The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-01
TWO MURDERERS KILLED.
WHITE NAN AND a NEGRO Exc
CUIED At SING SING PRISON.

|
tho Current Longer Than Had Any
| Former Subjective Shocks of Nearly
| Twenty-Horse Power Each Required.
SING SING. July 3l.-Two men paid the PEN
| atty for murder at the prison here this MORN
ing. The lrst.Lews Pullerson. a negro. was
| executed at 500 4. NJ. and half IN hour later
Michael Mcdonald took his place in the elec-
trio execution chair and was nut TO death.
! The execution of Mcdonald was perhaps the
| mostremurkable one that has taken place since
the electric method has been used. as In no
other case has such persistent vitality been en-
| countered. After the electric current had
been turned into his body four times the ply
Ricans found that his heart was still beating
family 1t was only after the current had been
| turned on and of again for the fifth time that
| the man was pronounced dead. With this sx-
ception, DO unusual feature marked either
! execution. Both men went with GOODNESS to
| their deaths.
| Both had spent q quiet night and at $3.50
| O'Clock they were ready for their fate. which
came after Il lesser interval than has been the
practice at Sing Sing. where executions Aave
usually taken place about IL O'Clock. Neither
knew that he was to die on the same day as
the other. A little after 3 o'clock. when the
two sets OF witnesses had assembled. Warden
Johnson led the first batch to the death cham
ber.where the usual preliminary test OF the ap-
paratus was made. Patterson had spc@ most
OF his time during the morning In prayer with
Fathers Smyth and Creeden OF Sing Sing and
Vicar General Lyons Of Wilmington. Del.
When all was ready for his execution he was
brought into the death chamber between two
OF the priests and JUS behind the Warden and
Keeper Connaughton. His step was firm. al
though his lips were ashsn and the words he
was saying were inaudible. He held a cru
RIGHT n
man. He weighed more than 200 pounds and
he was tho largest man yet executed here.
When it came time to apply the eeetrode to his
leg 1t was found that the calf was too large for
the circlet to go around and there was some
delay before the straps were heightened. Pull.
ara nos weaken antnG tne neat s Pd s
hand shook until 1t seemed az though he
would drop the cruciflx. /, was fully min
taken. before the Warden gave the signal and
those near him moved away.
The first shock nat gwen at Nd, A cur.
through him for nfty hye seconds. After this
tor, examined the negro carefully and could
discern no sign OF life. The usual precautions
aEsn Hvs spite Of h and tTG
onds. After this the body was taken from the
chair and carried away, while the Witnesses h Sas
Assem- bled FOR the execution which was to fol-
low.
GutncTS NTteuen ana SHlytn Wenl OF bnte W
Mcdonald cell. where the prisoner had been
pray ing for some time with Vicar General
Lyons. After fifteen minutes the death cham;
wit went o n Mcbonad Id was sent TT for
apd walked to the chair without falterng step:
light blue slippers, He carried a small Grpclix
and repeated continuously the words. Jesus.
Mcdonald. small and wiry, as he sat in the
chair, WAS Guts the opno.. OF The negro IN re
bent over Sl HIM from behind the Chair the
keepers strapped him in. and the priest and
the prisoner both PRAYED cloud While tho
the Warden signalled to State Electrician
Davis. and the boly. stifrened out under tho
pcres This was sent through 1t for sHty-nye
tSecEnds Mhen tho % current Was turned oil the
II seemed wholly inanImate. DR.. Irvine felt
the pulse moment and then placed his ear
BACK ' and spoke to the Who closed
the switch again, and again the body strain nod
at the straps and the hand closed convulsive-
The current was turned off In thirty seconds
and DR.. Irvine stepped forward and listened Mt
few seconds and then the current was turned
minute tut and was followed ES tie usual reia9a
tion of the muscles. The doctor again PLACED
McD9nalds shirt distinct nul.9tions could b:
heard. Whom The doctor stood w again and
once more shook his head as sign that Nc
Donald could not yet be pronounced dead. both
the Warden and Electrician Davis looked 4 lit
tie bew!ldered. The strain, bsean:to tell on
csived to look away from the man sitting limp
IN the chair The fourth shock wa. given
current was kept on for thirty five seconds.
but the examination by the doctors to the
amazemSnt Of every Sh oFe shG wed nat , the pu
Those OF the witnesses who were not rhysi.
clans began To grow nervous, some believed
electrician and doctors. A few got out Of their
seats; DR.. Irvine had hort talk With the
cusion the current was turned on for the
NTH time. When Il had been turned Off and
he ds had S e Il. 9 @ h d9S
there was none. Mcdonald was pronounced
dead. 1t had taken more than five minutes,
f Br irvlne e VINO t' has Witnessed ali The .xecu
tlons at Sing Sing since the method OF execu.
that the resistance offered by McDonads body
had abb been UNUSUALLY great: ,.m,,,
muscular power o. resistance. While ne
GHpd S be +. ns
seio3sness after the first shock. and that
McDonad's execution was the twentv-nintb
by electricity at hi. nrisop In the case OF no
than three. and MANY times not more than two
ye been s zig Of hHs
total strength Of the cnrrsnt sent through Nc.
Donald was .535 watts. equivalent to the DOW
err OF more than nineteen horses working in
the tissues and against tho vitality OF the mans
body. The current used on the big negro was
about one horse power less In strength.
McDonald's body was claimed by his brother
Hugh, who WAS waiting for 1t at the prison dur
Ing the execution.
The crimes for which tue two men were
Killed Yesterday were both committed In this
city. Pullerson. on the night Of March ~.
1898 killed Nate Smith. white woman with
at their home. at 327 West Thirty: ninth street
The crime was com nitted in at OF jealousy, oc-
casionel BY Pullerson seeing the woman drink
ing in a saloon that night with another man.
lie was caught and PROMPTLY convicted
Mcdonald was an employee at EAstman's
slaughter house. at Fifty ninth street and
Eleventh avenue; He was discharged for
drunkenness. and on May I. 1874 he went to
the abattoir Office and demanded his back pay
from the timekeeper. Stephen Titus. Titus
told him that he would have to walt until the
reGua ar pay dny. whereunon Mcdonald. WHO
was drunk. flrod Eve shots AT the tim e ZEE Def
which killed him In II few minutes.
MARRIED BEFORE9 WE'LL. RATHER.