> william kemmler was an experiment.william kemmler had the misfortune to be the first person sentenced to the electric chair in the united states. the deciding on electricity as a form of as a form of execution was an evolving kind of grisly process in new york state. it began with an electrical engineer. and he figured that that would be a good way and a humane way to execute. and they tried it out on dogs and cats in buffalo. they used to drown dogs and cats in buffalo and they thought it would be an improvement to electrocute them. they did, it was kind of awful, but they perfected a process that the new york state legislature approved and kemmler was the first victim. >> and you have in here the "new york times" headline from that experience. "far worse than hanging," the "new york times" says, "kemmler's death proves an awful spectacle. the electric current had to be turned on twice before the deed was fully accomplished." >> there were eight minutes of what one person described as living hell or it may be dying he