William Kemmler

William Kemmler was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1860. Both of his parents were immigrants from Germany, and both were alcoholics. After dropping out of school at age 10, unable to read or write, Kemmler worked in his father's butcher shop. Kemmler's father died from an infection he received after a drunken brawl, and his mother from complications of alcoholism. In the late 1870s Kemmler was reportedly slender, with dark brown hair. He spoke both English and German. After his parents' deaths, he went into the peddling business, and earned enough money to buy a horse and cart. At this point, however, he was also becoming a heavy drinker. In one episode involving him and his friends, after a series of drunken binges, he said he could jump his horse and cart over an eight-foot fence, with the cart attached to the horse. The attempt was a failure, and his cart and goods were destroyed in the incident. He was known to friends as "Philadelphia Billy", and his drinking binges were very well known around the saloons in his Buffalo neighborhood. ==Murder and execution==

Murder, trial, and appeals The New York Times described the murder: William Kemmler was a vegetable peddler in the slums of Buffalo, New York. An alcoholic, on March 29, 1889, he was recovering from a drinking binge the night before when he became enraged with his girlfriend [elsewhere referred to as his common-law wife] Tillie Ziegler. He accused her of stealing from him and preparing to run away with a friend of his. When the argument reached a peak, Kemmler calmly went to the barn, grabbed a hatchet, and returned to the house. He struck Tillie repeatedly, killing her. He then went to a neighbor's house and announced he had just murdered his girlfriend. The same day, Kemmler was accused of the murder of Matilda "Tillie" Ziegler, his common-law wife, who had been killed with a hatchet. The appeal failed on October 9, 1889, and the U.S. Supreme Court turned down the case, titled In re Kemmler, on the grounds that there was no cruel and unusual punishment in death by electrocution. Execution On the morning of his execution, August 6, 1890, Kemmler was awakened at 5:00 a.m. He dressed quickly and put on a suit, necktie, and white shirt. After breakfast and some prayer, the top of his head was shaved. At 6:38 a.m., Kemmler entered the execution room and warden Charles Durston presented Kemmler to the 17 witnesses in attendance. Kemmler looked at the chair and said: "Gentlemen, I wish you all good luck. I believe I am going to a good place, and I am ready to go." Witnesses remarked that Kemmler was composed at his execution; he did not scream, cry, or resist in any way. He sat down on the chair, but was ordered to get up by the warden so a hole could be cut in his suit through which a second electrical lead could be attached. This was done and Kemmler sat down again. He was strapped to the chair, his face was covered and the metal restraint put on his bare head. He said, "Take it easy and do it properly, I'm in no hurry." Durston replied, "Goodbye, William" and ordered the switch thrown. The generator was charged with 1,000 volts, which was thought to be adequate to induce quick unconsciousness and cardiac arrest. The chair had already been tested; a horse had been electrocuted the day before. The stench was unbearable." The execution took approximately eight minutes and received substantial negative press from reporters covering it. The New York Times ran the headline: "Far Worse Than Hanging". Westinghouse later commented "They would have done better using an axe". Kemmler is buried in the precincts of the prison where his execution took place. ==Media==

• William Kemmler was shown as a wax figure seated in the electric chair in the 1953 movie House of Wax starring Vincent Price. Price's character does say they did not match Kemmler's face, but instead resembled co-star Charles Bronson. • In 2017's The Current War, Conor MacNeill briefly portrayed Kemmler. • In 2020's Tesla, Blake DeLong portrayed Kemmler on the day of his execution. ==See also==