STATE OK NEW YORK. 
R E P O R T 
OF 
Carlos F. MacDonald, M. D., 
ON THE 
# 
Execution by Electricity 
of 
WILLIAM KEMMLER, alias JOHN HART. 
Presented to the Governor September 20, ItSQO 
ALBANY: 
THE ARGUS COMPANY, PRINTERS. 
1890. REPORT. 
To His Excellency, David B. Hill, 
Governor of the State of New York: 
Sir.— In compliance with your request, previously made to me, 
to furnish you a detailed report of the facts and circumstances 
attending the execution of convict William Keinmler, alias John 
Hart, I have the honor to respectfully submit the following : 
William Kemmler, alias John Hart, was duly executed by elec- 
tricity at Auburn Prison, in the city of Auburn, Cayuga county, 
N. Y., at 6.49 o’clock a. m. on the 6th day of August, 1890. 
Present — The Agent and Warden of the prison and twenty-five 
official witnesses, as shown by the certificate of execution filed at 
the clerk’s office of the county of Cayuga, and which reads as follows : 
COURT OF OYER AND TERMINER, IN AND FOR 
ERIE COUNTY. 
The People of the State of New York against William 
Kemmler, otherwise called John Hart. 
STATE OF NEW YORK, 
County of Cayuga, 
v ss.: 
I, Charles F. Durston, A<rent and Warden of Auburn State 
Prison, at Auburn, Cayuga county, do hereby certify, pursuant to 
section 508 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the State of New 
York, that, in obedience to, and in conformity with, the judgment 
and sentence of the above-named court, and the warrants of said 
court, a copy of which is hereto annexed, I, said Agent and Warden 
at the said State Prison, at the city of Auburn, on the 6th day of 
August, 1890, did attend upon the execution of the judgment and 
sentence, and that the said William Kemmler, otherwise called 
John Hart, the convict therein mentioned, was then and there, to wit, 4 
at the place and time last aforesaid, executed in conformity to the 
said judgment and sentence of said court, and in accordance with 
the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the State of 
New York. I do further certify that the persons whose names are 
hereinafter signed were the persons invited by me, as such Agent 
and Warden, to be present at said execution, and that said persons 
were all the persons present and witnessing the execution of said 
judgment and sentence upon the said William Kemmler, otherwise 
called John Hart. 
Dated at Auburn, Cayuga county, State of New York, this 6th 
day of August, 1890. 
(Signed.) CHARLES F. DURSTON, 
Agent and Warden. 
The undersigned, being the persons and all the persons present 
and witnessing the execution of the judgment and sentence set forth 
in the foregoing certificate, do hereby, pursuant to the statute, and 
at the city of Auburn, county of Cayuga and State of New York 
aforesaid, on the 6th day of August, 1890, subscribe the foregoing 
certificate: 
Louis Balch. (M. D.) 
W. T. Nellis. (M. D.) 
J. M. Jenkins. (M. D.) 
W. T. Jenkins. (M. D.) 
Joseph Fowler. (M. D.) 
IIenry A. Argue. (M. D.) 
C. W. Daniels. (M. D.) 
A. P. Southwiok. (M.. D.) 
C. A. Houghton. 
C. R. Huntly. 
H. E. Allison. (M. D.) 
T. K. Smith. (M. D.) 
Robert Dunlap. 
E. C. Spitzka. (M. D.) 
Carlos F. MacDonald. (M. D.) 
George E. Fell. (M. D.) 
Oliver A. Jenkins. 
Joseph C. Yeling. 
Horatio Yates. 
Tracy C. Becker. 
Michael Conway. 
George Grantham Bain. 
Frank W. Mack. 
George F. Shrady. (M. D.) 
George W. Irish. 
Of the witnesses present fourteen were physicians, two of whom, 
Carlos F. MacDonald and E. C. Spitzka, were officially designated 
as physicians by the Warden, in pursuance of the statute. 
