Editing Electric chair (section)

===First execution===
[[File:Kemmler exécuté par l'électricité.jpg|thumb|The execution of [[William Kemmler]], August 6, 1890]]
The first person in line to die under New York's new electrocution law was Joseph Chapleau, convicted for beating his neighbor to death with a sled stake, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.<ref>Carl Sifakis, The Encyclopedia of American Prisons, Infobase Publishing – 2014, page 39</ref> The next person scheduled to be executed was [[William Kemmler]], convicted of murdering his wife with a hatchet. An appeal on Kemmler's behalf was made to the [[New York Court of Appeals]] on the grounds that use of electricity as a means of execution constituted a "[[cruel and unusual punishment]]" and was thus contrary to the constitutions of the United States and the state of New York.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=ix4AEQmNN7wC&dat=18900101&printsec=frontpage&hl=en "Electric Executions: The New York Court of Appeals Passes on the Question: The Famous Kemmler Case Decided"], ''Lawrence Daily Record,'' Jan. 1, 1890, pg. 1.</ref> On December 30, 1889, the writ of ''[[habeas corpus]]'' sworn out on Kemmler's behalf was denied by the court, with Judge Dwight writing in a lengthy ruling:

<blockquote>We have no doubt that if the Legislature of this State should undertake to proscribe for any offense against its laws the punishment of [[Death by burning|burning at the stake]], [[Breaking wheel|breaking at the wheel]], etc., it would be the duty of the courts to pronounce upon such attempt the condemnation of the Constitution. The question now to be answered is whether the legislative act here assailed is subject to the same condemnation. Certainly, it is not so on its face, for, although the mode of death described is conceded to be unusual, there is no common knowledge or consent that it is cruel; it is a question of fact whether an electric current of sufficient intensity and skillfully applied will produce death without unnecessary suffering.<ref>Justice Dwight, quoted in "Electric Executions", ''Lawrence Daily Record,'' Jan. 1, 1890; pg. 1.</ref></blockquote>

Kemmler was executed in New York's Auburn Prison on August 6, 1890; the "state electrician" was Edwin  Davis. The first 17-second passage of 1,000 volts AC through Kemmler caused unconsciousness, but failed to stop his heart and breathing. The attending physicians, [[Edward Charles Spitzka]] and [[Carlos Frederick MacDonald]], came forward to examine Kemmler. After confirming Kemmler was still alive, Spitzka reportedly called out, "Have the current turned on again, quick, no delay." The generator needed time to re-charge, however. In the second attempt, Kemmler received a 2,000 volt AC shock. Blood vessels under the skin ruptured and bled, and the areas around the electrodes singed; some witnesses reported that his body caught fire. The entire execution took about eight minutes. George Westinghouse later commented that, "They would have done better using an axe",<ref>AC/DC: The Savage Tale of the First Standards War; By Tom McNichol</ref> and ''[[The New York Times]]'' ran the headline: "Far worse than hanging".<ref>{{cite news |title=Far Worse Than Hanging |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 7, 1890 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1890/08/07/103256332.pdf |access-date=November 12, 2022 |archive-date=May 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503014728/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1890/08/07/103256332.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>