The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-08-16

l
besieged by friends employed by the
companies to have the man pardoned or
his sentence COMMITTED. His warmest
friends were engaged as attorneys 10
present the case to him, but he was not
In he moved 1t was declared to him
that the electric currents would not Kill
The governor would not believe it, lie
finally sent trusted friend to talk 10
Thomas A Edison and learn his honest
opinion as to the effect OF the eiectric
current. The great inventor said that
he did not want electricity used for exc
cution purposes, but he would answer
honestly. OF course it would kill II the
current was strong enough, and there
was not the least difficulty in making
the current strong enough.
After all the courts and every othef
possible avenue for escaping the test
had been tried there arose another dlill'
Guilty. The warden of the Jail could not
purchase dynamos to generate the elec'
tricity None of the electric companies
would sell them. Every dynamo was
held by the companies Like many other
electric appliances, the title always
remained in the possession OF the com
panics. and the users paid rental OF
royalty. They would not lease or sell
DYNAMO for an electric execution. But
here again Governor Hill was shrewd
enough to see that the law which he
had worked so hard to have enacted
should not be defeated i'll any such man
ner Several electric dynamos were pur-
chased for some South American hrm
and shipped down to South America
and bought by the state of New YORK
and shipped back They were more eX-
pensiye that way. but the state mad 10
have them, and Governor Hill was not
the man to give up. There was some di1-
ficulty in getting an operator VINO was II
skillful man to properly handle the elec-
tric 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 make
every effort to have men inside who
would try to make such a report OF
the aifair as might turn pubic sentl-
ment against the method of execution.
One prominent editor of New York, who
had been standing by the electric com
panies with great vigor and had used
all the power of his paper to defeat the
law and 70 assist the electric companies
in preventing execution by such means,
wrote personal letter to Governor Hill
asking the privilege of having reporter
present. Governor Hill denied this re-
quest The law provided that certain
number of persons should be present,
and the governor allowed Il man from
each of the press associations to be there
IT is probable that the New York sena-
tor in all his experience with newspaper
men has met with but that one instance
of member of the profession disap-
pointing him. One of the men got sick
at the execution, and his report was not
in favor of the new method of execution
Since then there seems to be "A general
acquiescence i'll the new form OF death
penalty and even the electric compa-
MES have become reconciled to the use
of electricity as a means of killing muir
derers They are now found willing to
supply the state with the best improved
dvnamos for generating electricity and
to put in the different prisons requiring
them all the electric machinery neces-
sary for first class electrocution
As some one has previously remarked,
nothing succeeds like success, even If 1t
is in dealing with such CHASTITY thing
| as death for the greatest crime.
Ex-Speaker Reeds First Speech.
Elk Speaker Reed tells an interesting
story about his first speech in congress.
Il had served a few months in the
house, said Mr. Reed, land had been
! waiting an opportunity to rise to my
feet and have something to say. Finally
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 Massa
chusetts to make very patriotic anc
eloquent speech in its behalf When he
had finished, the southern people pur
posely organized a procession to marci
through the aisles and up to DIR. Lor
ing's seat for the purpose of presenting
| him their congratulations. While al
this was going on sat waiting There
was a great deal OF confusion i'll the
! hall, and you can imagine how anxious
1 became as the moments slipped by
The wonder to me is that had GOODNESS
enough to wait, but | did, and after thu
congratulations had been about all OF
fered and the house had been quietet
down somewhat | raised my voice. Blu
no one appeared to see me, and l woult
have sold out my chance very cheap
think it was one of the bitterest mo
ments of my life, standing there sur
rounded by my peers, just bursting TO
chance to tell what / knew ant
thought, but with no one paying tn
slightest attention to me and buzz go
ing on all about. perceived that i
was absolutely necessary for me to d.
something to dominate that noise, ant
almost in fit of desperation filled m.
lungs and opened my mouth. 1t ap
peared to me. as / remember 1T now
that it did not make so much difference
what I said as how loudly could sa.
it. In a second or two had caught tn
attention of the house. probably through
the exercise of main strength. l thel
saw was going to have an audience
my breath held out. In few second
more all noise ceased and faces began b
turn toward me- Then felt the inspi
ration of an attentive audience, and
suppose must have made very goo
speech. spoke for about ten minutes
and when l had finished my friend
came up to me and told me that ha
killed william and Mary deader than