Okla-homey
8/6/2007, 06:10 AM
August 6, 1890 : First execution by electric chair
http://aycu07.webshots.com/image/23086/2003894865610874933_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003894865610874933)
117 years ago today, at Auburn Prison in New York, the first execution by electrocution in history is carried out against William Kemmler, who had been convicted of murdering his lover, Matilda Ziegler, with an axe.
Electrocution as a humane means of execution was first suggested in 1881 by Dr. Albert Southwick, a dentist. Southwick had witnessed an old drunken bum "painlessly" killed after touching the terminals of an electrical generator in Buffalo, New York. As Southwick was a dentist accustomed to performing procedures on subjects in chairs, his electrical device appeared in the form of a chair.
http://aycu03.webshots.com/image/25402/2003886599802262709_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003886599802262709)
Dr Southwick
The whole concept was perceived by most folks as a needed advancement the art and science of killing by the state. In the prevalent form of execution at the time--death by hanging--if the hanging was botched, the condemned could hang by his broken neck for up to 30 minutes before succumbing to strangulation. (E.g. that classic footage of the hanging of Saddam.)
In 1889, New York's Electrical Execution Law, the first of its kind in the world, went into effect, and Edwin R. Davis, the Auburn Prison electrician, was commissioned to design an electric chair. Closely resembling the modern device, Davis' chair was fitted with two electrodes, which were composed of metal disks held together with rubber and covered with a damp sponge. The electrodes were to be applied to the criminal's head and back.
They chose alternate current (AC) over direct current (DC) because it was alleged AC was more lethal than DC according to Thomas Edison, the leading electricity expert of the era. The whole matter of AC vs. DC for electrocution was a battle in the ongoing "War of Currents." George Westinghouse promoted AC for home use, while Edison promoted DC.
http://aycu09.webshots.com/image/24368/2003831541812727233_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003831541812727233)
Thomas Edison. He promoted his DC for home use, thus he wanted AC used by Old Sparky
Because he had a lot of time and money invested promoting DC for home use, Edison wanted the chair to be powered by AC mainly because, he felt people might be repulsed if the DC flowing to their home was the stuff used to kill convicts. For precisely the same reason, Westinghouse wanted DC used for the executions. Edison won this round in the War of Currents, but eventually, the nation went with AC to homes and businesses.
http://aycu25.webshots.com/image/23984/2003894204995370682_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003894204995370682)
George Westinghouse. He got the last laugh in the War of the Currents when his AC was adopted for home and commercial use.
When it came to building the actual state execution device, the Westinghouse company refused to sell an AC generator for the purpose, so Edison used subterfuge in order to acquire the AC generator. They pretended that the Westinghouse AC generator was for use in a university, and had it dropshipped to New York through a country in South America.
On August 6, 1890, William Kemmler became the first person to be sent to the chair. After he was strapped in, a charge of approximately 700 volts was delivered for only 17 seconds before the current failed when the circuit breaker blew.:(
Although witnesses reported smelling burnt clothing and charred flesh, Kemmler was far from dead, and a second shock was prepared. The second charge was 1,030 volts and applied for about two minutes, whereupon smoke was observed coming from the head of Kemmler, who was clearly deceased. An autopsy showed that the electrode attached to his back had burned through to the spine.:eek:
Dr. Southwick applauded Kemmler's execution with the declaration, "We live in a higher civilization from this day on," while George Westinghouse, still BTW perturbed they got one of his AC generators for the purpose, remarked, "They would have done better with an axe."
In the late 20th century, the electric chair was removed as a form of execution in many U.S. states, and its use in the 21st century is very infrequent. In most jurisdictions, the chair has been replaced by the needle.
