The morning news., 1892-02-09
SING SINGS FATAL CHAIR
MURDERER MILVAINE KILLED BY
ELECTRICITY.

Two Contacts With the Current Nee
esssry to Render Life Extinct-The
Duration Forty-flve Seconds in
Each Instance-A Gurgling Exhala-
ton After the Current Was Shut OF
the First Time.
SING SING, N. Y, Feb. S.-Charles Nc
Ilvaine was shocked to death in prison here
to-day, the first contact being made at II l2
o'clock this forenoon. The duration of the
contact was forty-five seconds. In few
| seconds after the current was cut off by orr
der Of DR.. Macdonald, froth issued from
the mouth and almost simultaneously there
was quick gurgliug exhalation aud
as quick recovery, like a person
strangling from water going the wrong
way. The current was at once reanplei and
continued forty-five seconds. When the doc
| tors examined the wrist and jugular vein
| for pulsations there were none and after
| an examination by all the doctors present the
| subject was declared dead-whioh is TO say
all consciousness was dead and that all mus
| cular retiexes had ceased. McIlvaine came
into the chamber with priests, carrying be-
| fore himself a crucifix and murmuring
| prayers. The chair used was one never be-
| fore employed.
HIS HANDS IMMERSED IN SALT.
On each side at the arms was jar into
which the hands were immersed in a solu-
| tion of salt. The arms we're strapped at
| the elbows and wrist and the contact at the
head was made on the forehead. An cleo
| trode, as in the previous case here, was pres
ent for use on the leg in case OF failure or
mishap at the other points Of contact. The
first contact was made through the hands
| and head. and the second through the head
| and calf of the right leg. Rubber sacks of
| warm water hung aloft with rubber tubes
| TO the electrodes for automatic wetting Of
| the sponges. The doctors, with one excep,-
| tion, believe that life and consciousness were
destroyed the same instant. As compared
with the kemmler killing, that of McIlvaine
was much less distressing.
NO SIGN OF INSANITY.
The autopsy, which was begun soon after
| lunch, has disclosed to DR.. Macdonald no
evidence of imbecility or insanity, as was
asserted might be the case, when McIlvaine
was on trial. The defense at that time set
| up that the prisoners mind was not normal
| because OF disorder resulting from lodgment
| of bean in his ear while q youth. The
autopsy proves that this claim
| was groundless. No foreign
| substance was found In either ear or the
brain. DR.. Macdonald affirms that the
| examination of the brain demonstra ties that
McIlvaine was thoroughly sane, the SUBJ
stances and tissues being entirely normal
| The execution of McIlvaine is the
only one save that Of Kemm-
Ter which has been witnessed by news
paper representatives. At the execution
to-day the correspondent of the Associated
| Press was the only newspaper man present
who also saw the taking off at Auburn
| prison.
COMPARED WITH KEMMLER's EXECUTION
Some comparisons and conclusions may
be made, based upon observation of the frs
electrocntion (Kemmler's) and the seventh
| that of to-day. Five and one-half minutes
elapsed from Kemmler's entrance
| TO the instant of the first contact, which
lasted seventeen seconds. In McIlvaine'E
case only two minutes elapsed between his
| entrance and the first contact, which lasted
forty-nine seconds At Auburn one min
ute and forty seconds elapsed between the
end Of the first contact and the first evi-
dence of respiration; reflex action was OBJ
served about thirty-fve seconds after the
| first contact; and just at this point arises
an interesting comparison between the
| post-contact movement of the
subject at Auburn and that in McIIvaine's
| case. The sputa was exuded with more
| force from Kemmler's lips. There was not
only an exhalation of the air pent up in the
| lungs at the time of the shock, but that was
followed by inhalation and exhalation dur
| ing a period of .one minute and forty
seconds. 1t was this continued aud louder
growing respiration that led DIR.
Shrady, who was present at
Auburn, TO concede that the first
| shock had not destroyed at the nerve center
that system or brain OF nerves which con-
troll respiratory action.
THE SOUND IN M'ILvAINE's CASE.
In Mcllvaine's case the post-contact
action differed sharply. The sound was
that clearly following exhaustion or escape
OF pent up air from the lungs. Then there
was habby, chucking sound in the throat.
Donald claimed that it was,
viz: reflex & muscular action, which
was not accompanied by any impulses from
the nerve center controlling respiration.
| The deduction is that Kemmler might, as
DR.. Shrady believed, have been resuscitated
by bypodermics of brandy after the first
period of contact. In McIlvaines case the
| nerve centers we're destroyed at the first
contact. The second contact upon Kemm-
ler was OF two and one quarter minutes
duration, broken twice quickly. That upon
McIlvaine was only So seconds by the
doctors record.
The voltage at Auburn was said to be
1,700. though none of the invited guests
were permitted to examine the SWITCH
DOhTu Az bL1L blIl16 uO InDS
were left burning and thus drain upon the
circuit, about so volts for each. Allowing
besides for loss by friction on the wires, and
for loss at points of contact it has
been thought that not more
| than 900 volts actually entered
To-day twenty test lamps were kept burn
ing at the time of contact, but were not ''in
the train" so that lees voltage was expended
on them. Fifteen per cent. of the electric
motive force is believed to be lost at points
of contact, and to-day deductions for losses
and burning lamps probably left voltage
OF 1900 applied to the subject Kemler's
was the first and the experience then and
subsequently has prompted and secured
more ready action and more effective pre-
cautions and appliances. To institute a
comparison would be obviously unfair, were
it not that Prof. Landy of the
| Columbia school Of mines condemned the
Auburn plant before it was employed
to kill Kemmler. The belt at the dynamo
is said to have been held on to the pulley or
the shafting with sticks in the hands of the
attendants while the current was being
made that was discharged into Kemmler.
To-day all was steady and thoroughly
tested The result to-day from
the standpoint of a layman, who
in each instance observed that ne saw, is,
vastly more satisfactory. Possibly Kemm-
| Ter might have been resusticated after the
first contact, while the possibility of resus-
ctating Mcllvaine after the first contact
seems equally improbable.