New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-29
FIVE SHOCKS KILLED HIN.
COTTO PUT TO DEATH At SING SING.
PHYSICIANS SAY HE FELT 40 PAIN AFTER THE


FIRST CONTACT.
jeremiah CottO the Italian raCpcker who murdered
Louis Frankeoso fellow conDtryman. on tue morning.
Of July 90 last Ia the town q Newt treclt pad 'he
death penalty In The electric chair ut the STATE Prison
In sing sing Yesterday morning at 10 AS O'Clock Arer
parting with his brother Domnick at O'Clock SUNDAY
night the condemned man prayed for nenrly an hour
At IL p. m Warden Brown went TO the cohoemneu
MINIS cell and read the death warrant to HIM Noto
who has little knowledge OF the ENGLISH language looked
frightened. and apparently thought that the warren
had come to take him to his death. After the "aNch
left him the murderer seemed more calm. ana was
induced BY his keepers lie down on the cot In MS
cell.
He fell asleep and did not wake up until daylight
He dressed himself in the clothes which had been
furnished him by the Warden TO wear to the death
chamber, and at O'Clock he was ready 70 receive
Fathers De sancta. OF Brooklyn. and MILO, OF st
Augustine's Catholic Church. in sing Sing The priests
arrived at the prison at about a. w. and went 70
Cott0's cell.
Meantime the persons who had been invited by the
Warden 10 witness the execution had arrived They
we're Dr. John G. johnson. Of Brooklyn; Dr. FRANK
Abbott OF New York; DR.. II. I. irving he prison
physician; DR.. J. f. Walker, Of Airport Inspector
Alexander Williams Of NcwYork; Dr. John P. Wilson,
Of Poighkeepsie; W. J. Jones' Of Nyack; f. '" Ham
mer Of Newark; Dr. stephen F. Horton Of PcekSldll
F. A. Brown, OF Sing Sing; DR.. John H. Billings OF
New. York: b. j. DOYLE waSdon Of tho Brooklyn Kay
moDd Street Jeil DR.. Davis O Colligan OF brooNyh
and several newspaper men. At 10 80 O'Clock every
thing Was In readiness and Warden Brown led the
witnesses To tho execution chamber. MI Davis inc
state expert. at the switchboard testing inc
voltage OF the current which wus shown to be Lou.
AZ 10 IA Cotto entered the death chamber, being
supported BY Fathers DE Sancta aod MILO "aruon
Brown led the little procession As Cotto caugh'
,ight Of the death chair he totered arh would nave
fallen had he been supported by the priests me
condemned man repeated a prayer In Italian aiter
Father de sauotn Cotto hurried into the CHAIR
and ouickly strapped. The electrodes were then aP
Piled one at the csIf Of the right Veg snn tle o1er
at the forehead II being decided not TO use inc se
method ~ at tho execution of McElvaine' wheh uc
current was intrutnoed through the hands "mie
Cotto sat IN the choir be continued 10 hu''o' p"'
after Father De Sanota
A 10: IA Warden Brown nodded 70 Mr.. Davis 10
tnru on tho current Instantly there was cohVn-
sive movement Of Cottos body and the straps oee' I"
crcak. Contact after contact followed NJ raPu 7'0
cession un It'll had been gwen to the condened n
The interval between each contact Wis about '"oNe
seconds After the third contact DIS Abbott ana
Irving felt the dying mans pulse and also lstened 70
tho heating OF the heart The contact was given
nj 10 :4s :o3 Three minutes after this oil acton OF
the heart and pulse ceased. The doctors present
we're then invited ~ examine the body All "Hoc
who did so agreed that COtto was dead
Immediately aftrr the Drst ooh'oO' WV
turned purple and then. after each successive shock
the features became distorted and dscoloNa Anc
rap over the forehead and eyes slipped down and ex
noaed the features The body was carried INTO ue
ou,oc,sv room adjoining the death chamber where AL
autopsy WAS performed by DIS. Irving ana hOooU-
some OF thos, present who had witnessed Mch'Auc
execution said that Cottos face was much in"e us
coored Than McElvaine's. Warden Bro~n however,
said that the execution success In every way
ana ,,a, A WAS not necessary 10 give Couo more thah
thr~ coutacts but TO satisfy Nil The doctors hve con
tacts were decided upon. -Four were nseo !" XIII
McElvsine.
Drs. Abbott and Irving sid that Cotto felt ao'
,outely no pain after the Hrst contact and that In
their opinion three would have been snihcieht' Al
though the electrician got up current Vi Low
yolts before Cotto entered the chair. the voltage
varied from 1000 to Zoo during the nve CONTACTS
when the black Gag hoIsted on Tho wardons
house OF 10 So showing that Cotto had SUFFERED inc
dea,n penalty there we're scarcely dozen persons
.tona,ns outside OF the prison. After the autopsy
Cottf,,s body was placed In rough pine conn, whoh
WA flied with quiollime. The coffin was conveyed
IN the shoulders OF four convics out m up Pr1so"
and up the hill TO the prison burying ground "nerc
IL w,s lowered In grave near the graves OF the otner
mnrderers who have been executed In sing sang
Prison since July last.
Or. Irving aud Dr. Frank Abbott performed the
autopsy At , 30 p. N. DR.. Abbott made state
ment A. TO his findings. lie said that there we're no
Indications OF insanity IN the brain, and II wG Ia
normal condition The anS a nSRsy' T The b hv
Wa fluid when the autopsy was perlor1hea out
conglIlni.d shortly after being exposed The nSdlV
of the body was not pronounced, as II was In the
The following schedule shows when the shocks wero
10 a. 40: second 10 AS % TO 10 40 81 third,
10 40 O3 to 10 IL fourth. 10 Al 40 10 10 ~ o'
nth 10 :4s 90 10 10 4s is