Electrocution is currently an optional form of execution in the U.S. states of Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Virginia, and the sole method of execution in Nebraska (the former four states allow the prisoner to choose lethal injection as an alternative method).
http://aycu23.webshots.com/image/24062/2003806977462192514_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003806977462192514)
The Alabama chair
In the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, the electric chair has been retired except for those whose capital crimes were committed prior to legislated dates in 1998. [Kentucky 31 March 1998, Tennessee 31 December 1998]. In both Kentucky and Tennessee, the method of execution authorized for crimes committed after these dates is lethal injection.
http://aycu10.webshots.com/image/23289/2004954497637239815_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2004954497637239815)
Oklahoma's chair at the state pen in McAlester. Note the festive sign the condemned saw before he had a seat. OUr chair was last used in 1966. Now we use the needle
http://aycu25.webshots.com/image/22584/2004955014034971721_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2004955014034971721)
Oklahoma chair scoreboard.
The electric chair is an alternate form of execution approved for potential use in Illinois and Oklahoma if other forms of execution are found unconstitutional in the state at the time of execution. In Florida, the condemned may choose death by electrocution, but the default is lethal injection.
http://aycu09.webshots.com/image/24128/2003813704367505448_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003813704367505448)
The modern technique generally goes this way. The head and legs of the condemned person are shaved and the prisoner is strapped into the chair. A moist sponge is placed on the head to aid conductivity. One electrode is attached to the head and a second attached to the leg to provide a closed circuit.
At least two jolts of AC are applied with the time and current depending on the physical state of the condemned person. Typically an initial voltage of around 2,000 volts is applied for up to 15 seconds to attempt both to induce unconsciousness and to stop the heart. The voltage is then lowered to reduce current flow to approximately 8 amps. The body of the person may heat up to approximately 138°F (59°C), and the electric current will generally cause severe damage to internal organs. Most people lose consciousness almost immediately if the procedure is done properly and the chair is working well.
As an aside, the PRC probably executes more convicts than any other country. They do it with a five cent bullet and a minimum of fuss.
http://aycu34.webshots.com/image/25033/2003866321620764649_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003866321620764649)
http://aycu16.webshots.com/image/25655/2003816434803706304_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003816434803706304)
http://aycu07.webshots.com/image/23086/2003894865610874933_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003894865610874933)
117 years ago today, at Auburn Prison in New York, the first execution by electrocution in history is carried out against William Kemmler, who had been convicted of murdering his lover, Matilda Ziegler, with an axe.
Electrocution as a humane means of execution was first suggested in 1881 by Dr. Albert Southwick, a dentist. Southwick had witnessed an old drunken bum "painlessly" killed after touching the terminals of an electrical generator in Buffalo, New York. As Southwick was a dentist accustomed to performing procedures on subjects in chairs, his electrical device appeared in the form of a chair.
http://aycu03.webshots.com/image/25402/2003886599802262709_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003886599802262709)
Dr Southwick
The whole concept was perceived by most folks as a needed advancement the art and science of killing by the state. In the prevalent form of execution at the time--death by hanging--if the hanging was botched, the condemned could hang by his broken neck for up to 30 minutes before succumbing to strangulation. (E.g. that classic footage of the hanging of Saddam.)
In 1889, New York's Electrical Execution Law, the first of its kind in the world, went into effect, and Edwin R. Davis, the Auburn Prison electrician, was commissioned to design an electric chair. Closely resembling the modern device, Davis' chair was fitted with two electrodes, which were composed of metal disks held together with rubber and covered with a damp sponge. The electrodes were to be applied to the criminal's head and back.
They chose alternate current (AC) over direct current (DC) because it was alleged AC was more lethal than DC according to Thomas Edison, the leading electricity expert of the era. The whole matter of AC vs. DC for electrocution was a battle in the ongoing "War of Currents." George Westinghouse promoted AC for home use, while Edison promoted DC.
http://aycu09.webshots.com/image/24368/2003831541812727233_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003831541812727233)
Thomas Edison. He promoted his DC for home use, thus he wanted AC used by Old Sparky
Because he had a lot of time and money invested promoting DC for home use, Edison wanted the chair to be powered by AC mainly because, he felt people might be repulsed if the DC flowing to their home was the stuff used to kill convicts. For precisely the same reason, Westinghouse wanted DC used for the executions. Edison won this round in the War of Currents, but eventually, the nation went with AC to homes and businesses.
http://aycu25.webshots.com/image/23984/2003894204995370682_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003894204995370682)
George Westinghouse. He got the last laugh in the War of the Currents when his AC was adopted for home and commercial use.
