The Van Buren press., 1901-11-02

The body. which had collapsed as Inc
current was reduced, stiffened up
again against the straps.
just to Make Sure.
When it was turned off again, pr.
Macdonald stepped to the chair and
put his hand over the heart. lie SAID
he felt no pulsation, but suggested
that the current be turned on for q
few seconds again. Once more the
body became rigid. At 7:15 the cur
rent 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 stethoscope and other tests to de-
termine if any life remained, and at
7:17 the warden, raising his hand, an
nounced:
"The Prisoner is Dead"
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 Ia
BILE.
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 ana
prison work was resumed at once.
There was no excitement among the
convicts,
supt. Collins Statement.
Prison Superintendent Collins made
the following statement;
Just consider that within about six
weeks from the death of his distln-
guished victim, Czolgosz was regu-
larly tried, convicted, sentenced and
executed, and this despite the fact
that the law compelled us to give MN
four weeks to prepare for death. All
has been done in 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 Taken.
"Extraordinary care had to be taken
in the case, because both the warden
and / received hundreds of threaten
ing letters, many of them asserting
in violent and incorporate language
that the prisoner would never be put
in the chair. | have decided, for the
present, that we will not destroy any
of the hundreds of letters written to
Czolgosz, the warden and myself as
to the case. Eventually they will be
destroyed, but it has struck me that,
perhaps, we should make a list OF
them, especially of 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 list for
police reference. ! believe that there
may come time when such list
would be valuable in running down
anarchists.
Electrician Davis Statement.
Electrician Davis made this state
ment as to the executions:
81 used 100 volts of electricity,
turning it into the body at full volt
age for seven seconds, and then Slow
ly reducing it for As seconds. Then |
threw the full voltage on again for
eight seconds. Then, at the sugges-
ton OF DR.. Macdonald, | turned 1t on
again for few seconds | did not
think there was any necessity for the
third contact, and the lack of resist.
ance shown when II was administered
proved that life was extinct. The
body showed eight amperes of resist.
ance. That is little more than
would be given by n larger or stouter
man, where the current could have
more chance to percolate. 1t was rs
successful an execution as have ever
operated at in all my experience"
Chaplain Wasn't Needed.
Rev. Cordello Harrick, chaplain Of
the prison, was in the death chamber
ready for any call that might be made
for his services. lie was not wanted
by the prisoner, however, and sat qui.
city in the rear OF the chamber
throughout the execution,
The clothing and personal effects
OF the prisoner were burned.
Brain Was Normal.
The physicians holding the autopsy
have decided, after critical exam.
nation, that Czolgosz' brain was
normal, II not above normal.