The execution took place in a room set apart for the purpose, in 
the basement of the administration building of the prison, to which 5 
the electric current was conducted by means of an ordinary electric 
light wire. The apparatus consisted of a stationary engine, an 
alternating current dynamo and exciter, a Cardew volt-meter, with 
extra resistance coil, calibrated for a range of from 30 to 2,000 
volts ; an ammeter for alternating currents from 0.10 to 3.00 amperes, 
a Wheatstone bridge, rheostat, bell signals and necessary switches ; a 
death chair, with adjustable head-rest, binding straps and two 
adjustable electrodes. The dynamo was an alternating current 
dynamo intended to supply 750 incandescent lamps of sixteen-candle 
power each, and capable of generating, as shown by careful tests 
made several months prior to the execution, a maximum electro- 
motive force or current of 2,376 volts, the commercial and mean 
voltage being 1,680 and 1,512, respectively, the speed of the 
dynamo being 1,900 revolutions and of the exciter 2,700. The 
chair, a square-framed heavy oaken one, with a high, slightly 
sloping back and broad arms, was fastened to the floor, 
the feet of the chair being properly insulated. Attached to 
the back of the chair, above the head rest, was a sliding arrange- 
ment shaped like a figure four (4), the base or horizontal arm of 
which projected forward, and from which was suspended the head 
electrode, so as to rest on the vertex, or top of the head, against 
which it was firmly held by means of a spiral spring. The spinal 
or body electrode was attached to the lower part of the back of the 
chair and projected forward horizontally on a level with the lower 
portion of that part of the spine known as the hollow of the 
sacrum. The electrodes each consisted of a bell-shaped rubber cup, 
about four inches in diameter, the part corresponding to the handle 
of the bell being of wood, through the long axis of which the wire 
passed into the bell, terminating in a metallic disc about three 
inches in diameter and faced with a layer of sponge. The lower 
electrode was also provided with a sliding arrangement and spiral 
spring to hold it in place, while a broad strap fastened to the back 
of the chair and passed around the lower part of the prisoner’s abdo- 6 
men rendered the contact secure. The prisoner’s head was firmly 
secured by means of conjoined leather bands, which encircled the fore- 
head and chin, and were fastened to the back of the almost perpen- 
dicular head rest, while the chest, arms and legs were secured by broad 
straps attached to corresponding portions of the chair. The wire 
attached to the head electrode descended from the ceiling, and that 
of the lower one passed along the fioor, being protected by a strip 
of wood. 
The dynamo and engine were located in one of the prison shops, 
several hundred feet distant from the execution-room ; the volt- 
meter, switch and other instruments for determining the pressure 
were located in a room adjoining the execution-room, which con- 
tained the death chair, electrodes and connecting wires. Commu- 
nication between the meter-room and dynamo-room was by means 
of electric signals. 
Kemmler was brought into the execution-room by the Warden 
and introduced to the witnesses, who were seated in a semi-circle, 
facing the death chair. On entering the room he appeared strikingly 
calm and collected. In fact, his manner and appearance indicated 
a state of subdued elation, as if gratified at being the central 
figure of the occasion, his low order of intelligence evidently ren- 
dering him unable to fully appreciate the gravity of his situation. 
He was given a chair near the death chair, and, on being seated, in 
response to the Warden’s introduction, said : “Well, I wish every- 
one good luck in this world, and I think I am going to a good 
place, and the papers has been saying a lot of stuff about me that 
wasn’t true. That’s all I have to say.” At the Warden’s bidding 
he then arose, removed his coat, and without the least display of 
emotion or nervousness, took his seat in the death chair, calmly sub- 
mitting to the adjustment of the electrodes and binding straps, him- 
self aiding the proceedings by suggestions and fixing his body and 
limbs in proper position. Observing the nervousness of the assist- 
ants who were adjusting the straps, he admonished them not to 7 
harry, and said he wanted them to “be sure that everything is all 
right.” He pressed his bared back firmly against the spinal elec- 
trode and requested that the head electrode be pressed down harder 
on the top of his head, from which the hair had been imperfectly 
clipped before he entered the room, remarking, at the same time, 
that he desired to perform his part to the best of his ability. The 
preparations terminated with a final moistening of the electrodes, 
the whole occupying, at most, between three and four minutes. 
