William Kemmler becomes the first person to be executed via electric chair.

Today, 1890. William Kemmler becomes the first person to be executed via electric chair.

Kemmler, an alcoholic, had murdered his common-law wife, Tillie Ziegler, with an axe on March 29, 1889. It was decided that he would be  electrocuted rather than hanged, which was New York’s previous method of execution. Things did not go well. To his credit, Kemmler was cool, collected, and polite during preparations for his death, but when the switch was thrown and 1,000 volts of current passed through his body for 17 seconds, he wasn’t dead. Unconscious, yes, but still breathing. Authorities had tested the device the day before on a horse, and everything had gone swimmingly, but . . . no dice. If I may quote Wikipedia:

In the second attempt, Kemmler was shocked with 2,000 volts. Blood vessels under his skin ruptured and bled, and some witnesses claimed his body caught fire. The New York Times reported instead that "an awful odor began to permeate the death chamber, and then, as though to cap the climax of this fearful sight, it was seen that the hair under and around the electrode on the head and the flesh under and around the electrode at the base of the spine was singeing. The stench was unbearable." Upon autopsy, doctors had found the blood vessels under the cap of his skull had carbonized and the top of the brain had hardened. Witnesses reported the smell of burning flesh and several nauseated spectators tried to leave the room.

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