Death on Wheels

Jimmy Thompson is a ruddy, polite little man of 47, whose body is tattooed from clavicle to toe with black cats, snakes and strawberries. He is official executioner for the State of Mississippi, pulls the switches of the only portable electric chair in the world: a new $4,000 contraption on a truck with portable generator, chair, helmet, straps and electrodes. Last week Jimmy and his driver drove their silver-painted exterminator to the Pike County jail. Just before dawn Jimmy dispatched his 14th "client" -- one Sam Porter who had slashed a throat too deeply and who, as he sat in the new chair, admonished "all young people to stay away from bad company."

The client was pronounced dead and Jimmy collected his fee, $100. The aftermath: next day Jimmy was picked up on a drunk-and-disorderly charge. He posted a $10 bond, which he forfeited. His drunks usually follow each service to a client and Jimmy laments the fact that he almost never gets more than $90 cash out of a visit because of the bonds he forfeits.

When sober, Jimmy is proud of his ability to usher out clients neatly. "I just seem to have a talent for this sort of thing," he says to those who visit his chair on public exhibition outside the State capital at Jackson. "Maybe it's because I'm always polite. The first thing I tell a client to put him at ease is 'Have a seat.' "

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.