Execution of William Kemmler

The first person who was sentenced to the electric chair died horribly. Someone forgot to wet an essential part of the machine and he ended up with bubbling skin, melting eyes and a foaming mouth among other things. The amount of electricity was so strong that he began to convulse violently, so much so that he weakened straps. He twitched so erratically that his index finger dug through the palm of his hand. The entire room smelled of burning flesh, and the stench even permeated some clothes. Many people who came to see had fainted during the execution. But do you know what's even more horrible? They heard him wheezing after they turned the electricity off.