Gas Chamber

Gee Jon was executed on February 28, 1924 in Nevada.  Gee was a Chinese nationalist who killed a rival gang member.  He was captured, tried and sentenced to death.  Death by cyanide. 

This was the first use of cyanide by the state of Nevada.  In a "what were they thinking" attempt they first tried to dribble the cyanide gas into his prison cell.  How humane, to kill a man while he unsuspectingly sleeps.  Of course in order to save the guards and other prisoners they had to use very little gas.  Plus the cell was open allowing the gas to escape.  So that didn't work.  The prison then took over the butcher shop, sealed it and successfully tried it on a cat.  Gee was place in the cold room (the heater failed) and the gas was pumped in.  After ten minutes he stopped moving.  But then the witnesses thought they could smell bitter almonds.  The telltale odor of cyanide.  The area was quickly cleared.  Eventually guards went into the new chamber.  They removed Jon's body and cleaned up the room.

Gee Jon was the first person executed by cyanide in the US.  The practice continued until 1999 when Arizona used its chamber one final time.