Everything being seemingly ready, the Warden signaled to his 
assistants in charge of the switches in the adjoining room to turn 
the lever, which closed the circuit and instantly sent the deadly cur- 
rent through the prisoner’s body. The instant the contact was 
made the body was thrown into a state of marked rigidity, every 
fiber of the entire muscular system being apparently in that fixed, 
rigid condition known to physicians as tonic spasm. Synchronously 
with the onset of rigidity bodily sensation, motion and consciousness 
were absolutely suspended, and remained so while electrical contact 
was maintained. At the end of seventeen seconds Kemmler was 
pronounced dead, none of the witnesses dissenting, and the Warden 
signaled to have the contact broken, which was done. 
Before Kemmler was brought into the room the Warden asked 
the physicians how long the contact should be maintained ; I replied 
twenty seconds, but subsequently assented to ten seconds, in defer- 
ence to the opinion of my associate physician that a considerably 
less period of time would suffice, an opinion which, doubtless, would 
have been sustained had the voltage been 2,000 or more. 
For obvious reasons the only means of determining the question 
of death was by demonstration ; so that it cannot be posi- 
tively asserted that the heart’s action entirely ceased with the onset 
of unconsciousness, though in all probability it did. 
When the electrical contact was broken the condition of rigidity, 
noted above, was instantly succeeded by one of complete muscular 
relaxation. At the same time superficial discolorations, resembling 8 
commencing capillary post-mortem changes, were observed on the 
surface of exposed portions of the body, especially the face. The 
body remained motionless, and apparently lifeless, for approximately 
one-half minute, when there occurred a series of slight spasmodic 
movements of the chest, accompanied by the expulsion of a small 
amount of mucus from the mouth. There were no evidences of a 
return of consciousness or of bodily sensation ; but in view of the 
possibility' that life was not wholly extinct beyond resuscitation, 
and in order to take no risk of such a contingency, the current was 
ordered to be reapplied, which was done within about two minutes 
from the time the first contact was broken. The sudden muscular 
rigidity noted on the first closure of the circuit was again observed 
and continued until the contact was again broken, when the opposite 
state of complete muscular relaxation reappeared. The second 
closure of the circuit was inadvertently maintained for about 
seventy seconds, when a small volume of smoke was seen to issue 
from the point of application of the spinal electrode, due, as wTas 
subsequently found, to momentary' scorching of the edge of the 
sponge with which the electrode was faced, and from which the 
moisture had been evaporated by prolonged contact of the current. 
The odor of the burning sponge was faintly perceptible in the 
room. There was also some burning, or rather desiccation, of the 
already dead body, immediately underneath the electrodes, especially 
under the lower one, which will be fully described in connection 
with the autopsy. 
A careful examination of the body was now made, in which most 
of the medical witnesses participated to a greater or less extent. 
The wrists were found to be pulseless, the heart had ceased to beat, 
the pupils were dilated, and the corneae, or anterior surface of the 
eye-balls, were depressed and flaccid on pressure. In other words, 
William Kemmler was dead, and the intent and purpose of the law, 
to effect sudden and painless death in the execution of criminals, 
had been completely and successfully carried out. 9 
AUTOPSY. 
The autopsy was held about three hours after death. All of the 
witnesses to the execution who desired to do so being present. 
The examination was, by verbal direction of the Warden, under my 
personal supervision, and was performed by Doctors E. C. Spitzka, 
George F. Shrady and W. T. Jenkins, of New York, and Doctors 
C. M. Daniels and George E. Fell, of Buffalo, N. Y. To 
Dr. Jenkins was assigned the removal of the chest and abdominal 
organs; to Dr. Daniels, the removal of the brain and spinal cord, 
and to Dr. Spitzka, the examination of the brain and cord. 
