got something think you might be
interested in a poster right yeah you
know it's something a little bit better
than different than now this is the
original blueprint of the electric chair
of Joliet state prison in the state
field okay that's definitely more
interesting than a poster this is a
brand new thing for the state of
Illinois so it's sometimes they had it
mates help them do it or they had their
staff build that Jerry I would like
5,000 that's not impossible maybe 1800
so where in the world did you get this
well back in the nineteen seventies I
worked at the county jail for a few
years one of the old-timers there who
was retiring took a liking to me as a
rookie and gave me this the Joliet state
prison was part of Cook County back then
in 1925 when they opened up okay so
there was some Chicago mob guys over the
past 120 years the electric chair is
probably one of the more interesting
things to be invented
you know most places have switched out
the electric chair for the gas chamber
or
lethal injections will seem that think
it's a little bit more humane but how
would you know unless she ever been put
in one is this electric chair still at
the prison it still exists except it's
all bricked up August 24th 1962 was the
last time in the state of Illinois that
they execute any money and they bricked
it up hoping that maybe the state would
change their mind and haven't come back
it's been a controversial issue whether
the state has the right to actually kill
somebody I mean there's people out there
that will say if murder is illegal the
state can't murder you no matter how bad
of a guy you are and then there's plenty
of people out there that believe you
know there's some people that are said
they deserve to die
I'm sure collectors would be all over
these blueprints if this is an original
and that's something that was mass
printed it might be pretty special how
much you want for it I'm looking at five
five hundred five thousand five thousand
okay
do you mind if I give a buddy of mine a
call who would that be
it's my buddy mark Clark County Museum
guy he's a pretty much knows everything
there is to know about everything sure I
have no problem I'm calling in another
person to look at him he's going to see
that they are real and they are the
originals what do you know about chairs
I wouldn't send it 1 2 1 yes Oh at
Stateville ok there are only 3 electric
chairs in the entire state one of them
was at Stateville which is the State
Penitentiary
Joseph Reagan he was the warden at that
point he didn't like to do executions he
didn't believe in executions so he
always appointed one of his staff a
deputy to actually turn on the juice as
it were the electric chair does still
exist today there are a few states that
still have it as a primary means of
execution there are a number of states
where it is available if the criminal
being executed asks for it but in most
cases throughout the United States most
states have gotten rid of it one of the
things I think is kind of interesting
about these they tried to make them at
least a little bit comfortable you had
actually different ways of restraining
you you have a padded seat that can be
removed the back here and be moved so
that it you can lean back more or less
there was an odd nod to comfort on that
when it was going to be utilized how
common are these things you can find
blueprints in books and histories of
executions in the United States things
like that
they've been reproduced
but to find a first-generation print
that's unusual
I can say that looking at this the paper
is right the age is right this is real
this would be a first generation
blueprint for the electric chair okay
oh thanks mark you wouldn't think that
there'd be a collector's market for
devices like the electric chair but
there are it's kind of nice to see from
a single design that's original to the
time period so how much were you looking
to get out of it I would like to get
about $5,000 for um that's a little much
it said Edison anywhere on here you'd be
looking at 5,000 all day long the fact
that it doesn't makes it worth a little
bit less so I'd like to offer you run a
downer box for it now
are you willing to come down at all I'm
willing to come down to about 20 to
realistically after I spent some money
on it I can probably get three could you
go a thousand
sixteen fifteen hundred
[Music]
it'll deal okay chum go write him up
sure grab the plans allow me to further
his offer for $800 was just out of the
question
it just didn't seem reasonable
especially when they're off then it's
less than I was hoping for but it's
better than nothing
you