Wiktor Wise
In 1946, Willie Francis, a teenager from Louisiana, survived a failed execution by electric chair. The chair, known as Gruesome Gertie, had been set up incorrectly by a drunk prison guard and inmate. After receiving an intense electric shock, Francis reportedly said he could only describe the sensation as ‘Whamm! Zst!’. He said it felt like a hundred and a thousand needles and pins were pricking [him] all over. Francis was eventually executed in 1947, becoming known as the teenager who was executed twice. He is the only person known to have survived an execution by electric chair.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of incident | May 3, 1946 |
| Name of survivor | Willie Francis |
| Age of survivor | 15-17 years old |
| State | Louisiana |
| Crime | Murder of Andrew Thomas, a pharmacy owner |
| Reason for survival | Electric chair was improperly set up by intoxicated prison staff |
| Description of experience | "It felt like a hundred and a thousand needles and pins were pricking in me all over and my left leg felt like somebody was cutting it with a razor blade." |
| Subsequent events | The US Supreme Court rejected appeals to overturn the death sentence. Francis was returned to the electric chair and executed on May 9, 1947. |
| Legacy | Francis's case inspired the novel "A Lesson Before Dying" and a forthcoming book titled "The Execution of Willie Francis." |
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What You'll Learn
Willie Francis: the teenager executed twice
On May 3, 1946, 17-year-old Willie Francis, a black teenager from a poor family in Louisiana, survived an attempt at execution by the electric chair. Nicknamed "Gruesome Gertie", the portable electric chair was found to have been improperly set up by an intoxicated prison guard and inmate from the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
Witnesses reported hearing Francis scream from behind the leather hood, "Take it off! Take it off! Let me breathe!". After the botched execution, attorney Bertrand DeBlanc decided to take on his case, citing that it was unjust and that it would be cruel and unusual punishment, as prohibited in the Constitution, to subject Francis to the execution process a second time. DeBlanc had been best friends with the murder victim, Andrew Thomas, and his decision was met with dismay by the citizens in the small Cajun town.
Francis had been sentenced to death as a juvenile offender by the state of Louisiana for the murder of Thomas, a 54-year-old white pharmacist and Francis's former employer. Thomas was shot dead in his bed in August 1944, and his murder went unsolved for nine months. Upon his arrest, police claimed that Francis was carrying Thomas' wallet, although no evidence of this was brought forward to the trial. Francis confessed to the murder in two separate written confessions but pleaded not guilty at the trial. Despite this, just two days into the trial, Francis was convicted and sentenced to death.
Francis's case went all the way to the US Supreme Court, but his appeal was rejected. He was returned to the electric chair on May 9, 1947, and was pronounced dead at 12:10 pm.
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Gruesome Gertie: the electric chair
"Gruesome Gertie" is the nickname given by death row inmates to the Louisiana electric chair. It is widely known for the failed execution of Willie Francis—the only inmate to survive the electric chair.
In 1945, 16-year-old Willie Francis was sentenced to death for the murder of Andrew Thomas, a pharmacy owner who once employed him. Thomas was shot dead in August 1944, and his murder went unsolved for nine months. Upon his arrest, police claimed that Francis was carrying Thomas' wallet, though no evidence of this was brought forward to the trial. Francis did confess to the killing in two separate written confessions but pleaded not guilty at the trial. Just two days into the trial, Francis was convicted of murdering Thomas and sentenced to death, despite being underage at 15 when he committed the crime.
On May 3, 1946, Francis survived an attempt at execution by the electric chair. Witnesses reported hearing the teenager scream from behind the leather hood, "Take it off! Take it off! Let me breathe!" as the supposedly lethal surge of electricity was being applied. The portable electric chair, known as "Gruesome Gertie", was found to have been improperly set up by an intoxicated prison guard and inmate from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. An appeal was filed to the Supreme Court, which was denied.
After the failed first execution, Francis gave a unique insight into what it felt like sitting in the electric chair and being seconds away from death. He told a reporter a couple of days before his next execution that he was going to meet the Lord with his "Sunday pants and Sunday heart." Willie Francis was returned to the electric chair on May 9, 1947, and was pronounced dead at 12:10 p.m. (Central Time).