Dr. Fell examined specimens of the blood, microscopically, and 
Dr. Shrady kir.dly took stenographic notes, and subsequently 
compiled therefrom the report of the examination, substantially 
as follows : 
Body fairly well nourished. Rigor mortis marked, particularly 
in the muscles of the jaw, neck and thorax, and gradually 
extending from above downward, involving the feet and legs 
last. Post-mortem discoloration existed over lower portion 
(posterior and lateral aspects of trunk) of body and extended 
up as far as the anterior axillary line, also on the pendant 
surfaces of the upper and lower extremities. The upper extrem- 
ities were partly flexed and rotated outward, the nails showing post- 
mortem lividity. There was a seminal discharge, which, on 
microscopic examination, was found to contain a large quantity of 
dead spermatozoa. There was marked post-mortem discoloration 
of the forehead, about an inch in width, corresponding with the 
position of the strap, beginning at the hair on the left side and 
extending to the hair line on the right side. A corresponding dis- 
coloration from the pressure of the chin strap was also noted. 
There was an oval depression of the scalp upon the vertex, due 
to pressure of electrode, beginning at the anterior hair line and 
measuring four inches in its long and three and one-half inches in its 10 
short diameter. Anterior to the posterior portion of the depression 
and in the immediate line there was a vesication one and one- 
half inches in length and half an inch in width, very superficial in 
character, crescentic in shape, and upon which the hair appeared to 
be slightly scorched. On the small of the back, corresponding to 
the level of the fourth sacral vertebra below, and second above, 
four and one-half inches in vertical diameter and four and one-half 
inches in transverse diameter, was a burn, presenting four concen- 
tric zones, of which the outermost had a pale area, corresponding 
to that of the rubber cup of the electrode and one-fourth of an inch 
in diameter. 
Succeeding this was a vesication, partial below and complete 
above, about an inch in diameter above and one-third of an inch 
below. 
Then followed another zone, which was in its upper third a com- 
plete eschar, black in appearance, and in its lower part showed 
desiccation of a greenish-brown color. The last or inner zone showed 
a number of vesicles, chiefly peripheral, and below the center was 
a black eschar, half an inch in its vertical and five-eighths of an inch 
in its transverse diameter. Above was a tongue-shaped pale area 
with a lateral projection to the left of the median line, extending 
about two inches, and an upper projection in the dorsal furrow, 
which was more sharply pointed, and which on its periphery showed 
a reddened portion, with here and there vesication. In addition, 
the back showed a number of depressions produced by the folds of 
the shirt and suspenders, such as are commonly found in dead 
bodies lying on the back. 
On incising the skin over the sternum (breast-bone) the blood 
which escaped was unusually dark and fluid, and remained so on 
exposure. The muscles of the thorax were of the usual color. 
“ Tardieu spots" were noticed on the posterior border of the 
lower lobe of the left lung. When placed in water more than 
half of the lung floated above the surface, showing a marked 11 
emphysematous condition. The bronchi were normal in appear- 
ance and contained mucus and air bubbles. The right lung 
was adherent throughout to the diaphragm. In the middle lobe 
of this lung there were numerous well marked “ Tardieu spots.” 
The heart weighed live and three-fourths ounces; its valves 
and substance were normal in appearance, and its ventricles were 
empty. The stomach contained a pint of undigested food. The 
blood from the cut surface of the liver was of a dark crimson hue. 
The gall bladder was distended with bile. The spleen was normal 
in size and appearance. The left kidney weighed three and one- 
half ounces and the right three ounces; both were markedly 
congested. There was no vermicular action of the intestines on 
exposure to the air or on irritation. The bladder was contracted. 
