. American X-ray journal . ctrical goods and supplies, be-cause they said that to use electricity,the greatest discovery of the age, for theignoble purpose of capital punishment,would be to bring disgrace and shameand reproach upon the most wonderful thing of modern science, and that itwould not do to convert so valuable anagent to the furthering of legal mur-der. The makers of knives, axes, swords,guns and ropes which have all been usedfor the execution of criminals at differ-ent times, have always been respectedand honorable men, notwithstanding,and it seemed strange that electricalworkers s
. American X-ray journal . ctrical goods and supplies, be-cause they said that to use electricity,the greatest discovery of the age, for theignoble purpose of capital punishment,would be to bring disgrace and shameand reproach upon the most wonderful thing of modern science, and that itwould not do to convert so valuable anagent to the furthering of legal mur-der. The makers of knives, axes, swords,guns and ropes which have all been usedfor the execution of criminals at differ-ent times, have always been respectedand honorable men, notwithstanding,and it seemed strange that electricalworkers should have been influenced bysuch statements, but such was the fact,though by what the wire, armature andelectrode could be any more disgracedthan any other instrument, was notclearly demonstrated. The result was that the State author-ities were unable to secure the properappliances and apparatus with which toproperly carry out the law, as no reput-able manufacturer could be induced toinstall the plant, nor any experienced. THE OHIO STATE ELECTROCUTION CHAIR, I SE1) AT < », how capital criminals are now executed by electricity. Hon. C. (i. Coffin. Warden of theOhio Penitentiary, at the switch. THE AM ERIC AX X-RAY JOURNAL. 129 electrician would risk his reputation bybeing in any way connected with thething. Consequently they were compelled todepend on inexperienced men, and touse defective apparatus, and in the ab-sence of any precedent it is a wonderthat the earlier electrocutions in NewYork were not as barbarous as the aban -doned method of hanging. It was also said, and probably withgood grounds for it, that at the time ofthe earlier executions by this means thatthe apparatus was tampered with, in or-der to cause just such horrors as wouldlead to such a popular outcry and createsuch a prejudice in the minds of thepeople that would lead to the repeal ofthe law. At any rate there were at-tempts made to have the law rescinded,and the strong argument use
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