During its fifty years, "Gruesome Gertie" was used for a total of 87 executions. It now sits at the Louisiana Prison Museum in Angola, Louisiana. Notable executions in the chair were those of Toni Jo Henry (the only woman executed in Louisiana's electric chair), Elmo Patrick Sonnier (the inmate on whom the film Dead Man Walking was based), and Willie Francis. "Gruesome Gertie" has also appeared in popular culture, including in James Lee Burke's novel A Private Cathedral and the film Monster's Ball.
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The US Supreme Court appeal
The use of the electric chair as a method of execution in the United States has a controversial history, with several notable cases where individuals survived the initial attempt and raised legal challenges to their subsequent re-sentencing to death. These cases have often centred on the issue of whether surviving an execution constitutes
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Botched executions in Florida
Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, Florida has had its fair share of botched executions. Prisoners were executed by the state using the electric chair until 2000, when the Florida Legislature gave them the option of lethal injection. Lethal injection has since been found to have the highest rate of botched executions. Here are some examples of botched executions in Florida:
Jesse Joseph Tafero, 1990
During his execution via the electric chair, Tafero's head erupted into flames, and it took three shocks for him to stop breathing. State officials claimed that the botched execution was caused by "inadvertent human error" and the inappropriate substitution of a synthetic sponge for a natural one. Tafero, who was accused of shooting and killing two law enforcement officers, was later found to be innocent.
Allen Lee Davis, 1999
Davis was the last Florida inmate to be executed using the electric chair. He was convicted of killing a woman and her two children. During his execution, blood poured from his face onto his shirt, and he was alive for about ten minutes after the executioners pulled the plug.
Bennie Demps, 2000
Demps, who was accused of shooting two people during a robbery and later stabbing a man to death in prison, was one of the first Florida inmates to be executed using the new lethal injection procedure. The execution team took 33 minutes to find his veins, and in his final words, Demps told witnesses that he was in pain and had been "butchered."
Willie Francis, 1946
Outside of Florida, one of the most famous cases of a botched execution by electric chair is that of Willie Francis. In 1945, the 16-year-old was sentenced to death for the murder of Andrew Thomas, a pharmacy owner who had once employed him. Francis confessed to the killing in two separate written confessions but pleaded not guilty at the trial. Just two days into the trial, he was convicted and sentenced to death. However, when the time came for his execution in May 1946, an intoxicated prison guard and inmate had improperly set up the portable electric chair, and Francis survived. He was eventually executed in 1947 in the electric chair.
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The sensation of being electrocuted
In 1946, 16-year-old Willie Francis survived an attempt at execution by the electric chair. He was eventually executed in 1947, but his experience provided a unique insight into what it feels like to be electrocuted.
Being electrocuted can be a mildly unpleasant sensation or a life-threatening emergency, depending on the strength of the electrical current and the duration of contact. The electrical current interrupts signals from the brain and nervous system, resulting in involuntary muscle contractions and spasms. The person may be propelled away from the source of the current, and their muscles, ligaments, and tendons may tear.
If the current passes through the heart, it can cause cardiac arrest. Other symptoms include seizure, loss of consciousness, an irregular heartbeat, an erratic or weak pulse, and internal injuries that may not be immediately obvious. Burns often occur at the points of contact with the skin, and the severity of the burns may not be apparent from the outside. Internal burns can have serious consequences, including scarring, amputation, loss of function, and death.
The severity of an electric shock depends on several factors, including the voltage, the type of current, and the resistance of the person's body. Dry skin offers more protection than wet or damaged skin. Even a low-voltage power outlet can be fatal if contact is made with wet skin or a metal object that allows a steady current.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Willie Francis survived a failed execution by electric chair in 1946. He was executed a year later in 1947.
The electric chair, known as "Gruesome Gertie", was set up incorrectly by a drunk prison guard and inmate from the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
Willie Francis described the sensation of being electrocuted as "Whamm! Zst!". He also said it felt like "needles and pins" were pricking him.
Willie Francis appealed his case to the US Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court rejected it.
While there are no other documented cases of people surviving the electric chair, there have been several botched executions where flames erupted from the headpiece or chest straps had to be cut to end the cycle.
