leaned back the warden's assistants
stepped forward and drew across his chest and
under his arms the heavy straps which were
securely fastened TO the back of the chair.
Then about his wrists and over his arms
they drew other straps. which they buckled
closely His legs were quickly strapped to the
| legs of the chair DR.. Mcdonald superntended
the adjus tment. The last to be put in place
were one across the face, almost
over the mouth, but not so as to
prevent speech, and another over the
eyes and the upper part of the nose Then the
figure four over Slocum's head was brought
down and the eiectrode fastened to the
neadstrap The second electrode was fast
ened 10 the right leg near the calf a slit
in the trousers having been left for that pur
pose The wires were then attached TO the
electrodes. AS the doctors finished their i'm.
] lion of +Ifc fbsrrr
Donald, who stood behind the chair with
watch in one hand ana a handkerchief in the
other. The handkerchief fell, and at the
sigma Electrician Davis turned the
switch bar winch threw the whole
strength of the electric current into the circuit
passing through the execution chamber The
turning on OF this current was the signal for
He instantly shifted the switch
Immediately the body in the chair stifTened
against the straps perfectly rigid Every mus
Gle firm set, though some awful
effort TO escape from the bonds that
held it tight made then like springs Of ten.
pered steel. The straps strained with the
peculiar sound OF stretching leather Their
edges pressed deep into the yielding flesh Of
the face and sripped tie clothing tightly
The expire ssion OF the face was lost under
the broad bands drawn across the ewes at
the nose ana chin, but the skin exposed to
view turned purple red The spectators
drew about the chair, standing on the rub.
Der mats for safety. and the physicians COM
pared notes on the physical phenomena pre-
scented DR.. Mcdonald fixed his eyes on the
stop watch IN his hand When il marked
twenty seconds he nodded to Electrician Davis.
who stood with mis- hands still on the switch
waiting for the signal Davis turned a
switch and the current ceased to flow.
The effect on the body OF Slocum
was almost instantaneous. From a position Of
great muscular activity it suddenly subsidized in
hollow chested collapse Instead Of straiuing
against the straps il hung in them limp and IN
steady.
A moment of uncertai3ty followed Would
the dead man appear to revive as Kemnler
had done: Would his chest heave ana his
lips give forth the sound Of breathing The
expert at Auburn had said that the curren,
turned on Keiamler was too wcak-that il had
been turned OF too soon Through this
body steady current Of 200 volts had
been running--twice the strength Of the aver.
age current that passed through Kemmler's
body. II had been o. for twenty seconds, or
five seconds longer than the current in the
Kemmler case. Would the man move or
would he give the sickening suggestions OF re-