Rensselaer Journal, Volume 11, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 October 1901 — Page 7

V HOW CZ.OLGOSZ, WILL DIE.

The method to be employed In the legal execution of Assassin Czolgosz Is thoroughly in keeping with the progress of the eenturies. He is to die by the latest and most approved form of capital punishment, electrocution. While the manner of his taking off is -perhaps, a minor incident compared with the major fact that he is to pay the penalty of his life for his crime, it 1s a commentary on the advancement of the world that an assassin guilty of the most heinous offense is to be executed, not as in the old days by a more barbarous and painful death than that meted out to other murderers, but in the most humane method approved ♦y the laws, of the state in which he ■was convicted. Time was when the

CHAIR OF DEATH IN THE EXECUTION ROOM AT AUBURN PRISON.

assassin of a ruler was dragged to pieces by four horses at'ached to his four limbs and driven in opposite directions. In some of the oriental countries to this day the most cruel and revolting tortures are reserved for those who even attempt the life of •a potentate or are suspected of complicity in plots against him. Boiling in oil, drawing and quartering are among the least terrible of these punishments, ■while the lopping off of single members from the living body until death lelieves the victim is a common punishment for notable crimes. Means of Death Humane. In China to this day criminals suspected of plots against the emperor or other high officials are placed in a bamboo eage and kept constantly awake by their guards until death from fatigue ensues. They are prod•ded with sharp instruments on the least sign of sleep and their sufferings ■are impossible to describe after three or four days of this tbrture. But Czolgosz, who woulld have met a fate as terrible as any of these had he committed a like crime in an oriental •country, or even in many European countries, is to meet death in the form declared to be most humane and practically painless by medical men. A current of electric ty is to be shot through bls body, paralyzing the heart action instantly and causing death in a fraction of a second. In the familiar phrase of the street, “he will never know what struck him” after the electrician concealed in an inner room moves the fatal switch which will send 2,000 or more volts of the mysterious current through his body.

Result of Long Agitation. More than ten years ago the agitation looking to the abodtlon of hanging was begun in New York state. After several magazine and newspaper articles had been published expressing the opinions of eminent physicians and criminokgists on every phase of the subject, a commission was appointed by the leglsla‘ure to make an exhaustive inquiry into the subject. This investigation dragged along for several years, during which time the matter was thoroughly exploited In the newspapers. and at last a favorable report was submitted recommending that electricity be substituted as a death agent for the time honored rope’s end, which had been used in most English speaking countries for hundreds of years. A bill was passed by the legislature authorizing the change in 1897 and it was ordered in the law that all executions should take place In the state penitentiaries. Electrocution chambers were constructed at Sing Sing and Auburn, equipped with the “death chair” which superseded the old gallows, wires which took the place of the rope and an electric switchboard which performs the functions of the old “trap.” Death b Instantaneous. Several executions have taken place

under the new conditions and with results which more than verified all the claims of the physicians. Autopsies were held on the bodies of the first criminals executed in order that the surgeons and officials might learn exactly what effect the tremendous current had upon the tissues and organs of the body, and discover if possible in that way whether death was instantaneous. It was found that the blood was coagulated and other indications went to prove that electrocution was a certain, instantaneous and practically painless form of death. This is what awaits the assassin who murdered President McKinley and plunged the nation into grief. Under the law he has an interval of twenty-one days be-

tween the date of his sentence and his execution in order that any legal stays of proceedings may be brought by his attorneys before the higher courts, but in the present case, of course, nothing of the kind will be attempted. The Chair of Death. The condemned man will be led by guards into the death chamber in the Auburn penitentiary. Near the wall at one end of the room is an oak chair, constructed something after the manner, of an easy chair, with broad wooden arms. It rests upon a rubber matting,which insulates it completely. Attached to the back of the chair is an adjustable board, against which Czolgosz will rest his back, and this board is equipped with a sliding rod to which is attached the “death mask,” a strap which can be fastened around the head at the forehead. On the inner side*of this strap are two small sponges, which press upon the temples and which are connected by wires with the rod in the back of the chair. This rod carries the electricity, conducted to it by heavy wires from the wall. There are straps fastened to the back of the chair to pass around the upper arms of the condemned man and holding the arms securely against the chair, other straps dn the arms of the chair itself binding the forearms down and preventing the least struggle. Another stout strap or belt attached to the back of the chair passes across the abdomen of the prisoner and binds him securely to the seat. His ankles are also strapped to the foot rest at the bottom of the chair.

