Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-07-02
VOLTED TO DEATH.
Or. Buchanan Receives a F atal
Lightning Stroke.
HEART BEATS AFTER ST SECONDS.

Current Turned on Full Force for 23 Sec
Ords More aud the Victim of the Law Is
Declared Past Human Heip-Ouestion
Whether the Death Chair Is Fatai
Seems SettIed-story of the Crime for
Which He Suffered.
NEW YORK, July ..-Dr. Buchanan
notwithstanding the situation late Sun
day night that indicated further respite
was placed in the electric chair at Sing
Sing prison about a. III. yesterday and
was pronounced dead in exactly eighty
seconds. The exact time when the button
was touched and the lightning struck the
doctor was 11:26 Between the death cell
which, DR.. Buchanan occupied SuEdaynight
and the execution room there is space Of
but three feet separated by heavy wood
and iron door. From this door to the
death chair is five feet moro, and as Buch-
nnan sat on the edge of the iron cot In his
shirt sleeves he could hear the guards ar
ranging the room and Electrician Davis
getting his wires ready. When the time
came he walked into the death chamber
without tremor and without q word
and sat down in the chair.
Wen: to Death with HIS Eyes Closed.
Among the witnesses was Baron Il.
Schlippenbach, Russian vico consul at
New York; several physicians from New
York and near by points, and the usual
number OF newspaper men. Buchanan'S
last act before entering the death cham
Der was to shake hands with Warden
Sage and bid him goodbye. The con-
demned man had his eyes closed when he
entered the execution room and did not
again open them. Warden Sage said
aftcrward that Buchanan suffered from
an affection of thS eyes and the sudden
light after leaving the darkcned room in
which he had been confined might have
blinded him. Il may have been, how
ever that Buchanan did not wish to face
the witnesses or to see the chair in which
he was to die. After he had taken his
seat in the chair he sat motionless with
closed eyes and appeared almost uncon-
scious of what was going on about him.
Effect of the Lightning stroke.
As the electrician pressed the button
the body in the chair gave a sudden. con.
vu!sive movement, which strained the
straps by which he was bound, and re-
manned motionless. The only outward
indications OF the effect of the current
were the heightened color Of the face, due
to the rush of blood to the head, and a
slight burning of the right leg where it
was in contact with the clectrode. The
current was applied ut first at the full in
tensity of LID volts and after seven Sec
onds was reduced to 100 volts, where it re-
mained for fifty seconds, when it was
| turned off. The physicians Immediately
sought Tor evdenc, of life, and after a
hurried examination announced that
Buchanan was not dead.
His Heart Was SSH Beating.
They were able to detect a slight pulsa'
ton CT the heart. There was a gasping
sound from the throat, such as has been
observed il other cases, and is attrib-
utcd to the sudden expulsion of air from
the lungs. Electrician Davis again gave
| the signal and the current WAS turned on
at full force. 1t was not reduced this
time but was held at LAO volts for
twen.y-thrce seconds. The current was
!; again turned off and this time the victim
was pronounced dead.