The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-07-28
ELECTRTCTTT DIDN'T KILL.
Secrets OF tho Death Chamber at Auburn
Prison.

ROCHESTER,. July 22.-In an Interview
DR. +. J. Gibbons. Of Syracuse, originator
Of the present methods OF resuscitating
victims Of electric shock, said regarding
electrical executions
"They don't kill the subjects by cleo
tricity. they kill them by the knife or
otherwise. barr ing cases or spccihc weak
ness, as aneurism OF the heart or weak
ness In the brain. IN which cases the
shock might produce rupture and GER
tain death. Ninety-flNe per cent. OF the
subjects are not killed by the current
now in the first place they use an al
tcrnating current The 2iternatina cur
rent hardly ever kills. The continuous
current may codguldfe the tioodi me az
tcrnating current never does that. jf
they want 10 kill criminals by electricity
they should construct a special continu-
Ous current dynamo for the purpose with
coarse winding. THEN they can kill their
subjects. They don't do il now.
81 believe you applied TO Gov. Flower
FOR permission to attempt TO resuscitate
victims OF the electric current
YES. at that time was very anxious 70
Jet the world know what could be done
I'm the way of resuscitatiOn. They would
not allow II. however. 1 don't care any
thing about IL now. for the reason that
the knowledge Of these methods is now
spread all over the world where cleo
tricity Is used. and its utility has been
demonstrated, and that was the object
/ had in view
81 believe you attended one OF these so
called electrocutons."
yes" said the Doctor, II was in Au-
burn prison when they killed the negro
Johnson This is chapter which has
been kept secret long enough. After the
current nau b. IN APPLIED 10 Johnson,
was allowed 10 apply the simple means
OF artificial respiration and did so. IT
was not very long before Johnson gave
a gasp and showed unmistakable evil
dence OF returning consciousness. The
Warden intervenod and prevented the
further prosecution OF the attempt, and
OF course, the symptoms Of returning
life ceased.
"a little later they performed the au-
topsy on Johnson. 1t was agreed among
those present that the facts should re-
main one OF the secrets of the death
chamber. They might as well be known
now, and there they are.
about two months before Johnson
was killed" continued Dr. Gibbons, they
exr erimented on another negro named
-aylor You Will remember that I'm Tay-
lors case II was announced that the
armature of the dynamo burned out
and that il was necessary to obtain
current from the city lighting plant TO
complete the operation.
"Such was not the case. The armature
burned out, 10 be sure. after the current
had been applid fully. but when they
fifty-three minutes later, they applied 1t
TO dead man. Taylor came TO him
self sufficiently TO move and talk and
walk.
Deadly drugs were administered 10
him, and he was killed by those drugs
and, as | say, when the borrowed cur
rent was applied il was applied to a
corpse. made such by the administering
of deadly drugs There is another secret
of the electric chamber"
OR. Gibbons" said tie reporter. that
is a very serious charge. DO / understand
you perfectly? This man recovered par
tial consciousness and would have lived
had not the drugs been administered TO
him, and a secOn0 application of the cur
rent was made after he was dead from
the effects OF those drugs"
That is the statement exactly" said
DR.. Gibbons and am prepared 10 prove
its correctness"
Now about this latest case. that OF
DIR. Buchanan" said the reporter
THAT was the easiest case Of any or
them 10 resuscitate Dr. Buchanan would
have recovered consciousness after the
first application If he had been left alone
and no remedies applied. After the sec
end application consciousness could have
been restored by the simple means we
are talking about, without even the use
Of a bellows"