When it came to building the actual state execution device, the Westinghouse company refused to sell an AC generator for the purpose, so Edison used subterfuge in order to acquire the AC generator. They pretended that the Westinghouse AC generator was for use in a university, and had it dropshipped to New York through a country in South America.
On August 6, 1890, William Kemmler became the first person to be sent to the chair. After he was strapped in, a charge of approximately 700 volts was delivered for only 17 seconds before the current failed when the circuit breaker blew.:(
Although witnesses reported smelling burnt clothing and charred flesh, Kemmler was far from dead, and a second shock was prepared. The second charge was 1,030 volts and applied for about two minutes, whereupon smoke was observed coming from the head of Kemmler, who was clearly deceased. An autopsy showed that the electrode attached to his back had burned through to the spine.:eek:
Dr. Southwick applauded Kemmler's execution with the declaration, "We live in a higher civilization from this day on," while George Westinghouse, still BTW perturbed they got one of his AC generators for the purpose, remarked, "They would have done better with an axe."
In the late 20th century, the electric chair was removed as a form of execution in many U.S. states, and its use in the 21st century is very infrequent. In most jurisdictions, the chair has been replaced by the needle.
Electrocution is currently an optional form of execution in the U.S. states of Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Virginia, and the sole method of execution in Nebraska (the former four states allow the prisoner to choose lethal injection as an alternative method).
http://aycu23.webshots.com/image/24062/2003806977462192514_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003806977462192514)
The Alabama chair
In the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, the electric chair has been retired except for those whose capital crimes were committed prior to legislated dates in 1998. [Kentucky 31 March 1998, Tennessee 31 December 1998]. In both Kentucky and Tennessee, the method of execution authorized for crimes committed after these dates is lethal injection.
http://aycu10.webshots.com/image/23289/2004954497637239815_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2004954497637239815)
Oklahoma's chair at the state pen in McAlester. Note the festive sign the condemned saw before he had a seat. OUr chair was last used in 1966. Now we use the needle
http://aycu25.webshots.com/image/22584/2004955014034971721_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2004955014034971721)
Oklahoma chair scoreboard.
The electric chair is an alternate form of execution approved for potential use in Illinois and Oklahoma if other forms of execution are found unconstitutional in the state at the time of execution. In Florida, the condemned may choose death by electrocution, but the default is lethal injection.
http://aycu09.webshots.com/image/24128/2003813704367505448_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003813704367505448)
The modern technique generally goes this way. The head and legs of the condemned person are shaved and the prisoner is strapped into the chair. A moist sponge is placed on the head to aid conductivity. One electrode is attached to the head and a second attached to the leg to provide a closed circuit.
At least two jolts of AC are applied with the time and current depending on the physical state of the condemned person. Typically an initial voltage of around 2,000 volts is applied for up to 15 seconds to attempt both to induce unconsciousness and to stop the heart. The voltage is then lowered to reduce current flow to approximately 8 amps. The body of the person may heat up to approximately 138°F (59°C), and the electric current will generally cause severe damage to internal organs. Most people lose consciousness almost immediately if the procedure is done properly and the chair is working well.
As an aside, the PRC probably executes more convicts than any other country. They do it with a five cent bullet and a minimum of fuss.
http://aycu34.webshots.com/image/25033/2003866321620764649_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003866321620764649)
http://aycu16.webshots.com/image/25655/2003816434803706304_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2003816434803706304)