Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-07-28

would kill if the current was strong
enough, and there was not the least diff
nculty IN making the current strong
enough.
After all the courts and every other
possible avenue for escaping the test
had been tried there arose another diff
nculty. The warden of the Jail could
not purchase dynamos to generate the
electricity. None of the electric COM
panies would sell them. Every dyna-
mo was held by the companies. Like
many other electric appliances. the IL
tie always remained in the possession
or the companies, and the users paid a
rental or royalty. They would not
lease or sell a dynamo for an electric
execution. But here hgain Governor
Hill was shrewd enough to see that the
law which he had worked so hard TO
have enacted should not be defeated in
any such manner. Several electric dy-
namOs were purchased for some South
American firm and shipped down to
South America and bought by the State
of New York and shipped back. They
We're more expensive that way, but the
State had TO have them. and Governor
Hill was not the man to give up. There
was some difficulty in getting an opera
tor who was a skillful man to properly
handle the electric machinery, but
finally one was found.
Then began pressure upon Governor
| Hill for admission to the execution.
From his past experience he was aware
/ that the electric companies would mako
1 nh,
| would try to make such Il report OF
/ the affair as might turn public senti-
/ meut against the method of execution.
| one prominent editor of New York, who
had been standing by the electric COM
\ panies with great yigor and had used
an the power of his paper 10 defeat the
/ law and assist the electric companies
/ in preventing execution by such means,
/ wrote a personal letter to Governor Hill
asking the privilege Of having a report
! er present. Governor Hill denied this
/ request The law provided that a GER
/ tain number of persons should be pres
/ ent, and the governor allowed man
/ from each OF the three press asOcia-
/ tiOnS to be there IL is probable that
/ the New York senator in all his eX-
| perience with newspaper men has met
/ with but one instance Of a member
/ OIL the profession disappointing him
/ One OF the men got sick at the eXecu-
ton. and his report was not in favor
| of the new method Of execution.
! Since then there seems to be a general
! acQuiescence in the new form Of death
| penalty. and even the electric COM
| panies have become reconciled to the
| use of electricity as a means Of killing
! mUrJerers. They are now found will
| ing 10 supply the State with the best
| improved dynamOs for generating cleo
! tricity and to put in the different pris-
0ns requiring them all the electric ma
| chinery necessary for a first-class cleo
trCcutiOn.
As some one has previously remark
! ed, nothing succeeds like success. even
if it. is in dealing with such a CHASTITY
thing as death for the greatest crime.
EX-SPEAKER REEDS FIRST
SPEECH
| EX-Speaker Reed tells an interesting
story about his first speech in congress.
Il had served a few months in the
| house. said Mr.. Reed. and had been
f't-ANaeT ANA t-AA tieA NAAAAAAf ~ AASN " III
| feet and have something to say. Ri
nally the William and Mary college bill
| came up for consideration All the
! Southern people were enthusiastic in its
favor, and they induced DR.. Loring. of
! Massachusetts, TO make a very patriotic
and eloquent speech in its behalf. When
| he had finished the Northern people
| purposely organized q procession to
| march through the aisles and up TO DR..
| LOring's seat for the purpose OF pre-
/ sentng him with their congratulations.
! While all this was going on I sat wait
| ing. There was q great deal of con-
| fusion In the hall. and YOU can imagina
how anxious | became as the moments
slipped by. The wonder to me is that
/ had COOluesS enough to wait. but I
did. and after the congratulations had
been about all offered and the house
had been Quieted down somewhat I
| raised my voice. But no one appeared
TO see me. and I would have sold out
my chance very cheap l think it was
one of the bittereSt moments Of my
life, standing there surrounded by my
| peers. just bursting for a chance TO tell
what I knew and thought. but with
i
to me and "a buzz going on all about.
| perceived that it was absolutely
necessary for me to do something to
dominate that noise, and almost in q
fit of desperation l filed my lungs and
opened my mouth. Ii appeared to me
as 1 remember il now. that it did not
| make much difference what l said or
how loudly l could say it. In second
or two / had caught the attention of
the house. probably through the eXer-
else OF main strength l then saw
| was going 10 have an audience if my
| breath held out. In a few seconds
more all noise ceased and faces began
10 turn toward me. Then 1 felt the
inspiration of an attentive audience
and suppose 1 must have made very
good speech 1 spoke for about ten
1 minutes, and when l had finished my
friends came up to me and told me tha'
| had killed William and Mary deader
/ than a smelt. and such turned out 10
| be the case. though they were reSur-
| rected some - years later. 1t was a
hot day i'm Washington. and when
| had finished making that first speech
of mine in the house, Lord, how wet
] wasr'
WALTER WELLMAN.
Written for the Sunday Register:
A TRIBUTE.
Go NJ
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