The scalp on being removed showed the outer aspect of the vertex 
of the skull to be in a desiccated condition, corresponding with the 
contact of the electrode as previously noted, but of a larger area, 
being four inches by four inches, the zone of the scalp being only two 
and one-half by three inches, the long diameter being antero-pos- 
terior. On removal of the skull cap the dura was normal in texture, 
somewhat dull in color, particularly over the area corresponding with 
the zone of contact. In the pre-rolandic region the meningeal ves- 
sels, measuring along the convexity antero-posteriorly four inches on 
the left side and three on the right, were tilled with carbonized blood. 
On the internal aspect of the calvarium the meningeal vessels in 
the dura and in their contents appeared to be black and carbonized. 
The carbonized vessels were so brittle that their ends were torn off 
with the calvarium and presented a broken, crummy appearance. 
This carbonization was limited in an abrupt manner. The other 
meningeal vessels, in the region corresponding to the outer burn 
previously described, contained blood of a dark crimson hue. In 
the narrowest portion of this region was seen, a little posteriorly, 
in the median line, a dark discoloration sending out a right 
lateral prolongation three-fourths of an inch in the direction of the 12 
longitudinal sinus, and in width seven-eighths of an inch. Over 
the left cerebral hemisphere, one-third of an inch to the left of 
the median line, there wTas a deep carbonized spot corresponding 
with the desiccated portion of the calvarium. The pia and gyri 
themselves wrere of a pale buff color, the rest of the cerebral 
cortex was normal in appearance. YvTiile observing this anaemic 
area, it was noticed that its blood vessels began to till. The 
pia and arachnoid on the convexity of the brain were perfectly 
normal. An interesting fact was observed on handling the pons 
varolii and medulla oblongata, in that they were found to be 
warm. By a thermometer inserted in the fourth ventricle, the 
temperature was noted at ninety-seven degrees Fahrenheit. The 
area of this temperature corresponded with an area of temperature 
on the back of the neck, which was noted at ninety-nine degrees 
Fahrenheit, three hours post-mortem, the temperature of the 
room being eighty-three degrees Fahrenheit. The smaller ves- 
sels of the pia were ectatic. Capillary hemorrhages were noted 
in the floor of the fourth ventricle, also in the third ventricle and 
the anterior portion of the lateral ventricle. The perivascidar 
spaces appeared, to he distended with serum and hlood. The 
brain cortex in the area of contact was sensibly hardened to one 
sixth of its depth, where there was a broken line of vascularity. 
The vessels over the corpus striatum showed enlargements in 
different parts of their ramifications. The pons was slightly 
softened. The burned integument of the back, on being removed 
showed the spinal muscles underneath to be cooked, liked “ over- 
done beef,” throughout their entire thickness. The spinal cord 
was removed entire, but showed no gross appearances of patholog- 
ical condition. Portions of the brain and spinal cord were pre- 
served by members of the staff for purposes of hardening and 
microscopical examination. The blood taken immediately after 
death showed, under microscope, a markedly granular condition, 
almost suggesting an electrolytic dissolution of the red corpuscles. 13 
A preliminary microscopical examination of portions of the 
brain and spinal cord, including specimens from all the cerebral 
lobes of both sides, segments of the cervical, dorsal and lumbar 
regions of the spinal cord, with the connected nerve groups, was 
subsequently made by Dr. Spitzka, who states as follows : 
“ The brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves appeared struc- 
turally healthy in every portion examined, except in the area corre- 
sponding to the discolored (anaemic through extreme contraction of 
vascular channels) area of the Rolandic and pre-Rolandic regions, the 
ventricular surfaces, and the pons and medulla oblongata. The 
latter, which had been the seat of a remarkable post mortem preserva- 
tion of a temperature approaching that of the normal human 
body, were distinctly softer than the observer has been accustomed 
to find these parts in autopsies on persons of Kemmler’s age, and 
performed so soon after death. The haemorrhagic spots in the 
fourth ventricle, which were strongly marked, were not accom- 
panied by signs of parenchymatous rupture of larger vessels. 
