Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1895-07-19
NEW YORK LETTER.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE. I

The later-day resurrectionists who
desired to have au opportunity tc
bring Buchanan to life after he had
been pronounced dead were not given
chance 10 show the effect of their
patent bellows and other mechanical
devices in cases where the contact of
the electrodes is made rs it is in elec-
trocutions. Those who maintain that
electric executions are failures as they
are conducted i'll this State. are fol-
lowers of the teachings of D'Arsonval
of Paris. He says that electricity, as
II Is given III Sing Sing prison to mur-
derers, does not kill but merely sus-
pends animation, and that it is
the knife of the surgeon used
at the autopsy which does the
killing. ID 'ArsOnvai is scientist and
an expert electrician. In order to
settle the question as to the power of
electricity To cause death, aud the
possibility of resuscitation after he
had been pronounced dead, DIR. GOe-
let and A. f. Kennedy, au electrical
expert, were appointed committee
to attend the execution of David
Hampton recently i'll Sing Sing. The
conditions were the same rs they were
in the execution of Buchanan, and
which D'Arsonval says merely cause
suspended animation. Here is the re-
port of the committee.
"The moment the current was turned
on the whole body was thrown into a
condition OF intense tetNnis rigidity F.;
the hands were contracted or closed
tightly, and the extremities straight
ened as much rs the straps would per-
init. While the current was on there
was some frothiLg at the mouth, but
there was no audible sound, and no
evidence of sensation or suffering.
Death was evidently instantaneous and
painless. At ll.30 a. III. the body
was placed on the table for cXamina-
tion. At this time the rectal tempera-
ture was 100S degrees F., and the
sphincter was relaxed. The superficial
veins of the extremities, especially
those of the arms, were empty and
collapsed. Incision of the scalp and
through the skin of the chest-wall
showed that all, or nearly all, of the
blood in the body hal been driven
into the head and upper part of the
chest aud neck, and that rupture OF
the over distcnded vessels had allowed
extravasation OF blood to take plac
-, Al ,,f l,. -
under the skin covering the upper
part of the chest, especially near the
neck. Here the eXtravasAted blood
appeared To he congealed- Ia marked
contrast with the condition OF
affairs in this location, incision through
the abdominal wall showed the tissues
to be almost bloodless. Incision into
! the tissues under the location of the
( leg elecrode showed the same blood
/ less condition. Ga removal of the
skull-cap and pnncture OF the dura
mater membrane lining the interior
4 of the skull and incloslug the brain,
great quantity OF dark blood escaped,
/ showing that there had been An extrava.
sation into the cranial cavity. This
! was found to be due to the rupture ot
the blood vessels This blood coag-
ulated, but not firmly. A specimen
preserved remained fluid and nm.
changed for days, except that the
color became brighter 1t was estima
ted that at least two quarts escaped
from the scalp and Uranium in removing
the brain. On removing the dura mater
the vessels on the surface of the brain
were seen to be distended, and there WA!
evidence of rupture in many places.
"The evidence is, therefore, that /
current of eight amperes. applied
through the body at pressure o
LAO volts, and representing a powel
of Q,740x8 equals IA, ,92O watts, o.
about 18 2-3 electrical horsepower
will produce instantaneous, painles
and absolute death and that the evi
nence presented by an examination o
the brain alone was sufficient to dem
onstrate the absolute impossibility o
resuscitation.