The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-30
SAVANNAH GA. WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER

JNN SA6Hllys ne HluIHDlSQ. .r
Il am awfully sorry 1 could not see
my father"
1t was just exactly I'll o'clock when
he crossed the threshold, but a minute
mad 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 Electrician Davis turned
the switch that threw 1,700 volts of
electricity into the living body.
The rush of the current threw the
BODY so hard against the straps that
they creake1 perceptibly The hands
clinched suddenly and the whole atti-
tude was one of extreme tenseness. For
40 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 reach
ed that point he threw the lever back
again for two or three seconds. The
body which had collapsed as the cur
rent was reduced, stiffened up again
against the straps. When it was turned
off again DR.. Mcdonald stepped up to
the chair and put his hand over the
heart. He said he felt no pulsation, but
suggested that the current be turned
on for few seconds again. Once more
the body became rigid
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 stetho-
scope and other tests to determine if
any life remained, and at 7:17 the war
den. raising his hand, announced:
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
When the body of Czolgosz had been
removed from the room where he was
killed to the autopsy table, Auburn
prison returned to the routine of it's
ordinary life. The prisoners who had
been kept locked in their cells were
released at 7;45 o'clock, and the prison
work was resumed at once. There was
no excitement among the convicts.
Scarcely hundred people had gathered
outside the prison gate to watch the
witnesses enter and wait until they re-
appeared. The witnesses dispersed
| quickly, some of them leaving for their
| homes as early at o'clock.
His Brain Examined.
Naturally almost the entire attention
of the physicians assigned to hold the
autopsy was directed towards discov-
ering, if possible, whether the assassin
was in any way mentally irresponsible.
The autopsy was conducted by Dr.
Carlos F. Macdonald, E. A. Spitzka
and Prison Physician Geerin. The top
of the head was sawed off through the
thickest part of the skull, which was
found to be of normal thickness, and
it was the unapimous agreement of the
microscopical examination that the
brain was normal or slightly above
normal. This demonstrated to the sat
isfaction of the physicians that in no
way was Czolgosz's mental condition,
except as it might have been perveft-
ed, responsible for the crime.
The autopsy was completed shortly
before noon, when the surgeons issued
the following statement:
The autopsy was made by Mr.. Ed
ward A. Spitzka of New York, under
the immediate supervision and direc-
ton of DR.. Carlos F. Macdonald of
New York, and DIR. John Geerin, ply
sician at the prison. The autopsy .oc-
cupied three hours and embraced a
careful examination of all the bodily
organs, including the brain. The ex-
animation revealed a perfectly healthy
state of all the organs, including the
brain.
"All of the physicians who attended
the execution were present at the au-
lOpSy anu dll COuCullCO III LllC AAiNAiA6S
of the examiners.
(Signed)
John Geerin, M. D.
Carlos F. Macdonald, NJ. D.
"E. A. Spitzka."
To Destroy the Body.
The body was placed in a black
stained pine coffin, every portion of
the anatomy being replaced under the
supervision of DR.. Geerin and Warden
Mead Shortly afterward it was taken
to the prison cemetery and an eX-
traordinary precaution taken to COM
pletely destroy it. A few days ago
under the warden's order an expert
ment was made to determine the power
of quicklime in the destruction of flesh
and bone, which was not satisfactory.
Warden Mead at once conferred with
some of the physicians present and
determined, in conjunction with Su-
perintendent Collins, that the purpose
of the law was the destruction of the
body, that it was not necessary to use
quicklime for that end.
Accordingly a carboy of acid was
obtained and poured upon the body in
the coffin after it had been lowered
into the grave. Straw was used in the
four corners of the grave as the earth
was put in to give vent to such gases
as might form.
1t is the belief of the physicians that
the body will be entirely disintegrated
within twelve, hours. During that time
and as long as deemed necessary
guard will be kept over the unmarked
grave.
An Entirely Normal Brain.
A lengthy report prepared this after
non by the autopsy surgeons related
entirely to the brain and was OF a
highly technical character. After
scientifically describing to the minut-
est detail the brain of the dead muir
6erer, the report concludes as follows:
mo anomalies found. The brain In
general is we'll developed, sufficiently
marked with fisures and the lobes are
in normal proportion"
The surgeons have not yet drawn a
report on what the autopsy disclosed
as to the other organs.
To Collect CzOIgosz's Insurance.
Waldeck Czolgosz and Waldeck T.
Bandowski. brother and brother -in-law,
respectively, of the assassin, called at
the prison at o'clock this afternoon.
They sent word in to Warden Mead
that they would like TO see the body of
Leon Czolgosz. The warden told them
that the body had been buried for
more than an hour, and that IL they
wished he would send a guard to guide
them to the grave. They answered
that they did not care to go to the
cemetery, but that they were anxious
to arrange for the collection OF the
insurance on the life of the dead MUIR
derer and asked that certificate of
death be given 10 them. The warden
promised them a certificate and they
FTt. al LtAI.