Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-29
FIVE TIMES SHOCKED.
Execution of the Seventh Victim Of
the Electrical Chair.
COTT0 PROVES A RANK COWARD,
BE staggers Through the Religious Rite
and Then FaintR
UNCONSCIOUS WHEN HE WAS KILLED

time since the law LOT tuc A1AlAuS VI uuI
derers by electricity and the Transforming
of physicians and men of science into publ,
executioners was passed the six cells for th'
condemned in Sing Sing prison are all va
cant. Warden Brown, with the assistance
of DR.. Irvine, of the prison, and DR.. Alb
bott, of 49 West Fifty-seventh street, go
rid of Jeremiah Cotto, the last Of the con
demned in his care.
Cotto was an arrant coward. He was the
least interesting of the seven men who have
been killed by electricity in the prison
He had stimulants enough in him. however
to prevent making scene in the death
chamber. He was led like sheep to the
slaughter. Cotto killed his sweetheart
husband in Brooklyn last July: He sneaked
up behind his victim and did him to death.
There were five shocks Of the electric cur.
rent before the physicians were convinced
that he was dead, although, as In all the
killings at Sing Sing prison, unconscious
ness was said to be instantaneous with the
first shock.
Cotto Unconscious When Killed.
Cotto's condition was such when he was
nut in the death chair that had he been
permitted to remain there five minutes he
might have mistaken the salt water drip
ping on his face from the electrodes for the
death current and died of fright 1t is
not certain that he was conscious at the
time the current was applied.
The mans last night on earth was spent
alone. Sunday afternoon his brother,
Dominick CoIto, and his cousin, Alexander
Pandolf, came from Brooklyn to see him.
One of the objects was to settle the question
of who should have the $54 in money which
was taken from the condemned man when
he was arrested. The money is in the hands
of the Brooklyn police, and the relatives
were anxious to get it. Cotto decided that
his brother should have 1t.
When it came to question of disposing
of the murderer's body, neither the brother
nor the cousin wanted to take care Of 1t and
see that it was buried. They left, promis-
ing to come again. The brother did come
again, but it was after the execution was
over, and he went right away.
Preparations by the Priests.
Some of the witnesses arrived Sunday
night and accepted the warden's hospitality,
but the greater number arrived on the early
morning trains The priests, Father De
Saints and Father Milo, had been in the
town two or three days preparing the
wretched man to die. At9 o'clock the doc
tors and the electrical experts went down
into the execution room and tested the
machinery. They spent an hour doing that.
Cotto, in the meantime, was drinking whis-
XIV and praying His approaching end had
taken away his appetite for breakfast The
experts were through at 10 o'clock.
The warden sent out word to the guard at
the prison entrance that none should be
permitted to enter the prison until the exc.
cution was over. Half an hour was used in
Office business, and then the
warden led the way out through the prison
and into the death chamber. Two rows OF
stools had been placed there. Nearly all of
the witnesses had buttonhole bouquets, pro-
vided bv the warden. Electrician Davis
brought in board, on which there were 20
lamps. He laid 1t across the
chair and fastened the wires that had been
detached from the electrodes to two little
copper Joints In a few minutes steps were
heard, and then the sound of voices saying
the service for the condemned.
The Murderer Rank Coward.
Cotto came in first, held on either side
from behind by keepers His knees were
His whole body trembled. His
eyes were staring. He got his last glimpse
Of sunlight through an open window. He
was dressed in a new suit of black, and
wore new pair of prison-made shoes. The
right leg of his trousers was split up to
above the knee After him came the |
priests. One spoke in Latin, the other re-
peated the responses the murderer was to |
make in Italian, and Cotto responded,
"Jesus, have mercy on me; Jesus, have |
mercy on me-" as well as his chattering
;eeth would permit.
When the keepers pushed him back into
me chair he came down with some force
md continued shaking and shivering. There
lad been one improvement in the chair
ince McElvaine was killed. Stationary
Gather cuffs had been fastened to it for the
eet and ankles. 1t took about minute
md half to adjust the electrodes and
'uckle the retaining straps. Each moment
he responses of the condemned man became
ainter, until they died out altogether.
here was a suspicion ofa moan from under
he leather mask. The body appeared to be
imp. The straps held it in place. If the
nan was not unconscious, he was so nearly
o that he did not understand anything.
Beginning of the Inevitable End.
The priests knelt on the rubber mating,
ne reading the service and the other re-
ponding. The crucifx, which was strung
v a necklace about the wrist of Cotto,
Tipped down, but did not fall off Dr.. Alb
oft, the official timekeeper, stood, watch
q hand, watching the switchboard. Expert
Hammer stood watching the meters on the
oard. Expert Davis had hold Of the
sver
The Warden stepped back from the chair
18th the guards and nodded to Davis. The
ever came down, the murderer's body
lmped two inches. There was sound of
10 h. /
TASK slipped, leaving halfthe face exposed.
he flesh began to turn purple. The War
en- signaled The current was turned off
he body fell back. Another signal, and
le body leaped upward again. There was
mother sound of escaping air. The purple
l the face deepened There was little
rip of yellow under the electrode on the
,rehead, and round spot of yellow near
lie right temple.
The current was turned of second time
nd then on again. The body fell back, and
as jerked up again as far as the straps
ould let it CO. Steam came from the
ectrodes
Alive After Four Applications.
A third time the current was turned of,
I'd the body hardly had time to settle
,wn when it was turned on for the fourth
me. The face was nearly black by this
me. When the current was turned off the
lad fell over to one side.
DR.. Irvine stepped up quickly with
ethescope, placed it to the heart and
stened. "The heart still BEATS" he said.
r. Abbott listened. He heard it, too. The
'ctors stepped back. One OF the priests
rev handfuls of holy water on the purple
ce.
The current was turned on a fifth time,
ID remained on for 15 seconds. Animal ,
ie was extinct then, the doctors said.