Hence they may he regarded as having the same significance as the 
‘ taches de Tardieu ’ found on the surfaces of other organs, notably, 
the heart and lungs. 
“ The peculiar softened vesicular zone of tissue underlying the 
outermost layer of the cerebral cortex, being very fragile, will 
require extreme care in hardening and manipulation to enable me 
to obtain reliable specimens. It is noteworthy that this ‘ destruction 
line ’ runs parallel to the free surface of the brain and does not ‘dip’ 
w-ith the sulci. 
“ Examination of the fresh specimen revealed the existence of 
vacuoles (probably gas-bubbles) in the ganglion cells and in the 
parenchyma of the ‘destruction line.’ - From the fact that no 
haemorrhages had occurred in this softened area, it is a just infer- 
ence that it was produced after life had become entirely extinct, 
for the continuance of a blood circulation in a softened-brain area 
is incompatible with the bloodless appearance, already noted, and 
the absence of capillary haemorrhages in this very district, while 
they were present in those remote from the site of the electrode. 
“A more minute analysis will he completed, hut cannot he reported 
until some future time.” 14 
REMARKS. 
Notwithstanding the wide publication of unofficial reports of the 
execution of Kemmler, and the efforts which have been made to 
proclaim it a failure, and to invest it with an air of repulsion, 
brutality and horror, it is confidently believed that when all the 
facts in the case are rightly understood, the first execution by 
electricity will be regarded as a successful experiment, and that in 
time due credit will be accorded to those whose duty required them 
to act as principals in carrying out the law, the establishment of 
which is destined, in the not distant future, to be regarded as a step 
in the direction of a higher civilization. 
As might naturally have been expected, at the first execution by 
this method, there were certain defects of a minor character, in the 
arrangement and operation of the apparatus, which those in charge 
of the next execution, guided by present experience, will be able 
to avoid or overcome. But, in spite of these defects, the important 
fact remains that unconsciousness was instantly effected, and death 
was painless. When this is understood, together with the additional 
fact that less than four minutes elapsed from the time the first con- 
tact of the current was made to the time the last one was 
discontinued, and Kemmler was absolutely dead, it will be conceded 
by all fair-minded persons that the object to be attained, so far as 
relates to the individual, in the execution of a criminal, namely, 
sudden and painless death, was fully realized in Kemmler’s case; 
and had the first contact of the current been maintained for full 
\ 
twenty seconds, as first suggested, in all probability there would 
have been no reflex muscular movement after it was broken, and no 
unfavorable criticism of the result could then have truthfully been 
made. The reflex movements referred to were similar to those 
which have occasionally been observed, for a short time, in animals 
experimentally killed by electricity, after the current was too 
quickly interrupted, the animal, however, not recovering conscious- 15 
ness nor life ; hence they may properly be regarded as involuntary 
muscular movements of a reflex character, following the interrup- 
tion of the current, and in no sense a resumption of normal 
respiration, however much they may appear to be so to a superficial 
observer, or to one not familiar with the phenomena in animals 
above referred to. These movements are as nothing compared 
with those usually exhibited by animals suddenly decapitated, and 
which usually continue for some seconds or even minutes. 
In the excitement and confusion of the moment, occasioned by 
the suspicion, on the part of some, that death was not complete, the 
second application of the current was maintained too long, nearly 
one and one-half minutes. If there was a spark of unconscious 
vitality remaining in Kemmler’s body after the first contact was 
broken — there certainly was no conscious life — it was absolutely 
extinguished the instant the second and last contact was made. 
That the man was dead, however, long before the burning of the 
sponge and desiccation occurred, there is no reason to doubt. 
Unfortunately, the volt-meter and other appliances for determ- 
ining the strength of the current were not located in the execution- 
room, hence none of the official witnesses could know precisely 
what the voltage was at the moment the current was applied. But 
reasoning from the known lethal effect of an electro-motive pressure 
of 1,000 volts, as shown by deaths which have occurred from acci- 
dental contact with electric wires, as well as by numerous experi- 
ments on animals, whose weight and resistance exceeded those of 
man, affords solid ground for the conclusion that no human being 
could survive the passage through his body of an alternating elec- 
trical current of 1,000 volts for a period of twenty seconds, the 
contact being perfect. 