When all is in readiness two small electrodes fitted with moist sponges like those pressing gainst the forehead are placed against the bare calf of each leg, the trousers either being slit for the purpose or turned up as far as the knee. When these electrodes are fastened into place the body of Czolgosz will form part of a circuit from the wires at his head to those at his legs, and any current entering the upper wires must pass from the electrodes attached to his legs and thus back to the dynamo. Method b Simple. The execution itself, these details being attended to, is exceedingly simple. Upon the wall of the death chamber is a large switch board and a number of gauges which register the number of volts of current passing over the wires. One of the officials selected for the purpose, either the sheriff or some other officer legally charged with the execution, pulls down a handle on a switch, which completes the circuit, and in a fiftieth of a second about 2,200 volts of the deadly electricity leaps through the body of the murderer and passes on through the wires. Tn that fraction of time It Is all over. He Is dead as certainly as though a guillotine had descended upon his neck. The current is usually allowed to remain at that Intensity for about ten seconds,

when it is reduced to 1,800 volts. After several seconds, in order to make assurance doubly sure, the current is again Increased to upward of 2,000 volts and then cut off. The execution is over in less than a minute, the penalty demanded by the law has been paid. Death la Painless. This method of execution has met with so much favor from criminologists, physicians and humanitarians that it has been adopted by several other states, notably Massachusetts and Ohio. It is an improvement in hanging from several standpoints, being swift, sure and painless, and the removal of the body within a minute after the current is turned on is a great advance from the old method, where a man was allowed to hang for from .ten to fifteen minutes slowly dying, while a jury of doctors counted his failing pulse beats and finally pronounced him dead. There are no pulse-beats in the electric-chair execution. The movement of the handle on the switch board is practically simultaneous with the stoppage of the heart, the obliteration of all sense and feeling and immediate death. Since the imposition of sentence Czolgosz has Jost the nerve which carried him through the ordeal of the trial and has col'apsed a’most completely. The chancas are that by the time the day of his execution arrives he will have to be dragged or carried to the chair. His collapse occurred on his arrival at Auburn pen'tentiary at 3 o’clock on the morning after his sentence was pronounced in Buffalo. Up to that time he had carried himself marvelously well. He stood the trying test in the courtroom and even the Imposition of sentence without a visible weakening and marched back to his cell almost as jauntily as- though he had been acquitted. Scene of Horror Expected. But the people of Auburn had heard that he would arrive that morning, and a mob of about 300 had assembled at the station. When the train pulled in tlere was an outcry from the mob for the murderer’s blood. As he was hustled from the train to the prison fists struck at him and hands reached over the officers’ shoulders to seize him. Immediately he collapsed and became panic-stricken. Falling upon the floor of his cell, he screamed with fear and agony and begged the officers not to give him up to the mob. That seemed to be his greatest sea he would be lynched. As- the days passed he grew a bit quieter, but It is apparent to his guards that he has lost his nerve, and they fear he will make a pitiable spectacle of himself when the time comes for his last march on earth—that from his cell to the death chamber. An arrant coward, the chances are that he will be paralyzed with fear when he views the apparatus prepared for his death—the grisly chair, the head piece and the straps. It is, indeed, a spectacle which might make the most blustering braggart quail, and in the case of a pitiful coward like the man who murdered the president the effect will probably be distressing in the extreme to the sheriff and other officials charged with his legal execution. But they have little pity for him. Indeed, at the start before his trial the sheriff discovered that the guards stationed outside his cell were practicing a mild form of torture by keeping him awake at night. They managed to make noises which startled him every time he went to sleep; they talked or sung or whistled and gloried

AN ORDEAL TO BE ENCOUNTERED BY THE ASSASSIN.

