RECENT WORKS BY MALAQUIAS - Malaquias Montoya

30
The Electrocution of William Kemmler
“Good-bye, William,” Durston said as he rapped
twice on the door.
Within the room, Davis sent the two-bell signal to
the dynamo room. The voltage was increased,
lighting the lamps on the control panel.Then Davis
pulled down the switch that placed the electric
chair into the circuit. The switch made
a noise that could be heard in the execution
chamber. Kemmler stiffened in the chair. The
plan had been to leave the current on for a full
20 seconds.
Dr. Spitzka, who had stationed himself next to
Kemmler in the room, watched Kemmler’s face
and hands. At first they turned deadly pale but
quickly changed to a dark red color.The fingers of
the hand seemed to grasp the chair. The index
finger of Kemmler’s right hand doubled up with
such strength that the nail cut through the palm.
There was a sudden convulsion as Kemmler strained
against the straps and his face twitched slightly, but
there was no sound from Kemmler’s lips.
Dr. Spitzka held a stopwatch before him and
counted the seconds while examining Kemmler.
After just ten seconds had passed he shouted,
“Stop!” which was echoed by other people in the
room. Durston gave the order to the control
room, and Davis pulled the lever back, switching
the chair out of the circuit. The current had been
on for just 17 seconds.
Kemmler’s body, which had been straining against
the straps, relaxed slightly when the current was
turned off.
“He’s dead,” said Spitzka to Durston as the
witnesses who surrounded the chair congratulated
each other.
“Oh, he’s dead,” echoed Dr. MacDonald as the
other witnesses nodded in agreement. Spitzka
asked the other doctors to note the condition
of Kemmler’s nose, which had changed to a bright
red color. He then asked the attendants to loosen
the face harness so he could examine the nose
more closely. He then ordered that the body be
taken to the hospital.
“There is the culmination of ten years’ work and
study,” exclaimed Southwick. “We live in a higher
civilization from this day!”
Durston, however, insisted that the body was not
to be moved until the doctors signed the certificate
of death.
Dr. Balch, who was bending over the body looking
at the skin, noticed a rupture on the right index
finger of Kemmler’s right hand, where it had bent
back into the base of his thumb, causing a small cut,
which was dripping blood.
“Dr. MacDonald,” said Balch, “see the rupture?”
Spitzka then gave the order, “Turn on the current!
Turn on the current instantly.This man is not dead!”
Faces turned white, and the doctors fell back from
the chair. Durston, who had been next to the chair,
sprang back from the doorway and echoed
Spitzka’s order to “turn on the current.”
“Keep it on! Keep it on!” Durston ordered Davis.
This was not as easy as it might have been.When he
had been given the stop order, Davis had sent the
message to the control room to turn off the
dynamo. The voltmeter on the control panel was
almost back to zero. Davis is sent the two-bell
signal to the dynamo room and waited for the
current to build up again.