The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1901-10-31

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prisoner, sullenly. -,
After the superintendent had left
the guards brought Czolgosz' break,
fast. consisting of coffee, toast, eggs
and bacon and he ate with quite a rel.
fsh. While he was partaking Of this
the witnesses were gathering in the
ofhces OF Warden Mead and at Z :O8
the procession passed to the death
chamber, going through the long cor
ridor. s.5
In the chamber Electrician Davis
and former Warden Thayer of Dan.
nemora had arranged the chair test.
placing a bank Of % incandescent
lights across the arms and connecting
the electrode wires at either end. The
witnesses were ordered seated and
them Warden Mead briefly addressed
them, saying: ~ 5Ss5
"You are here to witness the legal
death of Leon F. Czolgosz. desire
that you keep your seats and preserve
absolute silence in the death chamber.
no matter what may transpire. There
are plenty Of guards and prison off,
clals to preserve order and attend to
the proper details" ne
Officials Take Their Positions. 4,
The prison physicians, DR.. Germ and
DIR. Carlos F. Mcdonald of New. York,
took position to the left Of the
chair. Warden Mead stood directly In
front and Electrician Davis retired to
the little room containing the electri-
cal switchboard.
Thayer gave the signal and the
current was turned through the elec-
tric lights, flooding the chamber with
brilliant light and dramatically show
Ing the power that was used to kill the
prisoner. -e. ~.
Warden Mead gave the signal to
have the prisoner brought in and at
7:10 Chief Keeper Tuper swung open
the big steel door leading to the con
demned cells and as the steel bars be-
hind which Czolgosz had been kept
were swung aside two guards marched
the prisoner out into the corridor, two
others following and the chief keeper
walking in front. -..:.., t..
The guards on either side of Czol-
gosz had hold of his arms as If either
to- support him or to keep him from
making demonstration. AS he
stepped over the threshold he STUN
bled but they held him up, and as they
urged him forward toward the chair
he stumbled again ON the little rubber
covered platform upon which the chair
rests. His head was erect. and with
his gray flannel shirt turned back ait
the neck, he looked quite boyish. He
was intensely pale and as he tried to
throw his head back and carry him
self erect his chin quivered very per-
ceptibly. AS he was being seated he
looked about at the assembled wit
nesses with quite steady stare and
said: s+
"I killed the president because he
was the enemy Of the good people
Of the working people,"
+ His voice trembled slightly at first
but gained strength with each word
and he spoke perfeGA English,
Not Sorry for His Crime.
II am not sorry for my crime" he
said loudly. just as the guard pushed
his head back on the rubber head
rest and drew the strap across his
forehead and chin. AS the pressure on
the straps frightened and bound the
jaw slightly. he mumbled, II am aw-
fully sorry could not see my father"
1t was just exactly. I'LL O'Clock
when he crossed the threshold, but
minute had elapsed and he had just
finished the last statement when the
strapping was completed and the
guards stepped back. Warden Mead
raised his hand and at 7:12:30 Elec-
trician Davis turned the switch that
threw LOO volts of electricity into
the living body.
The rush of the current threw the
body so hard against the straps that
they creaked perceptibly. The hands
|. .clinched suddenly and the whole atti-
tude was one of extreme tenseness.
For 45 seconds the full current was
kept on and then slowly the electrician
threw the switch back reducing the
current volt by volt until It was cut
off entirely. Then just as it had
reached that point he threw the lever
back again for two or three seconds.
The body, which had collapsed as the
current was reduced, stiffened up
again against the straps. When it
was turned Off again, DR.. Macdonald
stepped to the chair and put his hand
over the heart. He said he felt no
pulsation, but suggested that the cur
rent be turned on for few seconds
again. Once more the body became
rigid. At 7:15 the current was turned
off for good.
From the time Czolgosz had left
his cell until the full penalty was
paid, less than four minutes had
elapsed. The physicians present used
the stethcscope and other tests to- de-
atermine If any life remained and at
TIT the warden. raising his hand, an
nounced:
Gentlemen, the prisoner is dead. "
The witnesses filed from the cham
Der, many of them visibly affected and
the body was taken from the chair and
laid on the operating table.
Rev. Cordello Herrick, chaplain OF
the prison, was in the death chamber
ready for any call that might be made
FOR such services. He was not wanted
by the prisoner, however, and sat
quietly in the rear Of the chamber.
czoLHosz' BRAIN NORMAL. ~
= ...,iA ~ $tA Assfnnsv Held on tne
Remains.
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