in the fact that their endeavors were driving sleep from the brain of the murderer—a mild form of the Chinese torture which keeps criminals awake until they die. But as soon as the sheriff heard of this he put a stop to it, largely because he did not want Czolgosz to appear In court thin, drawn and haggard as though he had been persecuted In the jail. In the eyes of the law he was still innocent until he had been proven guilty, and orders were issued to feed him well and let him have plenty of sleep. The result was that when he came into court

he was fat and sleek after his two weeks of rest and good food and looked much better than lie did when he was arrested. May Make Trouble at Execution. But since his sentence he has changed his demeanor. Realizing that his clumsy efforts to feign insanity were deceiving no one, he dropped them after the trial and conducted himself in a quiet, orderly way, as though he were quite resigned to his fate and wanted only to have it hurried along and get it over with. But the Incident at Auburn, when the mob clamored for his blood, worked a complete change in him and seemed totake away whatever spirit of bravado he had up to that time. He has been a trembling, Whimpering wretch ever since and the chances are that he will be led to the execution shrieking with terror or practically unconscious from fear. But in that event the redeeming feature is that the spectacle will not last long. At a hang ng when a prisoner faints or st uggles there is always a painful scene, as it is necessary to have him on his feet in order to place the noose around his neck. With the electrocution chair this trouble is obviated. The most weakkneed and trembling of condemned men can be plac d in the chair and bound in the usual way without the slightest muscular aid on their own part. The current can be flashed through them and the crime has been expiated.

Firmness of Oar Institutions-

Courage and confidence, not terror and doubt, says the Chicago RecordHerald, have been the most truly remarkable and persistent things in the background of our national sorrow. The confidence was perfect and it was illustrated in the facts of our daily life when the doubt expressed in intemperate declamations was loudest Except for the day of public mourning the people went about their business as usual, and there was not the slightest sign of actual apprehension anywhere. It was assumed as a matter of course that the vice-president would succeed to the Presidency without any disturbance, that there was no pcss'b’e chance of national Insecurity, that the ordinary affairs of life would go on without interruption. It was felt that the foundations of the republic were as firm as the foundations of the everlasting hills. What stung the people was the outrage upon humanity, the cruel personal aspects of the a*sa si nation, the wanton nature of the assault upon their own sovereignty, which incensed though It did not terrify them. They never really thought that they had anything to learn from Russia on the making and the administration of laws,' and that eivll liberty and self-govern-ment had suddenly become a failure. They never thought pf punishing anarchy, with anarchy, and they knew that a great democratic republic like this- with its equal love for liberty and order does more to eliminate the causes of anarchy than any other political institution known to history.

McKinley’s Very East Words.

Dr. Matthew D. Mann, the eminent Buffalo surgeon who attended President McKinley, thus describes his last moments and words: “As President McKinley was dying I stood behind a screen in. his room and heard him say his last words. His wife came into the room and he said to her: ” ‘Good by, aH; good by. It is God’s way. His will be done, not ours.*

“There was some further conversation with his wife in the way of leave taking, but this should not be repeated. About an hour later he said to his wife: “‘Nearer, My God, to Thee, e’en though it be a cross, has been my constant prayer.' “He tried to say something more, but I could not catch it. I gave out at the time the first sentence as being the most appropriate to be remembered as his last words. I wrote them down at the time, so that there can be no question about it’’

BLOCKED NEAR MOUNTAIN TOP.

Explorer* Brought to a Standstill Near Aaalnlbolne’i Summit. Henry Grier Bryant, traveler and explorer, recently returned from a five weeks’ trip In the Canadian Rockies, says the Philadelphia Public Ledger. With Walter Dwight Wilcox, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of London, who has often traveled and made scientific investigations thereabouts, Mr. Bryant organized an expedition to explore the region around the headwaters of the Elk and Palllser rivers—a district covering about 2,000 square miles, which has remained a blank on the government maps, and, If possible, to make an attempt to ascend Mount Asslniboine, the Matterhorn of the Rockies. The party, consisting of two Swiss guides, three cowboys and fourteen horses, with provisions and supplies, beside Mr. Bryant and Mr. Wilcox, left Banff, a station on the Canadian Pacific, on July 21, and struck through the woods to the south and up the Spray river in the direction of Mount Asslniboine. No one had ever succeeded in reaching the summit of this mountain, which is put down in the government survey as being 12,000 feet high. Every attack on the mountain before had been made from the north, but Mr. Bryant and his party decided to try It from the south, from which direction the ascent was belibved to be easier. Ono of the Swiss guides was kicked by a horse before reaching the foot, and had to be left behind. Picking their way over stretches of snow and rocks and keeping as much as possible under the overhanging ridges, so as to be protected from a possible avalanche the party steadily pushed upward, but were brought to a standstill when only 800 feet from the top by a .long traverse of snow, over which It would have been foolhardiness to attempt to pass. The expedition had reached 11,125 feet, however, the highest point ever attained. Mr. Bryant says that It is only a question of time before the summit will be reached, but as their time was limited the party was compelled to give it up.

