Executioner's CurrentRichard Moran

Knopf Publishers

Grade: B


As Richard Moran summates in his book, "Executioner's Current," " ... the electric chair was synonymous with capital punishment in the twentieth century." But how familiar is the public with the name William Kemmler? Or for that matter, Thomas Edison or George Westinghouse?

"Executioner's Current" is the tale of the contradictory social upheavals during the Progressive Era and the so-called "age of electricity." After losing his foothold on the electricity market with direct current (DC), Edison went to extreme efforts to disrepute his opponent, George Westinghouse, and his alternating current (AC). Moran proves that Edison sought to disdain the image of alternating current by associating it in the public mind with death. The resulting public image battle, described as the "battle of the currents," reveals the desperate qualms of a retrograde inventor and an inevitable, precedent maneuvering of both public opinion and the legal system. The end result was the introduction of the electric chair, a method of execution that went almost unchanged in the century that followed.

Moran interweaves chapters about the industry of Edison following the invention of the longer-lasting lightbulb, the burgeoning electricity providing services, the rise and influence of the little known electrician Harold Brown and the life and trial of William Kemmler. Moran continues to unravel the lengthy legal and public battle that followed the passing of New York States "electrocution" revision to their capital punishment law.

The novel follows the debate all the way to the Supreme Court, which refused to decide on Kemmler's claim that electrocution fell under "cruel and unusual punishment," as stipulated by the eighth amendment. Kemmler's execution went through as scheduled on August 6, 1890 and was horribly botched, resulting in burnt flesh, momentary resuscitation and public shock.

The book taps into one of those obscure niches of history that sound like they exhume some profound and untapped element of the human experience. Moran's theory is not entirely successful, and sometimes his narrative drags on without point. The author wavers between wanting to give a comprehensive historical account and trying to depict a powerful political stimulus, and he falls decisively short of either. The result is a work that is ultimately too short and muddled, leaving many important stones unturned. Moran's expertise is unquestionable, but his narrative ability and restraint are apparent in the novel. While "Executioner's Current" is a fun and quick (if not morbid) read, it is not one of the most gripping nonfiction accounts of late.

Moran ends with Kemmler's death but fails to note the history in electrocution, capital punishment and public opinion that have transpired between the last decade of the nineteenth century and present day. It is this exact ambivalence towards the death penalty that Moran implies we still maintain, despite much hindsight. As the author states, "Every so-called advance in the means of execution has been in response to a rise in opposition to the death penalty." Unfortunately, "Executioner's Current" skirts the issues somewhat in trying to decide whether it is an in-depth historical account or a novel of the evolution and origin of certain social ideals.