Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-09-16
open line and told power-house en-
ployes that all was ready.
Three Switches Thrown

DIOyGS LIIlL etll Neho CouJ'
Three Switches Thrown
w. T.. Proctor, superintendent at
tn estate tuberculosis hospital; j. E.
Smith, warden at the female camp,
and II. G. Haynes, deputy warden OF
the male camp, stepped to the
switches and, at a signal from Mr..
Turner, threw them home with ap-
parently the same movement.
AS the high voltage current struck
the prisoner his whole frame drew
up tightly, and during the 90 sec
onds in which his body was submit
ted to the voltage fluctuatlng be-
tween / 800 and 600 volts, the water
on his head and leg could be heard
to dry with a sizzling sound.
When Mr.. Turner told the wardens
+o realese the switches the negro
prisoners head fell on his chest.
Those within the death chamber
had been warned to remain seated
for three minutes, at the expiration
of which time DR.. Guy D. Compton
prison physician, DR.. Tom NJ. HILL
of Milledgeville, and DR.. 0. {. Glib
son, of Macon, listened to the prls'
oner's heart and pronounced him
dead.
Death Instantaneous
Further examination revealed that
the skin had been burned at no
point and the physicians expressed
the opinion that the negro was I'M
conscious in fraction of a second
after the charge passed to his head
and leg. After announcement OF
death, the body was taken from the
chair and placed in the custody OF
Robert McCurdy, warden of the De-
Kalb county convict camp, and Ia.
M. Rogers and w. A. Rogers, De-
Kalb county policemen. They were
to turn the body over to a local
undertaken for shipment to DeKalb
county for interment.
During the time the electric chair
was in actual use all plants in and
around Milledgeville suspended OPP
Grafton so as to let more power be
converted to the death chamber and
residents of Milledgeville said house
hold lights practically went out.
Before going to the death cham
Der, Hinton was questioned by
Representative Perkins who asked
him if he had rather die by the gal
lows than in the manner in which
he was sentenced to expiate his
crime.
I'm glad they are going to save
me from being hanged with a rope"
the negro said. 81 think I'd rather
die in Ahe chair. But, boss, please
don't let them make no mistake. J"
DIR. f. C. Atkins, prison chaplain,
was closeted with the condemned
man before he was led to the death
chamber, and, just before the cur
rent was applied, the condemned
man professed his faith in Christ.
During the execution Judge David
son was not in the death chamber,
expressing a preference to view 1t
from the outside through a window
directly in front Of the chair.
Precautions For Witnesses
All within the chamber were seat
ed on wooden benches, covered with
cloth and sat with their feet on
pine boards placed under them by
prison inmates. Mr.. Turner said
this probably was unnecessary pre-
caution but he did not wish to take
and chances.
No one knows who threw the
switch that killed the condemned
man. The electrical arrangements,
according to Mr.. Turner is such that
the one switch completes the circuit
and as three men pulled switches,
in unison, even they had no way
of knowing.
Every courtesy was shown news
paper men and visitors by Superin-
tendent Dunaway. He provided spa-
cial seats for them and extended
them all the courtesies Of the Jail.
Hinton was convicted on August
% on charges of criminal assault.
'Im guilty, and ready to die" he
declared before he was led to his
death. I'm glad its a chair and not
a rope"