, 1880-01-29
A Warning to Evil Doors.

! fgel on the lGth CI January, says the
Call, was well connected in Philadel.
phia, having Il father, two brothers
one Of whom is practising lawyer Of
promincncc-and three sisters residing
there, but was unable to obtain n re-
prieve or communication Of his sentence,
Notwithstanding that his relatives OK.
ertcd all their influence i'll that dilec
ton, which was sufficient to secure the
intercession Of Speaker Randall with
both Governor Irwin and Governor
Perkins in his behalf His brother
also sent him 500 for the purpose of
taking his case to the Supreme Court.
But this with his other efforts in the
erring mans behalf, proved OF no avail,
and he was ordered removed to the
Marin county Jail. Ths records Of the
state prison in which Deyer was serv-
ing his sentence for robbery, shows, that
he was, when committed, twenty-six
years OF age native of Pennsylvania,
and laborer.
The prison officials know but little
of Dever's early history, but gener-
ally believed that he first became ini-
tated in tie devious ways of crime
along the docks and wharves Of New
Yorl; and Philadelphia, and later,
through associations formed in foreign
ports while following the career of a
sailor While in prison, he delighted
in being recognized by his fellow con-
victs aS
TIE LEADER or THE BARDAEY COAST
GANG,
And as O man of nerve, who never went
back on his ''pards," chief among whom
were Sacramento Bill and Joe Mulligan.
The story being rife among the convicts
that he and another Barbary coaster
robbed boy of few dimes, and because
the little fellow screamed and made q
noise over it, they picked him up and
tossed him into the bay, he was admit
ted to the confidence of the "initiates;"
in crime; that dastardly deed in their
mind emitting him to admission to their
select circle. The true version OF the
case was that Dever did toss man into
boat lying at Market street wharf, but
the man was afterwards rescued by the
police. Dever was convicted of grand
larceny, and sentenced to three years
imprisonment in September, 1878.
While imprisoned ir the Marin cour-
ty Jail, Dever has frequently written to
his "old chum," Joe Mulligan, that
when the "grand bounce" came he would
"die game" But latterly, his letters
have contained less bravado Dever was
at the time of his execution thirty-one
years of age. lie was suffering with
lung complaint and been unable to walk
across his cell for some time. The fol-
lowing description of him as he appeared
on the morning of his execution is given
by the journal above quoted In the
further corner of his cell, curled upon a
rude cot and covered with gray prison
blanket, lay the wretched man whose
doom was sealed, and who in but two
brief hours was to pay
| THE PENALTY or HIS CRIME
BY being deprived of what little life re.
mained n his diseased mind and ENACT
ated frame at the hands of the law.
The occupant Of the cot, as seen from the
entrance to the cell, appeared to be life
less, but upon nearer approach to the
figure its low, labored breathing indicat-
ed that the lamp of life was not extinct.
The face of the doomed man was ghast-
ly to look upon. The closed and sunken
eyes, the hollow temples and prominent
forehead and cheek bones, across which
the sallow skin was tightly drawn; the
sunken cheeks and piuched mouth, once
surrounded with prominent but now
drawn and sunken lines; the prominent
chin and aw bones, rendered chalk
white by the recent removal of full
dark brown beaad, contrasting strangely
with the jet black mustAche and halr,
and all showing plainly the intense pain
OF body and agony Of mind the unfor-
tunate criminal must have suffered.
Dever was partially aroused from the
stupor into which he appeared to have
fallen, and message was delivered to
him fro his old "pal," Joe Muligan, to
'die game" in reply to which the poor
wretch gasped, 81 will try, but l am
very weak" lie was supported to the
scafold, moved not muscle while the
ghastly preparations were in progress,
and his last and only words after step.