The Early Days Of The Electric Chair

This is a combination of two early episodes with a common theme.

The Shocking Death Of William Kemmler: The First Electric Execution

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Episode 19. Following the brutal murder of his common law wife Tillie Ziegler in Buffalo, New York, March, 1889, the rough character William Kemmler said he was glad he did it was was happy to hang for the crime. He did not quite get his wish, as a newly passed law in the state of New York allowed Kemmler to become the first man to die in the electric chair. His executioners knew that the execution would be an experiment of sorts, and it was not exactly the rousing success they had hoped for, but it did usher in a new era in America’s criminal justice system.


Quadruple Electrocutions: Four Murders, Four Executions

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Episode 39 is a follow-up to Episode 19, "The Shocking Death of William Kemmler," which I had published about two months prior. If you remember, that execution went so badly that many thought it was a failed experiment. Indeed, it took the state of New York nearly a year to perform a second electric chair execution, but it did so with a bang, putting four men to death on the same day, July 7, 1891. - Will it work out any better? Listen and find out…

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