It has been suggested that an error was committed in applying 
the electrodes to the head and spine instead of the hands. In 
answer to this may be stated a fact which is well known to physi- 
ologists and medical electricians, namely, that the sudden arrest of 16 
the heart’s action can he more surely effected by destroying or 
paralyzing the brain center which controls such action, than by attack- 
ing the heart itself; hence, by including the brain directly in the 
circuit, the action of the heart is instantly arrested, while, at the 
same time, all the vital centers, including those of consciousness, 
are paralyzed ; also, that the brain is very susceptible to the influ- 
ence of electricity, and is readily sometimes to an alarming 
extent, by the passage into it, through the skull, of ordinary 
currents, such as are obtained from medical batteries; that the 
nerve tissues contain an excess of moisture, and hence are among 
the best of conductors, while the amount of moisture and so-called 
animal matter contained in live bone is sufficient to render that 
substance a fairly good conductor. Further, it is not difficult to 
penetrate the hairy scalp by electricity if the hair be properly 
moistened, the conductivity of all the tissues of the body being 
dependent on the amount of water they contain. 
The head electrode, which was originally suggested, but which was 
not used (though in all probability such form of head electrode will 
be used in the future), was designed to include the forehead, down 
to the eye-brows, in the zone of contact. The point of contact 
of the body electrode is not of material importance, but may be 
applied to the hand, foot, calf of the leg or any other indifferent 
part of the body. 
Death in Kemmler’s case was probably caused by sudden destruc- 
tive change in the molecular elements of the brain centers and blood, 
but which, though sufficiently intense to instantly abolish all conscious 
life, was, apparently, not intense enough to effect immediate abolition 
of muscular contractility. The fact that the heart was found, on 
post-mortem examination, to be quite empty of blood, clearly indicates 
that its contents had been expelled and its action suddenly arrested 
by the influence of the shock, acting through the higher nerve 
centers. 
That a method of judicially inflicting the penalty of death in 17 
punishment of the crime of murder will ever be devised, which, in 
its operation, shall be divested of that sense of awe and dread 
usually experienced when in the presence of the mystery of death, 
is not to be expected ; and even were it possible, the wisdom of such 
a method might well be questioned so long as the welfare and pro- 
tection of society require the infliction of such a penalty to deter 
men from committing murder. 
There are abundant reasons for believing that death by means of 
electricity is so rapid that the application of the current could be 
repeated several times within the interval that is known to elapse 
between the receipt of an injury, or a peripheral sensory impression, 
and its conscious perception by the brain through the medium of 
the sensory nerves. In other words, the electrical current would 
travel from the point of contact to the brain many times faster 
than sensory impressions or nerve-currents, the rate of velocity of 
the latter being, roughly speaking, only about one hundred and 
fifty-five feet per second, a rate which is quite slow in comparison 
with the lightning-like velocity of electricity, which travels at the 
rate of millions of feet per second. Thus it will readily be seen 
that an electrical current of lethal energy coming in contact with 
the body so as to include the brain in the circuit would leach the 
latter and produce unconsciousness long, comparatively, before any 
resultant sense of pain at the point of contact, or elsewhere, could 
be conveyed to and appreciated by that organ through the pro- 
cess of nerve-conduction, which, as has been shown, requires a 
distinctly appreciable period of time, the rate of transmission of 
painful sensations being even slower than that of ordinary tactile 
impressions. 