COIN SOUVENIRS OF TRAIN.

McKinley** Funeral Car Rum Over Gold Pieces In Penniylvanln. The desire for souvenirs upon the part of the large crowds lined along the railroad tracks at every point was a distinctive feature of the McKinley funeral train, says the Pittsburg Post. The most popular of all the methods adopted was the placing of coins on the track so that the train might pass over them, smashing flat the pieces of money as a mark of Identification in years to come. This practice was not confined to any particular point or crowd, but was Indulged in generally all along the route. The mutilated coins were afterward gathered up by their owners and displayed with much pride. At some stations, according to the train conductors, so many coins were placed on the rails that It caused a slight jar to the cars 'as they passed over them. Coins of different denominations aggregating at least several hundred dollars were strewn along the track at Union station. Even these relic-hunters seemed to appreciate the occasion and surroundings, and, instead of making a rush for their property as soon as the train had passed, waited until it was out of sight before picking up the crushed coins, and by common mute consent each was allowed to have his or her own without the least quibbling among them. At Roup station a prominent and wealthy resident of the Shadyside district placed a $lO gold piece upon the rail. The approach of the train started to shake it off, but It managed to remain long enough to have just a small portion of it nipped off as If done by a knife. The owner is quite a collector of souvenirs and oddities, and when he picked up his coin he stated it would occupy the most prominent and conspicuous place in his large collection.

Great Beta in Hlatory.

Lord George Bentlnck, In 1843, in betting on hie horse Gaper, for the Derby, stood to win £150,000 (8720,000), but saved himself upon Cotherstone, and netted £30,000 (8144,000). At another time a bet of £90,000 (8432,000) against £30,000 (8144,000) was booked between old Lord Glasgow and Lord George Bentlnck. The Marquis of Heatings bet and lost £103,000 (8494,400) on the Hermit’s Derby. Bell & Co. of Wall street, In August, 1900, had 8250,000 placed in their hands to bet on President McKinley’s re-election, at odds of 2% to 1. Their offer was absorbed in fractions. Lord Dudley bet £24,000 to £B,OOO on Peter in a race at Ascot with a bookmaker named Morris. Peter was beaten. A syndicate headed by a man named Lambert won £90,000 on Don Juan in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket in 1883.—New York Herald.

Klaetriciana* Olotm.

The Electric Laboratory of Paris has been carrying out recently a series of experiments bearing on the insulating qualities of electricians’ gloves. As a result the members having the matter in charge have arrived at the conclusion that insulating gloves cannot ba considered as affording efficient protection against the dangers connected with high-tension currents, and state that in their judgment it would even be better to prescribe their use altogether rather than to rely upon their efficiency in contact with dangerous connections. It is prudent, they say, to consider them useful only for working with those parts already Insulated from the lines, such for example as the non-metalllc hands of switches.— Philadelphia Times.

Indiana State

The Kokomo Rubber Tire Company has increased its capitalization to 1200.000. Webb Allman of Ridgeville was kicked by a horse, fracturing his skull, and his death is probable. James C. Dean, indicted for embezzlement on complaint of a client, has been released, at Windfall, under SSOO bonds. Mrs. Emma Weatherwax of Bloomfield was caught by a train at Ellston station and her right foot was severed. John R, Mason, whose saloons at Russiaville and Sedalia have been dynamited. was tried at Kokomo on nineteen counts for the Illegal sale of intoxicants. Bert Johnson of Stockwell is accused of attempting to assault Mrs. Bessie Schultz, who put him to flight with a butcher knife, and then caused his arrest. Word has been sent out from the headquarters of the Western Oil Men’s association at Portland that a meeting to be held at Toledo, 0., in January the name will be changed to the National Oil Men’s association. Following this branches will be organized in every oil town in the United States and Canada where a membership of twenty can be secured, the idea being to take in the crude producing fields of Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Kansas, Wyoming, California and Texas, with those in Canadian districts, while there will also be branches at such metropolitan centers as Chicago, New York, Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, New Orleans, San Francisco and other cities.

