The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-04-13


ed by Rabb' Goldstein. the prison Jew
ish chaplain. walked into the room
between two big guards. his coming
heralded by the quavering tones Of
the rabbi az he intoned hymns and
psalms from Hebrew book Of prayer.
| Whitley Lewis" - he was best
known, seemed In full possession Of
his wits and strength. He strobe
rather quickly to the chair, turned
round, and then hesitated. Instantly
the two guards pushed him back and
waiting for nothing. began to strap
his arms to the framework Of the In
strument Of death. Leaning forward
between the two of them, the gunman
prepared TO speak but started convul.
sively az the wet sponge was pressed
| on the top OF his head. and a small
trickle of water ran down behind his
right ear. Then he began his state
ment While he was speaking an at.
! tendant from behind started to Mt the
great black electrode over his head.
and at its touch the doomed man
flIched again.
During the declartion, Rabbi Gold
stein. his back turned to the chair.
and his face working pitifully, stead
II lily intoned his spiritual consolation.
AS the gunner ceased his declaration,
he seemed IN catch the drift OF the
rabbits prayer and repeated after him
the constantly recurring phase or the
Hebrew verses.
There IL one God--only one"
Just as his lips framed the last
syllable of the confession Of faith, the
attendants reached forward again.
clasped q flap of the electrode carrier
ever the mans eyes and buckled 1t
across under his mouth.
Through an opening which showed
tho mouth and nose, the lips could be
seen moving slowly, evidently mutter-
ing responses to the applications OF
his priest. Just an instant then OF
tense stiffness. Suddenly Warden
Clancy raised his hand. State Elec-
trician Davis. concealed behind a
switchboard, threw over the lever
and Seidenshner strained against the
straps with one cOnvulsive jerk. For
some seconds the mans whole frame
IVES rigid as the death dealing fluid
searched his fibres. His left hand
was clinched in q grip which turned
the kuuckles white and his right
hand clutched prayer book open at
me of the psalms on which he pinned
his faith.
The only sign then that q man was
dying was the slow resurgence of
foam which bubbled up through his
parted lips. Then came another sign
of the currents deadly work. Just
over the mans left ear little wisp OF
white smoke showed. Steadily as the
seconds passed 1t grew In volume and
density and In a brief space OF time
It ran clear across the front of his
skull showing CHASTITY against the
black cap which covered the skull.
Two minutes Of this and at $50 a.
m. the current was switched off. The
body sank back into the chair abso-
lutely inert. Then a brief wait and
again the body leaped to the shock OF
the electricity. That contact soon
passed and instantly the prison physi-
clans. Doctors Farr and Morenas.
came forward. attendants tore open
the loose shirt and In just few sec.
onds, at $3.50 a. m. the stethoscopes
recorded that life was extinct.
No time was lost. The ready attend.
ants Ia twinkling unclasped the
odopS tudS uciu tnc DOuy uAu ZIG
electrode about the right calf. Each
put an arm under the shoulder OF the
corpse, each took an ankle. and Jacob
Setdenshner. gunman. went into the
prison morgue to cold slab, while
the chair was hastily made ready
again for "Gyp the Blood
'Dago Frank" Cirofici, was the first
to die. From 1920 a. m, to a time
not given out, he had remained in
the death house In an agony of fare
we'll with his mother and his sister.
Mary. They. 1t was understood,
begged of him to confess II he had
anything to confess as to Rosenthars
death. but SO far as is known he
turned a deaf ear to their entreaties,
maintaining his innocence to the last.
There was much sympathy shown
for Ciroflci by the warden, and his
jailers, and when he came through
the little green door" 10 the chair,
the general impression was that his
fear was benumbed by drugs. Pre-
coded by Father Cashin, the Roman
Catholic prison chaplain, the boy
stumbled TO his death. Not once did
he lift his eyes. dumbly submitted to
the pinioning, and. holding fast to
crucifx in each hand, died without q
visible tremor. in six minutes from
the frat shock.
Fear distorted the visage of Harry
Horowitz (Gyp the Blood, the third
to die. His eyes stuck out In terror.
Like Seidenshner, he was preceded to
the chair by Rabbi Goldstein, and
held the book of prayer in his right
hand. Three contacts were given
Horowitx and Ave minutes were con-
sumed from the FIRST swing of the
fatal switch until the physicians an.
nounced that his heart had ceased to
beat.
Louis Rosepberg LEFTY Louie). the
most intelligent Of the gunner. was
the hardest to kill. II took four
shocks to drive life from his frame.
The current was FIRST turned on for
Lefty, Louie at sos. When It was
switched on the second time there
were still evidences Of life. The
physicians then examined him and a
third. and then fourth shock were
given. He was finally pronounced
dead at GIT.
One OF the few spectacular features