The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-11
HOW CZ0LGOSZ WILL DIE.
Method of Executing Murderers in
New York state.

legal execution of Assassin Czolgosz
is thoroughly in keeping with the prog
ress of the centuries. He is to die by
capital punishment. electrocution
While the manner of his taking off is,
perhaps, a minor incident compared
with the major fact that he is to pay
the penalty of his life for his crime,
it is a commentary on the advancement
of the world that an assassin guilty of
the most heinous offense is to be exc
cuted, not as in the old days by a
more barbarous and painful death than
that melted out to other murderers but
in the most humane method approved
by the laws of the state in which he
was convicted. Time was when the as
sassin of a ruler was dragged to pieces
| by four horses attached to his four
limbs and driven in opposite directions.
| In some of the Oriental countries to
| this day the most cruel and revolving
| tortures are reserved for those VINO
| even attempt the life of a potentate
or are suspected of completely in plots
against him. Boiling in oil, drawing
and quartering are among the least
! terrible of these punishments, while
| the looping off of single members from
/
victim is a common punishment for
| notable crimes.
In China TO this day criminals sus-
| pected of plots against the Emperor
or other high officials are placed in a
bamboo cage and kept constantly
awake by their guards until death from
| fatigue ensues. They are prodded with
| sharp instruments on the least sign of
| sleep and their sufferings are impos-
sible to describe after three or four
| days of this torture. But CzolgosZ,
who would have met fate as terrible
as any of these had he committed a
! like crime in an Oriental country, or
even in many European countries. is
| to meet death in the form declared to
be most humane and practically plain
| less by medical men. A current of cleo
tricity is to be shot through his body,
paralyzing the heart action instantly
and causing death in a fraction of a
second. In the familiar phrase of the
street, 'he will never know what
struckshi after the electrician con-
| cealed in an inner room moves the ia
tai switch which will send 1000 or more
volts of the mysterious current through
his body.
Result of Long Agitation.
More than ten years ago the agita-
ton looking to the abolition of hang
ing was begun in New York state. AT
| ter several magazine and newspaper
/ articles had been published express
ing the opinions of eminent physicians
and criminologists on every phase of
the subject, commission was appoint
ed by the Legislature to make an
exhaustive inquiry into the sub
ject. This investigation dragged
along for several years, during
which time the matter was thorough
ly exploited in the newspapers. and
at last a favorab BILE report was submit
ted recommending that electricity be
substituted as a death agent for the
| time honored ropes end, which had
been used in most English speaking
| countries for hundreds of years. A
bill was passed by the legislature au-
thorizing the change in 1897 and it was
ordered in the law that all executions
should take place in the state peni-
tentiaries. Electrocution chambers
were constructed at Sing Sing and
Auburn, equipped with the death
| chair" which superseded the old gall
| lows, wires which took the place of
the rope and an electric switchboard
| which performs the functions of the old
| trap"
Several executions have taken place
under the new conditions and with re-
suits which more than verified all the
claims of the physicians. Autopsies
| were held on the bodies of the first
criminals executed in order that the
| surgeons and officials might learn eX-
actly what effect the tremendous cur
| rent had upon the tissues and organs
of the body and discover if possible
in that way whether death was instan-
taneous. 1t was found that the blood
was coagulated and other indications
| went to prove that electrocution was
| a certain, instantaneous and practical
| ly painless form of death. This is
what awaits the assassin who muir
dered President Mckinley and plunged
the nation into grief. Under the law
he has an interval of twenty-one days
| between the date of his sentence and
his execution in order that any legal
| stays or proceedings may be brought
| by his attorneys before the higher
courts, but in the present case, of
| course, nothing of the kind will be
attempted.
The condemned man will be led by
| guards into the death chamber in the
| Auburn pententiary. Near the wall
at one end of the room is an oak chair,
| constructed something after the man
ner of an easy chair, with broad wood
| en- arms. 1t rests upon a rubber mat
| ting, which insulates it completely.
ATTACHED to the back of the chair is
an adjustable board, against which
Czolgosz will rest his back, and this
board is equipped with a sliding rod
| to which is attached the death mask. ."
| a strap which can be fastened around
the head at the forehead. On the inner
| side of this slap are two small sponges
which press upon the temples and
which are connected by wires with the
rod in the back of the chair. This rod
| carries the electricity, conducted to it
| by heavy wires from the wall. There
| are straps fastened to the back of the
| chair to pass around the upper arms
of the condemned man and hold the
arms securely against the chair, other
| straps on the arms of the chair itself
| binding the forearms down and pre-
venting the least struggle. Another
stout strap or belt attached to the
back of the chair passes across the alb
! domen of the prisoner and binds him
! securely TO the seat His ankles are
also strapped to the foot rest at the
| bottom of the chair.
When all is in readiness two small
electrodes fitted with moist sponges
/ like those pressing against the fore
head are placed against the bare calf
of each leg, the trousers being either
] slit for the purpose or turned up as
| far as the knee. When these electrodes
! are fastened into place the body of
! Czolgosz will form part Of a circuit
! from the wires at his head to those at
his legs, and any current entering the
! upper wires must pass from the cleo
trodes at his forehead through his
/ body 10 the electrodes attached 10 his
/ legs and thus back TO the dynamo.