The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1893-08-01
The Electric Chair Gives Way
and the Victim Returns
to Life.
The Electric Dynamo Of the
Auburn City Lights Brought
into Requisition to Pro-
duce Death.

The foot rest of the chair broke and
the dynamo gave out, 50 that the
second current could not be applied.
Taylor was not dead from the first
contact and soon began breath
ing heavily. He was placed on
a cot and conveyed back to CORR
dor, where he continued breathing
and groaning, with pulse growing
stronger.
Taylor was again carried to the
chair at 1:55, neatly an hour afer the
first current was applied, and the cur
rent from the city electric light
dynamo passed through his body.
The second attempt was successful.
The first shock was OF LOO volts,
but the contact was not sufficiently
prolonged and when it was sought to
turn on the current again, the dynamo
would not do lis work.
The man slowly coming back p life.
was given morphine while the rrepa-
rations were making to get an addi-
/ tioliaI supply ol eiectilcitN.
THE HORRIBLE DETAILS.
Upon awakening this morning the
condemned man evinced a chinge
heart and repented of his crime but
said he was perfectly resigned to his
fate. a Catholic priest visited him
and Taylor placed himself entirely in
the formers hands. Taylor was kept
in ignorance of his dooms,lay till half
past seven this morning, when the
warden read the death warrant to him.
The warden informed him he would
call for him at 1870, TAYLOR replic.!
cheeriully. You'll find me ready"
Among the witnesses of the electro
cution was DIR. Nettie jenkins, OF Ibi>
city, the first woman 10 witness an
electrocution.
1t was 20 minutes TO one when the
warden invited the witnesses To follow
him 10 the death chamber. State
Electrician David's preliminary tests
of incondescent lamps were entirely
satisfactory, the dial indicating volt
age of 1920.
The priest with the keepers and the
condemned man soon came in and
Taylor was quickly pinioned in the
death chair. When all was ready
the signal was given and the current
turned on. Taylor's powerful frame
shot back and up in the chair until
the straps creaked, and simultaneously
there was a crash.
The strain upon the foot-rest had
broken and the under-pinning of the
chair gave way.
The body sank to a reclining pos
ture. The spectators were startled.
Everybody supposed the victim was
dead from the first shock, when 4
strange noise was heard. Taylor be
gan to gasp for breath and saliva was
seen to -exude from his mouth.
Turn on the current" was the com
mand of the warden, and the electric
ian tried to obey, but was dumbfound-
ed to find no response to the turning
of the lever. The dynamo hal
broken down from the armature AMI
was burning out.
The victim, who, gasping and
groaning aloud, was unbound, PLACED
upon a cot and carried into an adjon-
ing room. The pulse grew stronger
and he endeavOred several times 81
rise from the cot The physicians
said he was unconscious, but would re-
cover. they thought, and the only way
to carry out the sentence of law, was
to again place him in the chair.
The prison apparatus was quickly
connected with the city electric light
plant and in an hour all was really
again. TAYLOR continued to gr,w
stronger and was given an injection of
morphine. He was then carried bodily
to the chair, which had been repaired,
and was strappedinto a sitting posture.
The current was again turned on, and
the body Strengthened up and for half
a minute ,24O volts coursed through
TaylOr's unconscious form. At the
end of that time he was pronounced
dead.
THE CRIME.
The story of the murder for which
William G. Taylor expiated his lite
to-day is neither romantic nor sensa-
tional. According to the murderers
story he was tired Of prison life and
yearned for the electric char, although
upon trial an effort was made to prove
that Taylor had been nursing a
grudge against his victim for inform
ing on him long before the tragedy.
Taylor and his victim, Solomon