A large owl struck the headlight fronting a Pan-Handle passenger engine driven by Bert Smyser, and when Smyser completed his run, which he did without a light, he found the bird inside the frame badly stunned, but reviving. Two members of a party of dancers who were making merry at the house of Charles Marshall, a well-to-do resident of Lpland, were shot down without warning by Harvey Deering, who had entered the door but a moment before, pistol in hand. The victims are Marshall, the host, and John Larkins. Both probably will die. Consternation prevailed among the dancers when Deering burst into the room. Some jumped through the windows, carrying sash and glass with them; some fell on the floor to escape the bullets, and others huddled together against the walls, screaming with fright. The cause of the tragedy is not known, but it Is supposed to have some connection with the separation of Marshall and his wife, which took place recently. Deering refuses to say anything, and Marshall cannot make a statement.

Ft. Wayne—Church circles are gratified over the election at Altoona, Pa., of Dr. C. B. Stemen of Ft. Wayne as president of the National Association of Local Ministers of the M. E. church. Harry Leo, who left Clinton, 0., November 10, 1900, to ride 31,000 miles around the globe and make $2,000 on a wager between two Clinton men, is in South Bend. He had three years In which to complete the journey, but gave it up at Nagaski, Japan, after riding 18,000 miles. His wife, who accompanied him on part of his travels, died at Nagaski, and broken-hearted he returned to Oakland, Cal., with the remains, and June 20 decided to give up the trip. Leo has ridden 875,000 miles, all road work, and in addition has broken records in slx-day races. The Knox Crescent, established two years ago because a few Democratic politicians were dissatisfied with editor Gorrel and the Starke County Democrat, has yielded up the ghost. The township assessor at Evansville entered suit against the broom corn trust through its local agent, A. J. Klein, asking for $5,000 taxes. It Is alleged fraudulent schedules were given In. It is said that similar cases will be filed in other towns. Dr. George W. Burke, clerk of Henry county, died at Richmond.

Federal Judge Baker at Indianapolis continued the charge against Edward Bezette, a member of the Chicago Typographical Union, who is accused of violating Judge Baker’s injunction in the Conkey strike at Hammond, Ind. President Colbert of the Typographical Union in testifying said that Bryan in his last campaign lost at least 20.00") labor votes in Chicago because it was alleged that his book, ”lhe First Battle,” had been manufactured by nonunion labor at Hammond. Judge Baker will probably not render a decision in the strikers’ case for a few days. More than a dozen printers are to be tried for contempt. U. B. Kellogg, George H. Wellington end Harry L. Bryan of Lafayette have transferred- 60,800 acres of zinc lands near Joplin, Mo., to an English syndicate; consideration 8350.000. The home of Willfam M. Pence, president of the Cit'zens’ St te Bank and a director in the Columbia National Bank of Indianapolis, burned at New Castle because of an overheated stove. The jury in the Matthews murder case returned a verdict at Frankfort finding him guilty of voluntary manslaughter. Matthews shot and killed Adam Camp in July. William R. Newby, whose death occurred at Spiceland during the civil war served in Company D, Thirtysixth Infantry. Asa Cockran, a Louisville & Nashville brakeman, fell from a moving train at Howell and was killed instantly. His wife dreamed a few nights ago that* her husband would meet death in this manner.

