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Old Sparky: The Electric Chair and the History of the Death Penalty, by Anthony Galvin
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In early 2013, Robert Gleason became the latest victim of the electric chair, a peculiarly American execution method. Shouting Pog mo thin ("Kiss my ass" in Gaelic) he grinned electricity shot through his system. When the current was switched off his body slumped against the leather restraints, and Gleeson, who had strangled two fellow inmates to ensure his execution was not postponed, was dead. The execution had gone flawlessly—not a guaranteed result with the electric chair, which has gone horrifically wrong on many occasions.
Old Sparky covers the history of capital punishment in America and the “current wars” between Edison and Westinghouse which led to the development of the electric chair. It examines how the electric chair became the most popular method of execution in America, before being superseded by lethal injection. Famous executions are explored, alongside quirky last meals and poignant last words.
The death penalty remains a hot topic of debate in America, and Old Sparky does not shy away from that controversy. Executions have gone spectacularly wrong, with convicts being set alight, and needing up to five jolts of electricity before dying. There have been terrible miscarriages of justice, and the death penalty has not been applied even-handedly. Historically, African-Americans, the mentally challenged, and poor defendants have been likely to get the chair, an anomaly which led the Supreme Court to briefly suspend the death penalty. Since the resumption of capital punishment in 1976 Texas alone has executed more than 500 prisoners, and death row is full.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
- Sales Rank: #1084371 in Books
- Color: black
- Brand: Skyhorse Publishing
- Published on: 2015-06-09
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.10" h x 1.30" w x 6.20" l, 1.23 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 280 pages
- Discover the history of capital punishment.
- From the Edison and Westinghouse "current wars" that led to Old Sparky's development.
- To how the electric chair became the most popular method of execution in America.
- Explore famous executions, accounts of quirky last meals and poignant last words.
- Hardcover; 257 pgs.
About the Author
Anthony Galvin is a highly experienced crime journalist. His account of the Limerick (Ireland) drug war, Family Feud: Gangland Limerick Exposed, was Ireland’s top selling non-fiction book of 2004, and the most shoplifted book in Irish publishing history. He is also the author The Great Polar Fraud as well as a dozen other books on a variety of subjects, many in the true crime genre. He spent a decade working as a crime reporter for a daily newspaper and now writes full-time. He lives in southern Ireland.
Most helpful customer reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful.
2) the research data that concludes lethal injection has probably been one of the most painful methods of execution the US has e
By Nicola Mansfield
An engrossing read from start to finish. The book narrows down its focus quite quickly but does start broadly to illustrate how the author arrives at his premise. Starting with worldwide execution methods throughout history, Galvin quickly travels through medieval and renaissance Europe, then particularly Britain from whence the colonists brought their preferred execution styles with them to the new world. For most of Britain and it's colonies, hanging became the civilized method and was used almost exclusively in the US until a time when Britain was perfecting the method. What was the US to do? Follow Britain again? Was hanging the most humane method of execution? The French had the guillotine, the Spanish the garrotte, and the firing squad has been used in most civilized countries even up to today. But the US went a very American direction and invented a uniquely American device that is associated with the US only, the electric chair. This book then tells the making of, history of, use of, moratorium on, reinstatement of, replacement of by more modern technology, and the possibilities of its comeback. Quite fascinating stuff whether reading about Edison and Westinghouse's quarrels about A/C vs D/C electrical currents, reading about botched executions, prisoner's last meals, or case studies of numerous individuals who ended up in the electric chair.
One thing this book is not, is an argument pro or con death penalty. For the largest part the author presents an entirely unbiased introduction of the facts; he uses a slight bit of gallows humour which is expected in these types of writings. Personally, I am against any form of capital punishment for any reason and yet I found Galvin's writing style informative and entertaining. The last few chapters Galvin does seem to press heavy that the current state of affairs does need change/reform and here he loses his bias as he does lean more one way than the other, but his information is interesting, even if one tempers his statistics as over keen especially as he heavily pushes the innocent quotient. But these are realistic thoughts to be thinking of going forward: 1: the EU's refusal to sell lethal injection drugs to the US; supplies are currently already low; 2) the research data that concludes lethal injection has probably been one of the most painful methods of execution the US has ever used, hanging was more efficient, beheading is most humane; and 3) 1 in 25 death row inmates is innocent of the crime for which they have been sentenced to death. None of these factors affect any change in my own opinions as they are based on my faith which cannot be swayed. Tha majority of the book though is about the past, that which happened, without any judgement and is an exciting book to read. I read the first whole half in one evening!
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
DEATH AS SPECTACLE
By Ben East
My copy of Old Sparky—The Electric Chair and the History of the Death Penalty arrived the day after a federal jury ended 14 hours of deliberation during which they concluded that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev deserved death for his role in the 2013 Boston Marathon attack.
This was no accident. I requested the copy as a means of examining my feelings about the sentence, and my views on capital punishment more generally. Wrong or right? If right, then how to proceed? Is there any way to ensure that intentionally bringing about the death of another human being—wrong or right; “deserved” or not—isn’t, at core, cruel and unusual?
