Designed to be more humane than hanging, the first use of the electric chair, at Auburn Prison on Aug. 6, 1890, was described by the Syracuse Standard as "scientific butchery." ...

This was the case for Darryl Holton, who chose to die via electric chair. He was executed in 2007, convicted of killing his three sons and a stepdaughter in 1997.

The ghosts of Tennessee's electric chair far outnumber the 126 men who have died while sitting in it. At least that's how the story goes.

Tennessee to use the electric chair 01:40 Editor’s Note: CNN’s original series “ Death Row Stories ” explores America’s capital punishment system.

Tennessee is going to expand its use of the electric chair, making electrocution the state’s method of execution if lethal injection is not available. The new law, signed by Gov. Bill Haslam (R ...

South Carolina's electric chair could be used for the first time since 2008 if the scheduled execution of Brad Sigmon takes place on June 18. Its second use could follow one week later on June 25 ...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A law signed by Gov. Bill Haslam to remove roadblocks to executions in Tennessee by expanding use of the electric chair could instead create new legal hurdles, experts on the ...

Gov. Bill Haslam signed a bill authorizing the state to use the electric chair as a backup to lethal injection, but the measure could spur the legal challenges that supporters had hoped to avoid ...

This undated photo provided by the South Carolina Department of Corrections shows the state's death chamber in Columbia, S.C., including the electric chair, right, and a firing squad chair, left.

The state’s only electric chair was built in 1915 and was last used in 1966, according to the AP. Some doubted the device still worked and said it would be too expensive to build a new one.

A photo provided by the South Carolina Department of Corrections shows the state’s death chamber in Columbia, S.C., including a firing squad chair, left, and the electric chair, right.