Mayor Bookwaiter of Indianapolis has surprised saloonkeepers and gamblers by ordering the enforcement of the statues, prohibiting the sale of intoxicants on Sundays, holidays and after 11 o’clock at night, and prohibiting gambling. Hundreds of gamblers have flocked to the city during the last few days expecting to be allowed to operate during the carnival this year. However, the saloons after hours Monday night were closed, and in addition there was no gambling conducted in Indianapolis. Chief of Police Hyland’s orders are emphatic, and raids will be made where It is suspected the law is being violated. The Shefford Oil Company sold to the Commonwealth Oil Company, composed of Cleveland, 0., and Chicago capitalists. Its property, which lies tnree miles west of Montpelier. The deal takes In 780 acres of leases and forty-four producing wells. John M. Dye of Wabash is suffering from nervous prostration. He Is an heir to the Dye coal lands in Pennsylvania and has been threatened with abduction. Lafayette McWilliams, a Chicago capitalist, has purchased the Preston Oil Company’s interests in Wells countyy The property consists of 500 under leases, and twentysix producing wells with a dally production of 100 barrels. The price was $90,000. F. E. Henderson, a business man of Muncie, and Miss Edna Whlteker, daughter of Postmaster Whlteker of Kokomo, were married by Rev. Mr. Naftzger, pastor of Grace Methodist church at Kokomo Wednesday evening.

Indiana university at Richmond has a collection of birds that were caught, mounted and labeled by President Roosevelt. They came from the national museum in 1884. Eleven of the seventeen specimens are in a good state of preservation. They are highly prized. The October term or court at Washington convened and within an hour Edward Nolan and Thomas Songer were sentenced to the Jeffersonville prison for stealing a bell from a railway locomotive, and Ross Ruth was sent up for stealing a suit of clothes. None are old enough to vote. The annual conference of the Illinois German Congregational churches has closed at LaPorte. Rev. G. B. Baumann of Waukegan, 111., was elected secretary for the ensuing year. The next conference will be held at Waukegan In October. 1902. The street fair opened at Terre Haute opened with less incompleteness on account of bad weather the past three days than has been expected. Monday night there was a mask carnival and confetti battle until 9 o’clock, when all masks had to be removed. There are more than thirty pay shows and ten tree attractions.

Miss Irene Heoard Cook, society leader at Vincennes, and Albert W. Titler of Kansas City, Mo., were married at the First Presbyterian church in Vincennes. Rev. George Knox of Indianapolis officiated. charlotte E. Dill filed a suit at Logansport against Robert M. Gibson, a wealthy farmer, for breach of promise, demanding 810,000 damages. She also demands the setting aside of conveyance of suitable farming property to Gibson’s son and daughter, naming them as parties to the suit and alleging that the conveyance was made for the purpose of defeating her cause. James Culp has purchased the plant of the Vernon Republican, but as he is Democratic in politics, it is presumed that the political complexion of the paper will be changed.

the general store of Thompson & Bernard at Howell, a railroad station two miles west of Evansville, was entered at an early hour Wednesday morning and the safe blown open. The robbers secured 8130 in money and several valuable papers. In a subsequent encounter with the burglars Marshal Sumpter was shot in the knee and one of the robbers in the side. Henry McCarroll was shot in the back and will die and William Dumm received a slight wound in one of his arms. The safe was completely shattered and the noise made by the explosion woke people all over town. The burglars opened Are on the marshal and his posse, which was returned and in all about thirty shots were fired. An ambulance was sent to the scene of the shooting, but when it arrived the wounded burglar had disappeared. He is supposed to have jumped on a freight train. By this time the officers from Evansville had reached the outskirts of Howell. They were joined by hundreds of men, women and children and a thorough search for the robbers was begun. There is a great deal of underbrush at. this place. The officers had almost given up the search when two men were spied under the brush. Fire was opened on them and one of them was wounded in the back. His companion fled. After being chased through cornfields and swamps for about three miles he was captured. He was found to be wounded in the arm. Joseph Brown, a well-known farmer, dropped dead at his home near Fortville of apoplexy. William Smith, a miner, forty years old, with a family at Evansville, was instantly killed in the Montgomerymines by falling The late Mrs. Sarah GartreH of Terre Haute bequeathed 81,090 in aid of a Masonic temple and 8500 toward a union hospital. Dollle Richards, who was kidnaped ten years ago in Brazil, Ind., is to be restored to her parents. Woman abductor at Chicago confessed. ‘