The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-08-06
FIRST ELECTROCUTION
In this STATE TODAY
ANDERSON COUNTY NEGRO TO PAY
DEATH PENALTY.
Little Death House at State ePniten-
tiary Ready For BusineSs-Six
Cells In Death Structure.

Columbia, Aug. 5.-Tuesday, be-
tween the hours of 10 a. m. and noon,
William Reed, a negro from Anderson
county, will be electrocuted at the
State penitentiary in the electric chair
provided for that purpose, substituting
the electric chair for the galloWs and
the hangsman's rope. Through Reeds
BODY will be shot 1850 volts, sufficient
In cause instant death. The execution
will be witnessed by only the peniten-
tiary officials, spiritual advisers of the
doomed man, and a few witnesses.
Reed has confessed his crime and is
ready to pay for his life with the name
less crime of having attempted assault
on white woman in Anderson county.
First to Go to Chair.
William Reed, the first who will go
to his death in the new electric chair
at the State penitentiary in the death
house, attempted criminal assault On
a white woman near Deans station, in
Anderson county, on February 26 last,
for which offence he was convicted
and sentenced to death. He confessed
to his crime few days ago to the Rev.
Richard Carroll, a colored preacher,
who with the Rev. Thomas Jackson, of
Columbia, and another colored parson
to be named by Reed, will be present
at the execution as witnesses. Reed,
outside of being a little nervous, is
calmly awaiting his fate. He says that
he does not care what becomes of his
remains and they will probably be dis
posed of by the authorities.
Besides Reed there are several other
prisoners confined in the State peni-
tentiary awaiting electrocution. Among
them is Samuel N. Hyde, the Ander-
son county murderer, who is being ex-
amined by commission as to his lun-
acy.. He was given respite until
September, and before that date ar
rives the commission is expected to re-
port to the governor as to whether or
note Hyde is really crazy and On the
result of that examination will prob
ably hang the fate of Hyde, whether
he will go to his death in the electric
chair or whether he will be committed
to life Imprisonment.
The Little Red House.
The little red brick house within the
penitentiary enclosure is in full readi-
ness for the electrocutious. With walls
of red brick, three bricks deep, inlaid
with cement mortar, and with windows
barred with heavy steel, the death
house encloses the chair in which Reed
and those who will follow him to GRIM
inals' graves will be put to death, a
chair exactly like that in which Henry
Clay Beattie, the Virginian who muir
dered his pretty young wife, met his
death.
In the death house are six cells in
which those under sentence of death
will be kept during the days that i'm
mediately precede their executions.
From one of these death cells on
Tuesday William Reed will be escorted
by two prison guards into the warrant
room, and here between cement walls
and heavily armed guards, the death
warrant will be read to the doomed
man. This will take three minutes.
Thence he will be lead into the death
chamber, where one minute will be
consumed in putting out his life.
HarneSSed to Chair.
The prisoner will be strapped, head,
body, wrists and ankles into the heavy
oaken chair, and the electrodes, one
on the helmet of leather, and salt
watered sponge placed over his head,
and the other an anklet around his
right leg, will be placed in position.
The head strap, passing over his eyes
and under his chin, leaving his nose
( lprotruding and giving to his head a
ghostly appearance, will be adjusted
and the doomed man will have lived
his last minute of bodily freedom.
4 Behind the death chair is the pannel
board, where the electrician will work
the switch that will send through the
criminals body 1850 volts Of electri-
city. 1t took 1850 volts to kill Henry
Beattie and a like current will next
Tuesday be passed through the body
of Uy;1I1o,o Dead