Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-04-04
DEATH BY ELECTRICITY.
instantaneous When Inflicted as a
Penalty For Crime.


Every now and then somebody
starts foolish story to the effect that
the means employed in New York
State for executing the death SEN
tence is not rapid and sure. A lead
ing paper in this city, which mas a
new editor, was betrayed into accept
ing one of these yarns not long ago.
1t thereupon evinced doubt whether
death really occurred while the pri-
soner was in the electric chair or af-
terward. Notice of this unfortunate
expression was promptly taken by DR..
Augustin H. Goelet, who, in company
with a leading electrician, Professor
E. A. Kenealy, was invited by Gov
ernor Flower many years ago to look
into the matter and report to him.
He now writes to the medical paper
to give the result of that inquiry. The
opinion adopted was that death was
caused (when the alternating current
was employed, by producing ruptures
of the blood vessels Of the brain.
There was at the autOpsieS marked
evidence of such rupture and the mic
roscopic investigation of the brain Of
the two subjects examined, viz, the
negro Hampton and DR.. Buchanan,
showed abundant evidence of rupture
of the vessels throughout the brain In
verification of those observations on
the autopsy table. These observations
were repeated by other investigations
subsequently at other executions b.
electricity.
The explanation of cerebral hemor-
rhage caused by electricity adds DR..
Goelet, is to be found in the fact that
the alternating current employed for
executing criminals causes violent
contraction of all the muscular struc-
ture throughout the body, both the
voluntary and the involuntary mus
cles, and hence the blood is driven
forcibly into the brain and rupture OF
the overdistended vessels occurs in
consequence. The absolute blOodless
condition of all parts of the body and
the absence Of blood in all Of the YES
sells throughout the whole body below
the head was noticeable at the au-
topsy, and when the Uranium was OPP
ened it was found to be filled with
blood Up to the time of this lnVes'
tigation and the report of the COM
mittee the cause Of death by cleo
tricity was involved in obscurity and
there was much speculation thereon,
but that report settled the question SO
far as electrocution is concerned.
1t is very we'll and proper to at
tempt resuscitation of those accident
ally shocked by electricity, for in
many instances they may be revived
if the effort is made promptly and
judiciously, but in these cases of acci-
dental shock the condition is very dlt-
ferent. The total energy Of the cur
rent actually directed against the
body is indefinite and uncertain and
may be insufficient to. cause death,
but in executions the strength of the
current employed is definitely known,
and it is applied in a manner to bring
the whole body under it's influence.
Death is therefore both positive and
instantaneous, beyond a question OF
possible doubt. The maximum cleo
trical energy employed for the pur-
pose is LAO volts and amperes,
equivalent to 1920 watts, and since
TAG watts equal one horsepower, the
energy used is equivalent to about 18
2-3 electrical horsepower.