The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-10-27

the assassin who murdered President
Mckinley and plunged the nation into
grief. Under the law ne has an inter-
val of twenty-one days between the
in order that any legal stays or pro-
ceedings may be brought by his attor-
neys before the higher courts, but in
the present case, Of course. nothing of
the kind viii be attempted.
The condemned man viii be led by
guards into the death chamber in the
Auburn penitentiary. 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 compl Ately. At
tached to the back OF the chair is an
adjustable board. against which Czol-
gOsz viii rest mis- back, and this board
is equipped with sliding rod, to
which is attached the death mask" a
strap which can be fastened around
the head a t the forehead. on the in
ner side of this strap are two small
81 onges, which press upon the temples
and which are operated 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 OIL 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 abdo-
men 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
CzcigOsz viii 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
trudes a t his forehead through his body
to the electrodes attached to his legs,
and thus back to the dynamo.
The execution itself. these details be
ing attended to. is exceedingly simple.
Upon the wall Of the death chamber is
a large switch board and a number of
gauges. which register the number Of
volts of current passing over the wires.
One of the OH .ials selected for the
purpose. either the sheriff or some other
officer legally charged with the execU-
ton, pulls down a handle on a switch,
which completes the circuit, and in
fftieth of a second about 2,20G volts
of the deadly electricity leaps through
the body of the murderer and passes
on through the wires. In that frac-
{ ton of time i is all over. He is dead
as certainly as though a guillotine had
| descended upon his neck. The current
/ is usually allowed to remain at that
/ intensity for about ten seconds. when
/ il is reduced to 1.S0G volts. After sew
eral seconds, in order to make assUr-
ance doubly sure, the current is again
/ Increased to upward of 1000 volts and
I then cut eff. The execution is over in
/ less than a minute. the penalty de
manded by the law has been paid.
/ This method of execution has met
/ With so much favor from criminolo-
Lgists. physicians and humanitarians
| that It has been adopted by several
other states. notably Massachusetts
I and Ohio. 1t is an Improvement in
I hanging from several standpoints. be-
/ ing swift. sure and painless, and the
/ removal of the body within a minute
after the current is turned on is a
great advance from the old method.
/ where man was allowed to hang for
/ from ten to fifteen minutes, slowly
/ dying. while "A jury of doctors counted
his failing pulse beats and finally pro-
! ncunced him lead. There are no pulse
! beats in the electric chair execution.
/ Toe movement of the handle on the
| switch board is practically simUltane-
Gus with the stOppage of the heart, the