The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-30

AS he was being seated ne looked
about at the assembled witnesses with
quite a steady stare and SAID:
II killed the President because he
was an enemy of the good people-of
the working people,
His voice trembled slightly at first,
but gained strength with each word
and he spoke perfect English.
Il 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 fore
head and chin. AS the pressure on the
straps frightened and bound the jaw
slightly. he mumbled. I'm awfully
sorry could not see my father"
1t was Just exactly TIL o'clock when
he crossed the Threshold, but min
ute had elapsed and he just had finish
ed the last statement when the strap
ping was completed and the guards
stepped back. Warden Mead raised his
hand, and at 7:12:30, Electrician Davis
turned the switch that threw 100 volts
Of electricity into the living body.
The rush of the immense current
threw the body so hard against the
straps that they creaked perceptibly
The hands clinched suddenly and the
whole attitude was orr of extreme ten
sion.
For As seconds the full current was
kept on and then slowly the electrician
threw the switch back reducing the
current volt and finally the current was
cut off entirely. 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 sug-
gested that the current be turned on
for few seconds again.
Once more the body became rigid
At tbs 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 made another test to
determine If any life remained and at
III 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.
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 its
ordinary life. The prisoners who had
been kept locked in their cells, were
released at 7.45 o'clock and prison
work was resumed at once. There was
no excitement among the convicts and
no unusual scenes about the prison.
A crowd that numbered scarcely 100
stood around the prison gate to watch
the witnesses enter and wait until they
re-appeared. The witnesses dispersed
quietly, some of them leaving for their
homes as early as 9 O'Clock.
Superintendent Collins made the fol-
lowing statement to the Associated
Press. Just consider that within six
weeks from the death of his distin-
guished victim, Czolgosz has been ex-
ecuted for his crime. He was regu-
larly tried, convicted, sentenced and
executed aid despite the fact that the
law compelled US to give him four
weeks to prepare for death, the time
was wonderfully short for our system
of Furnishing criminals.
1T has been done in a dignified
way and the greatest credit is due to
Warden Mead for the care he has
taken to strip the case Of sensational
ism.
"The execution was one of the most
successful ever conducted in the state.
Extraordinary care had to be taken in
the case because both the warden and 1
received hundreds of threatening let
tiers. many Of them asserting in violent
and Incorporate language that the
prisoner would never be put in the
chair.
Il have decided for the present that
we will not destroy any of the hun
dreds of letters written to Czolgosz,
the warden and myself as to the case.
Eventually they win be destroyed but
it has struck me that perhaps we
should make a list of them, especially
those letters signed with full and
proper names, in which coincidence was
offered to the prisoner or threats
against US were made.
my plan is to get the addresses of
these people and keep the list for police
reference. 1 believe that there may
come a time when such list would
be valuable in running down anar-
chists.
Il have decided to bury the body of
Czolgosz in the regular prison ceme-
terry. The funeral will take place
sometime within the next As hours. We
will keep the grave guarded day and
night until such time as the quicklime
which will be placed around the body
shall have entirely destroyed it."
Electrician Davis made this state
ment as to the execution: II used 100
volts of electricity. turning It into the
body at full voltage, for seven seconds
and then slowly reducing 1t for As sec
onds.
Then I threw the full voltage on
again for eight seconds. Then. at the
suggestion of DR.. Macdonald, I turned
1t on again for a few seconds. 1 did
not think there was any necessity for