Mark essig edison and the electric chair ath (v5 0)

Edison & the Electric Chair Edison & the Electric Chair A Story of Light and Death Mark Essig Copyright © 2003 by Mark Essig All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher First published in the United States of America in 2003 by Walker Publishing Company, Inc First paperback edition published in 2005 For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Walker & Company, 104 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10011 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Essig, Mark Regan, 1969Edison & the electric chair : a story of light and death / Mark Essig p cm Includes bibliographical references and index eISBN: 978-0-802-71928-7 Electrocution—United States—History Edison, Thomas A (Thomas Alva), 1847-1931 I Title: Edison and the electric chair II Title HV8696.E87 2003 364.66—dc21 ISBN 0-8027-7710-4 (paperback) Book design by Ralph L Fowler Illustrations by Martie Holmer Book composition by Coghill Composition Company Visit Walker & Company's Web site at www.walkerbooks.com Printed in the United States of America 10 2003052507 TO MY PARENTS, DOROTHY AND JOHN ESSIG CONTENTS PROLOGUE Edison on the Witness Stand CHAPTER Early Sparks CHAPTER The Inventor CHAPTER Light CHAPTER Electricity and Life CHAPTER "Down to the Last Penny" CHAPTER Wiring New York CHAPTER The Hanging Ritual CHAPTER The Death Penalty Commission CHAPTER George Westinghouse and the Rise of Alternating Current CHAPTER 10 The Electrical Execution Law CHAPTER 11 "A Desperate Fight" CHAPTER 12 "Criminal Economy" CHAPTER 13 Condemned CHAPTER 14 Showdown CHAPTER 15 The Unmasking of Harold Brown CHAPTER 16 Pride and Reputation CHAPTER 17 The Electric Wire Panic CHAPTER 18 Designing the Electric Chair CHAPTER 19 The Conversion of William Kemmler CHAPTER 20 The First Experiment CHAPTER 21 After Kemmler CHAPTER 22 The End of the Battle of the Currents CHAPTER 23 The Age of the Electric Chair EPILOGUE The New Spectacle of Death ACKNOWLEDGMENTS NOTES ART CREDITS INDEX Edison & the Electric Chair ... Cataloging-in-Publication Data Essig, Mark Regan, 196 9Edison & the electric chair : a story of light and death / Mark Essig p cm Includes bibliographical references and index eISBN: 97 8-0 -8 0 2-7 192 8-7 ... 1878, Edison arrived back in Menlo Park and was reunited with his wife, Mary, and his daughter and son, five-year-old Marion and two-year-old Tom Jr.—nicknamed Dot and Dash by their father, ever the. .. of the man on the stand In 1879 Thomas Edison had invented the first practical incandescent lamp— the light-bulb and over the next decade he carried his light into homes and offices around the