The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-01-17

the spectators warned them that the
condemned man had left his cell and that
the procession TO the death chair had be-
gun.
Connaughton went again into the dark
corridor which led away from the iron
door, and during a few seconds Of sus-
pense even the cold-blOOded doctors shiv-
cred. Then the sturdy tread of Con-
naughtons feet, echoed by the faltering
footsteps of the man whose moments Of
life We're numbered sounded from the
dark corridor. When the little party
appeared Delfino was spported on either
side by black-robed, pale-faced. nervous
priests, who were chanting their prayers
in tones almost inaudible.
There were only ten steps TO be taken
from the iron door to the chair. and
these Delfino took alone. the priests re-
leasing him when the bright light Of the
death chamber made them blink. The
man appeared to be a muscular young
fellow of twenty-five, his smooth-shaven
face showing white against his curly.
black hair and rough, black clothes. He
showed in every movement that terror
mad almost wholly robbed him Of physi-
cal force.
One weak glance about him at the
IIlhSe OF melancholy spectators, a false
start toward the pudgy stove, and then
the man staggered straight for the chair
cllnchlng and unclinching his white
hands, moving his lips and shaking in
every limb. He fell into the hard oaken
arms which here opened for him, and as
he did so the two priests kneeled
few feet from him and went on with
their prayers. One of them gave a
fearful, frightened look at the grim
apparatus, and the other bowed his head
without seeing or hearing anything.
As the body touched and fell back in
the chair three uniformed guards leaped
at II. Two of them strapped the trem-
hing = M 20 h.. -I--sv
fitted down over the forehead the metal
cap and then attached the second cleo
trOde to the knee of the right leg, which
had been barred by a long cut in the
trousers leg. 1t took them but fifty
seconds to do all this, and as Mr.. Davis
connected the ugly dangling wire from
the cabinet with the head piece, Warden
Durston stepped TO the pearl button and
touched it once.
The physicians in the audience leaned
forward and the others shuddered. Dur
ing few seconds Of time the man lay
strapped hard to the chair his lips
moving IN prayer and his hands closed
tight in an agony of mind which was
too keen to escape even the three guards.
( They turned their heads away.
Then the warden made a movement
with his hand on the switchboard, and
as he did SO the form in the chair bound
, ed forward and stood hard and rigid
against the combining straps. The
leather creaked and a whirring. sizzling
noise filled the room. In abject terror
the priests fell back a step or two, and
the spectators looked hard at the polish
ed floor. The body in the chair strained
and seemed to show muscular revolt
against the enforced position, while the
/ head. held by the electrodes to the top
of the chair, was thrown so far back
that the neck seemed to be bent double.
Then the bell i'm the cabinet tinkled
, .r,41 Is
blOOdless, the figure in the chair sank
back into the recesSeS of its arms. Or
/ Irwin stepped forward, barred the breast
and put his ear over the heart which
/ had beaten in robust health a few sec
! onds before. The other physicians did
/ the same thing, and they all agreed that
/ death had been instantaneous. There
was nothing to indicate the cause OF
( death on the surface, for neither tn,
! leg nor the scalp was marked where
/ the electrodes had touched them.
He's dead" said Warden Durston
THE current showed 1,760 volts, and j
/ was only turned on once for four sec
1 Onds"
! The three guards brought from thu
/ corridor a few planks and supports, anC
/ in front of the chair a rough table wa.
] built for holding the autopsy. on thi
/ the body was stretched, and as TIT
! physicians began TO remove their coat
/ and to reach for their knives the res
Of the spectators hurried away into tn
I open air of the courtyard. Some on
said that on the same table, as in tn
same chair. Carlyle Harris and sever
! other strong men had been laid after tin
! second touch of the little electric button
In the Jail Office the clerk brOugh
/ out more legal documents and all tn
] witnesses signed their names to them
testifying To the pathetic fact that Del
! finO was dead. There was also the resul
! of the autopsy to be certified. and whel
/ this was done the case Of the state o
New York VS.. John Del1no was legal.
/ as well as morally ended for all time
/ Some members of the young mans fam
! lily claimed the body and as it was be
ing carried out by the three guards
/ curious crowd commented on the Oc
! Currence.
1T is not so bad when You set use,
J To it." Warden Durston said to tn
/ newspaper men. Il think this eXecu
! ton proves the success of the method
but there is one Improvement which
/ hope the next legislature viii attend To
] Instead of establishing half a dOzel
! electric plants over the state, each il
| the hands of different Jail wardens
| there should be only one. Let there b.
a central place where all the work i
| perfected and all executions take place
| Then you win never hear Of the escap
! Of a Roehl or Pallister or the burning
! up Of a man.