Anthony Galvin writes with dignified detachment. He brings his reader into the modern death chamber—many death chambers—and provides a visceral experience free of judgment for or against state-sanctioned death. He lets the sentence speak for itself: the aged oak throne; the metal helmet screwed snug against skull; the wet sponge against shaved scalp; the tightened leather strap thick about the neck; the hood; the final, darkened silence.
At the touch of a button the executioner, an “electrician”, sends 1,800 volts through the convict for 30 seconds, his body convulsing against restraint, smoke wafting from the top of his head. For a minute more 250 volts course through the body. Possibly—possibly—this stops the heart. So the cycle is repeated, perhaps as many as five times, before the curtain closes on observers come to witness the final breath.
DEATH AS SPECTACLE
Galvin details the long history of the death penalty around the world, from “breaking on the wheel” to “running the gauntlet”, and its various means of implementation in the U.S. He then explores The Electrical Death Commission: how New York state arrived at the conclusion that death by electricity would most suit the evolving sensibilities of 19th century society. Here he describes in colorful detail the specific methods considered—but discarded—by the commission:
Beheading—In the lopping of heads, it takes as many as eight seconds for the brain to die. So “…when the executioner held the head aloft to the cheering crowd, the victim could see the faces swimming in front of him before the blood loss and oxygen starvation switched off the brain for good.” This was not for 1880s New York gentility.
Blowing from a Cannon—“The prisoner is generally tied to a gun with the upper part of the small of his back resting against the muzzle…”). Again, not for 1880s New York gentility.
Burning—Galvin gives us the stake: “If the fire was large, death normally came by way of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning long before the flames began to consume the body… but if the fire was small, the victim often died in agony of heatstroke, shock, or simply from their internal organs cooking.” But he spares us “The Brazen Bull”, a bronze bull in which victims were sealed as a fire licked the beast’s belly, the overall design transforming anguished cries into the roar of a bull. Burning—definitely not for 1880s New York gentility.
The Garrote—Such a simple device, a hand-held noose of sorts. Still, not for the genteel.
Hanging—The short drop, the long drop, a hook through the ribs. Ditto.
Poisoning—From Socrates’ death by Hemlock to our other modern sanctioned method, lethal injection. This last Galvin treats in full towards the close, the alternative of choice now that the American stomach for death by high voltage has weakened.
Shooting—Firing squads, still on the books today. But again, not for 1880s New York society.
Stoning—Still in use today, in a dozen countries: “The victim, often a woman, is buried in the ground with her head and torso (or head only) protruding, and the crowd of onlookers all throw stones at her until she is reduced to a bloody pulp.” But, ditto.
So. We have the chair. And Galvin gives it to us from every angle. Some chapters are more shocking than others: in A Cabinet of Curiosities he explores six notable and unusual executions by chair, and in Last Meals we get a lot of T-bone steak, French fries, and pie. The death penalty goes on moratorium as the nation sours on botched deaths, then returns for some refinement in the use of other means.
Capital punishment remains a legal sentence in 32 states. Galvin’s concluding exploration of the future of the death penalty in the U.S. centers on lethal injection, a careful look at the pros and cons of a seemingly “clinical” technique. He presents case studies of multiple failures, unexpected outcomes, and botched administration by medically untrained corrections officers, each of which raise serious concerns about meeting our own standard of avoiding “cruel and unusual” punishment. And with 1-in-25 death row inmates estimated to be innocent, Maimonides’ view bears thoughtful consideration: “It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent man to death.”
Whatever views one holds on this question—on the question of whether Dzhokar Tsarnaev or any other resident of death row should be put down by the state—Galvin’s thoughtful, wide-ranging exploration of the topic will provide a glimpse into the final moments of the condemned should their sentences be carried out.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Review for a great book on the electric chair
By Police Magician
I am a retired law enforcement officer who served 30 years. As I am interested in our criminal justice system, I bought a copy of Anthony Galvin's book, Old Sparky, The Electric Chair and the History of the Death Penalty.
I found this book to be most intriguing. I was fascinated with the amount of research Anthony put into the publication of this book. The case law that prompted the changes in executions, the history of how condemned people were put to death and the various crimes that allowed the government to execute sentenced people, the stories of those who rode the lightening along with the other methods used for bringing a condemned person to their demise made for some very interesting reading. Several notable and high profile cases are shown from history.
Several horrible botched attempts were mentioned which had impact on how the execution methods evolved over the years. Near the end of the book, Anthony mentions that the guillotine, with the slanted blade was, the only humane method of execution that would guarantee a swift and painless death. But the aftermath of the blood spurting and the head bouncing on the floor looked barbaric (page 245).
Two segments in his book were very unsettling: One was the mention of children being executed and the other was showing proof that innocent people were led to the death chamber. One such case of a 14 year old hit home with me as his case was in the state next to mine. Sadly, racial bias sent this child to the electric chair. Although his name is cleared now, he is gone, never to enjoy life. Anthony is against Capital Punishment due to the injustices from the use of it. Anthony mentions The Innocence Project and how they, with recent advancements in scientific development and DNA, have proven many condemned people to be actually be innocent of the crime they were convicted.
After reading this book, it gave me a whole new perspective on our criminal justice system and how we deal with capital punishment. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in how we dealt with and still do deal with the demise of the condemned convict. I will list this book as recommended reading in any criminal justice class I instruct.
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