The most Botched Execution in History

The most Botched Execution in History

    Michael Schiller can go down in history as the most executed man in history. His case is so brutal that we can begin to feel some empathy for him. That is until we hear his story. Here are all the horrid details.

    Schiller cannot be described as anything but mean. He was the kind of man that demanded that everyone in his life do things his way or else. He was prone to instant rage and God help whoever was the target of his wrath. Schiller and his wife Mary were Hungarian by birth. They had traveled to the United States to find a better life and settled in Ohio where they opened a saloon that was quite successful.  

    In 1902, Schiller became upset that his supper was not ready on time, and he beat his wife Mary to the point that she was not able to stand or speak. The Sheriff arrested Schiller for the brutal attack and sent him to prison. Once Schiller was released, he did not return to Ohio right away. He instead, traveled to Kentucky and tried to start fresh. However, his nasty attitude caused him enough trouble that he decided to return to Ohio where he tracked down his family and forced his way back into the house despite not being welcome.  

    Mary had hoped that he would remain in prison or maybe that someone had killed him, but she had no such luck. During her husband’s stay in prison, Mary had divorced her husband and gained sole custody of the children as well as ownership of the saloon. Schiller had lost everything but was determined to get it back.

    Schiller came back and forced his wife and kids to tend to his every need.  Mary had decided to return to her native Hungary and raise her children away from the antics of Schiller. She had sent over one hundred thousand dollars by wire to her family there to prepare for her arrival. With Schiller forcing his way back into the house, she couldn’t leave quick enough.

     Besides having a nasty attitude, Schiller was also an alcoholic and demanded that Mary give him money to drink on. She gave him the money because she knew what would happen if she didn’t. However, when Schiller came home, he was dog drunk and demanded that Mary sleep with him. The thought of Schiller disgusted her to the point that she refused although she knew there would be consequences. Schiller grabbed her by the hair and told her that if she refused to comply, he would cut her heart out. Mary managed to escape his strong grip and ran into the back yard screaming at the top of her lungs for help. 

This caught the attention of her neighbors who ran to help. However, before the neighbors could arrive, Schiller stuck a knife in Mary’s stomach in an attempt to disembowel her. While Schiller was stabbing her, a few neighbors arrived and tackled Schiller to the ground and held him until the police arrived. Mary was taken to the hospital where she gave a complete account of the events to the police. However, her wounds were just too great, and she died five days later.  

    

Schiller was tried and was sent to prison to face the electric chair. The children, Minnie, 12, Gustave, 8 and Fred 4 were sent to an orphanage. A local couple wanted to adopt them but Schiller refused to sign over his parental rights because he wanted to use the children to try and obtain a pardon from the governor.

    

The children were brought from the orphanage to visit their father in prison shortly before his execution and the children were trembling with fear at the moment, they saw him. 12-year-old Minnie

refused to be alone with him and she trembled in fear at his presence despite a guard and the orphanage nun standing with her.  When Schiller saw Minnie, he begged her to call the governor and plead for him to pardon him for the crimes. He told her that his life was in her hands. However, Minnie stood firm and told her father that not only could she not call the governor but that she wouldn’t if she could.  

   

 Schiller began to bombard the little girl with letters every day, begging her to change her mind.  The children were forced to visit Schiller two more times before his death and each time, he tried to force the girl to save his life by calling the governor. Eventually, the jig was up. Schiller accepted his fate to die.

    

On June 17th, 1904, Michael Schiller was going to be the 13th man to die in the electric chair at the Ohio State Penitentiary. Schiller put on a brave face and pretended not to care. However, when the electrician came to the prison and began testing the chair, Schiller could hear the bursts of electricity in the air and reality began to set it. On the day of the execution, Schiller began to pace back and forth in his cell. He was given his last meal but instead of eating it, he threw it at the prison bars of his cell. The prison staff offered him a shot of whisky to calm his nerves but again he refused. When the clergy arrived at his cell to speak with him, he tried to attack him through the bars.  

    

At 11:30 p.m., death drew near, and the attending guards began to file into the death room as it had come to be called. The prison barber had arrived and shaved Schillers head to allow for a good connection of the electrodes. One final test of the chair was conducted, and everything was in perfect working order.  

  

  As the clock struck midnight, footsteps could be heard in the hallway as Schiller was escorted to the death room and the electrodes were connected. A crown of 35 onlookers had gathered and each were whispering back and forth.

    

With Schiller in the chair, Warden Edward Hershey asked Schiller if he had any last words. Schiller’s lips moved but no sound came out. Whatever he said, it appeared to be between him and his maker. With that, the warden nodded his head, and 1.750 volts of electricity went coursing through Schillers body and his body became tense and then relaxed. The prison doctor pronounced Schiller dead. When the straps were removed from the body, Schiller lunged forward in an attempt to strangle the guard but fell over. Schiller was still alive! He began to gasp for breath and saliva was dripping from his mouth. He tried to speak but could only grunt.  

    

Surviving the chair didn’t mean it was over. The death warrant had to be carried out. It took some time to turn the prison generator back on. The straps were placed back on the body and the shocked crowd came back inside for round two.  

    

Once again, the warden gave the order and 1, 750 volts of electricity were sent through the body. This time, several doctors examined him, and all agreed that finally Schiller was dead. The crowd shuffled out and the straps were once again removed from Schiller’s body, and he was laid on a gurney and a sheet covered his body. As the guards were leaving the room, they heard a faint gurgling sound coming from under the sheet. The guard ran over and raised the sheet and Schiller began to gasp for breath. The warden was furious! The media could never find out about this, so the crowd was not informed. Instead, only the warden and the doctor were present.  

    Michael Schiller refused to die. However, this time, there would be no mistakes. The voltage that would kill most men had failed not once but twice. The third time, the warden had ordered the voltage to be turned up to the max level. With Schiller back in the chair for the 3rd time, the current was so high that his head was instantly singed. The state had finally killed Michael Schiller. The man that was so mean that he refused to die.  If you enjoy true crime stories like this one, the new book Murder in the Bluegrass by Jack Godbey. Available now on Amazon.