The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-02

near the death cells. The number Of wit
nesees was small. very few invitations
having been issued. The medical mon
present were Dr. J. B; Ransom. the prison
Macdonald, Dr. r. W. Van Lingen Of SYRIA
cuse. DR.. L. b. Honeyford Of Cairo. DR..
A. w. Cutler Of Oneonta, and DR.. W. y.
Clough OF West Chazy. The other Wit.
nesses were Warden Snas W. Berry OF
Nspanaugh Rsformatory; Howard D: Had
ley. deputy collector OF customs at Platts-
burgh; Philip Campbell OF Saratoga,
representative Of The Sun and representa-
tives OF two press associations.
As soon as the witnesses and physicians
were seated, State Electrician Davis gave
the final test to the apparatus and then
announced that all was ready. Warden
Deyo gave a signal. the door Of the death
down the corridor told that the grim pro,
cession had started. just before he started
Willis Van Wormer called out "Good-by,
Fred; good-by Burt; good-by, Mooney
This last to Allan H. Mooney. the murderer
Of two women, who Is also in the condemned
tier.
The first to enter the death chamber was
Principal Keeper James B. Fulton Then
came Willis and Father Bellanger. Willis
carrying q crucifix and repeating:
Jesus, Mary and Joseph. l give you
my heart and sou" Jesus, Mary and Joseph
assist me in my last agony; Jesus, Mary
and Joseph, may l die IN peace IN your
blessed company.
Behind the boy came Keepers Joseph
Robarge and william Mead. Keeper Edwin
Lewis stood beside the chair, Mr.. Davis
behind il, with headpiece ready. AMI Keeper
William Parson closed the door the moment
the last Of the company had entered.
The instant Willis saw the chair ne stopped
praying and went to it. He sat down I'M
oiIn1 v,locoJ hia banda nm the arms. threw
back his head for the headpiece! and thrust
forward his right leg slightly to expedite
the placing of the electrode. Warden Deyo
gave his Keepers just forty seconds 10 40
their grlesome work Earlier IN the
day it had been done at test with faroie
Officer John II Moorss In that time e. s.,,n
II took but thirty-five seconds TO strap
Willis in, and at ll:S5 o'clock Dr. Ransom
gave the signal and Mr.. Davis threw the
switch: l,s40 volts was the charge. 1t was
instantly lowered to 200 volts, then run
UP to 1900 again and reduced once more;
A third shock OF 800 volts was gwen, ana
then Drs. Ransom, Spitzka and Macdonald
applied the stethoscope and pronounced
the boy dead.
The body was unstrapped and carried out,
and almost instantly the signal was given
for the second execution. Father belanger
went quickly to Fred Van Wormer's cell,
and found this boy OF % standing erect
Come, Fred said the priest
I'm ready, father" said the boy. and
he took the crucifix which the priest had
taken from the hand Of his dead brother
and walked steadily up the hall.
The killing of this boy was the hardest
Of al, for the witnesses. He looked IKE
mere child Is he entered the chamber.
Tn, front Of his shirt was thrown open, re-
yealinx \ snow-whire neck. But he never
finchea. Indeed after ne sat down, he
looked c,.riously around the room and at
the straps which were being adjusted. At
,I.s2 he got the fret shock. Two lighter
ones followed, and at il:4. he was pro-
nourCcI dead.
When the keepers went after Burton he
was seated on his cot with Father Char
bonIeau at his side. reading from his PRAYER
hook. He put the book down, took the
cr,cjfix which had dropped from the hand
of Fred to the floor az lie died, and marched
brayely ahead. At ll;47 he was strapped
III the chair and second later was shocked
to death.
A. soon as he was dead an opportunity 10
examine hun was given to the medical n.en.
40 that the Official announcement o. his
death was not made until Sherlock.
The body was taken out and carried to the
autopsy room, where it was the first one
operated on by the doctors. The medical
men spent some four hours in their work.
and at the conclusion DR.. Macdonald,
speaking for ALL issued this statement:
aThe arltopsies upon the three bodies
were made with great care, that upon the
body of Burton being begun first, as it was
his body which came last from the CHAIR,
and it was therefore in the better immedi-
ate condition. The operative part OF the
work was done by Dr., Spitzka, who is
probably the most highly skilled brain
anatonist in this country, and whose brill :.
iant work in this field has already attracted
Worldwide attention. He remains at
Dannemora tonight for the purpose
of an exhaustive study. o. these
three brains. This examination vii
structural arrangement and other points
Of value to science, and the results will DO
published later with illustrations.
MY own presence was at the request OF
State officers and was entirely in the in
terest Of science, my point OF view being
that Of particular interest in the psycholog-
ical aspects OF the subjects and for The
study Of these young men with especial
reference to criminology.
.Ths results Of the autopsies were en-
tirely negative 30 far as concerns patho-
logical or diseased conditions, for the
brains and other bodily organs OF these
young men we're entirely normal, exhibiting
no physical aspects unusual in we'll formed,
well developed, well nourished young men
y :
their featur were regular and norm ally
symmetrical, and there was no marked
assymmetry of head or skull in any case.
$50 far as could be determined from
groes appearances the brains were entirely
normal, well developed anat otni .ally and
showed no suggestion Of degeneracy, de-
ficiency or defect. They were carefully
weighed, that Of Willis, the oldest, weigh
ing ~ ounces, that Of Burton slightly less
than A ounces, while that Of Fred, the
youngest, weighed rather more than SO
that Freds head was considerably the
largest Of the three and his brain, while
unusually large would have been expected,
but for bis youth, to be even larger con-
sidering the size Of his head.
Tn the other two cases the brains were
slightly below the average In point OF
weight, fact to be accounted for by their
not having reached the age OF fullest brain
development. IN a normal man the brain
continues to increase In bulk and weight
until about the fortieth year
In word, there was nothing in the ply
steal aspects discoverable in these autop-
sies to differentiate these young men as
criminals. But tine results ri DIR. Spitzka s
minute study OF the brains will undoubtedly
be OF great value In the field Of brain anal
The moment the executions were over
Warden Deyo ordered the convicts at work
in the Yards and shops in to dinner and II
was while this was going ON that the out
break in the upper tier occurred. During
the remainder OF the day the convicts were
kept hard at their tasks, and toward night
the sullenness which had been SO marked
opinion Of all who witnessed the executions
~ tLay ,yara admirably MANNED and