Electrocution’s Bungled Justice: William White Faces the Music for Franklin Marshal’s Murder

Columbus, Ohio – July 10, 1907. The botched execution of William White, a negro accused of shooting Marshal Basore at Franklin, Warren county, left onlookers stunned and questioning the efficacy of the electric chair. Despite the initial shock, it took three separate jolts of electricity to finally silence White, who had been condemned for his heinous crime. The first attempt, at 1201 a.m., delivered 1800 volts with a brief respite to 250 volts, but it was not enough to end his life. A second, and then a third, electrifying dose was administered, each one a grueling reminder of the brutal fate that awaited those who broke the law in the United States.