A striking illustration of the relative slowness of nerve con- 
duction as compared with electricity, was shown in a series of 
experiments in instantaneous photography recently conducted by 
Professor Muybridge in the following manner: 18 
“ The lantern was used to make a series of instantaneous photo- 
graphs, and in order to make the intervals between the exposures, 
as well as the times of exposures exceedingly short, the plates were 
exposed and stopped by means of an electric current. One very 
interesting series of pictures made was intended to illustrate the 
slowness of the brain in receiving impressions. Two women were 
employed; one stood in a bath-tub and the other sat on a raised 
chair and poured a bucket of water over the standing woman’s 
head and shoulders. In order to make the shock more intense, 
Professor Muybridge had filled the bucket with ice-water, unknown 
to the victim, who would not have awaited the douche so patiently 
had she known what its temperature was going to be. One view 
showed the water tipped over and falling, yet not quite touching 
the girl’s head. The next view showed the water splashing from 
her head and shoulders, and yet there were no signs of sensation. 
In the third picture she was just beginning to respond to the shock, 
and the subsequent pictures illustrated the further phases of the 
response. The point of special interest, however, is in connection 
with the second view. The electric current had in that case first 
exposed the plate, and then after a very short interval had shut it 
off again ; that is to say, had acted twice with an interval of time 
between the two sufficiently long for the sensitive plate to take an 
impression of the view, and this after the ice-water had touched 
the woman’s shoulders, and before she was conscious of it.” 
Compared with hanging, in which death is frequently produced 
by strangulation, with every indication of conscious suffering for an 
appreciable time on the part of the victim, execution by electricity 
is infinitely preferable, both as regards the suddenness with which 
death is effected and the expedition with which all the immediate 
preliminary details may be arranged. By the latter method the 
fatal stroke renders its victim unconscious in an infinitesimal fraction 
of a second, so small as to be beyond the power of the human mind 
to estimate, while, at the same time, it disintegrates the nerve tissues 
and blood to an extent which insures an absoluteness of death in a 
0 
shorter space of time than is possible by any other known method. 
In other words, it is the surest, quickest, most efficient and least 
painful method that has yet been devised. 19 
The execution of Keinmler, from the time he entered the room 
until the second contact was interrupted, occupied not more than 
eight minutes ; whereas executions by hanging usually require from 
fifteen to thirty minutes. In fact, it not unfrequently happens that 
the heart continues to beat for that length of time after the fall 
of the fatal drop. Then, too, far more time is consumed in placing 
the prisoner on the gallows, pinioning his limbs, putting on the 
black cap, placing the noose about his neck and carefully adjusting 
the knot under his left ear (from whence it sometimes slips at 
the critical moment, resulting in strangulation instead of a broken 
neck), than would be required for arranging the preliminary details 
of an electrical execution. During the preparation of this report the 
Associated Press dispatches contained an account of a hanging in 
which the criminal’s head was almost completely torn from the 
body. 
RECOMMENDATIONS. 
1. The statute providing for the execution of criminals by elec- 
tricity should be amended so as to provide for but one plant, to be 
located in the central part of the State, in a building especially con- 
structed for the purpose. The building should contain the neces- 
sary electrical apparatus, an engine, execution-room, solitary cells 
and quarters for the guards and other necessary officials, the 
apparatus to be in charge of and operated by a competent, accredited 
electrician. 
2. The engine and dynamo should be especially constructed for 
the purpose, and should be capable of generating an electro-motive 
force of at least three thousand volts, in order to insure the maxi- 
mum voltage that would be necessary, and at the same time cause 
no injustice to any electrical lighting company, such as is likely to 
be the case so long as commercial dynamos are used in executing 
criminals. 20 
3. The volt-tneter should be located in the execution-room, and 
a competent and responsible official should be detailed to take the 
readings of the meter before and at the instant the current is 
applied. The voltage should not be less than 1,500 nor more than 
2,000, and should be a matter of official record. The prisoner’s 
resistance should also be taken immediately before bringing liim 
into the execution-room. 
4. The statute should require an official report of each execution 
to be made to the Governor within ten days after the execution 
takes place. 
CARLOS F. MACDONALD, 
[President State Commission in Lunacy. ]