Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-03-08
TO INSTALL ELECTRIC CHAIR.
Provisions of Act Of the General As
sembly.

Provisions of Act of the General As
sembIy.
The electric chair is to supplant the
rope in South Carolina for legal exc
cutions as a result of an act Of the
general assembly. The measure as
passed by the legislature provides that
all persons convicted Of capital crime
and have imposed upon them the SEN
tence Of death shall suffer the penalty
by electrocution within the walls of
the state penitentiary and under the
direction of the superintendent Of the
penitentiary.
The act requires the board Of direc-
tors of the state penitentiary to pro-
vide a death chamber and all neces-
sary appliances for inficting the pun
ishment and to pay the cost out Of the
funds of the state prison. The ex-
pense of transporting any such crimi-
nal to the penitentiary Is to be paid
by the county in which the offense !s
committed.
Upon the conviction Of any person
in this state of a crime, the punish
ment Of which Is death, 1t shall be the
duty of the presiding judge to SEN
tence such convicted person, accord
ing to the provisions Of the act and
to make such sentence in writing,
which shall be filed with the papers In
the case against such convicted per-
son. A copy is to be transmitted by
the clerk of the court Of general ses-
sions in which the sentence Is pro-
nounced to the superintendent Of the
state penitentiary not less than ten
days prior to the time fixed In the
sentence Of the court for the execution
and in all cases it shall be the duty Of
the sheriff of each county in which
the convicted person Is sentenced, to-
gether with one deputy or more, IL In
his judgment it is necessary, to con-
vey the convicted person to the pen
itentiary.
The prisoner Is to be delivered to
the superintendent OF the penitentiary
not more than twenty nor less than two
days prior to the time fixed in the
Judgment for execution, unless other
wise directed by the governor or un-
less a stay Of execution has been caus-
ed by appeal, or granting of new
trial or other order of a court of COM
petent Jurisdiction.
AT such execution" says the act,
there shall be present the execu-
tioner, and at least two assistants, the
penitentiary's surgeon and one other
surgeon, If the condemned person so
desires, an electrician, the condemned
persons counsel, the relatives, If they
so desire, ministers Of the gospel not
exceeding three, If they so desire, and
not less than twelve nor more than
twenty four respectable citizens of the
state, to be designated by the electro
cuted."
The executioner and attending ply
sicians are required 10 certify the fact
of each execution to the clerk Of court
of general sessions in which the sem
tence was pTOnOullCeu. lhC SCi tiiSoeS
is to be filed by the clerk with the pa
pers in the case.
1.-The body Of the person so execut-
ed" says the act, shall be delivered
to relatives; and in case no claim is
made by relatives for such body, the
same shall he disposed Of as bodies OF
convicts dying in the state peniten-
tiary: Provided, further. That, If near
est relatives of persons so executed
desire that body he carried to former
home If In the state the expense OF
said transportation shall be paid by
penitentiary authorities, who shall
draw their warrant upon county treas
urer of county from which said con-
vict came and said county treasurer
shall pay same and charge to item OF
court expenses"
Three prisoners have been sentenc-
ed to be electrocuted during June.
Those under sentence of death are
Samuel Hyde Of Anderson. and two
negroes from Charleston.