The morning call., 1893-07-14
LUCKY LEE SING.
He Will Not Hang at San
Quentin To-Day.
AN APPEAL SAVES HIS NECK
All the Preparations for the Execu-
ton Were Made When the
Notice Was Given.

I'VE are all prepared" said Warden
Hale at the San Quentin penitentiary
yesterday noon. land the Chinese will
be hanged tomorrow at II o'clock"
But the powers that be had decreed
otherwise.
Upan the third floor of the old sash and
door factory Lee Slug. the doomed high
binder, convicted of the murder of Jen
Kee, walked about in his gloomy, wooden
cell, under the watchful eye Of Keeper
John Miller. AS the hours sped by he
showed more and more agitation, for his
MUD would dwell NOR bidly upon the dread
anticipation of the morrow's fearful scene.
He could get no peace. Occasionally be
would throw himself upon his bed, but he
could find no rest there; indeed, the only
thing that seemed to give him any consola-
tion at all was tobacco pipe, which, his
desire being easily interpreted by his eyes,
was frequently prepared for him.
Once during the day he even feigned a
grim cheerfulness. as he observed to Mr..
Miller: II no be here dis time to-moloa."
Again, however. he would relapse into
an unhappy taciturnity, and when an effort
was made to get from him statement of
some kind he refused with. mo talkee :;
from the straw mattress upon which he
had been 81 ting, "Iakee me sick. Too
mUchee talkee."
Naturally. then, 1t was joyous news for
him when he was told that the execution
would not take place at the time appointed.
In the next room it is different. The
gallows is there and by passing through
one door only from the room in which are
the condemned cells one finds himself
within the forbiddlng whitewashed walls.
gazing upon the simple apparatus upon
which Indian joe" otherwise Jose Ga
brie the slayer of the Geysers, suffered
the laws full penalty. Joe" was the frs.
one, and so far has been the last. to hang
at San Quentin. The marks the rope left
upon the crossbeam of the scaffold are
there yet.
Colonel j. W. Mckenzie, with few
helpers. some OF them wearing the prison
garb. had been busy making the prepare
tons for the execution, and such details
AS the length Of the drop and the adjust
ment of weights were about comp eted
when it was learned that the hempen rope
would not be attached to second victims
neck. From Colonel MckenZie's stand
point lie had done good work in the prepa-
ratons, for he has already hanged eight
men.
Warden Hale had issued permits to
those who are usually present at public
executions, namely, physicians. peace
officers. newspaper reporters and prison
directors. and an invitation had also been
sent to Warden Aull Of Folsom. for Mr..
Aull has Chinese to hang. too. whose
date Of execution has been set for next
September. The unlocked for postpone
ment OF Lee Sings fate nullities the pur-
port of those melancholy misSives.
Yesterday afternoon j. j. Coffey, Sings
attorney. filed notice of appeal with
Sheriff McDade. Lee Sing has all along
protested his Innocence, and only ashort
while ago told Keeper c. W. WhIttemore,
who with Mr.. Miller has kept the death
watch since the first Of the month, that he
did not Kill All kee.
The crime for which Sing was to have
suffered was a peculiar one. The victim
was shot by mistake. A secret meeting
of the hghbinders had been held and four
men we're doomed. Among them was
Yick Kee, siorekeeper, who was marked
for death because he refused to indorse
which it was attempted to land young
Chinese woman named zee Cue.
Jen Kee resembled him very much, and
coming out Of the same store from which
Yick Kee was expected to emerge and at
the same time, five hlghbinders attacked
him until he was finally brought down by
bullet from big revolver.
Lee Sing is a cigar-maker by trade, and
at the time Of his arrest said he belonged
to, See Yup Tong" one Of the SIX Com
panies.
Since he has been confined at San Quen-
tin no Chinese friend has called upon him.
He has been a very good prisoner. but re-
ticent, for several attempts made by
Chaplain brahms to engage him in con-
versatiOn failed.
The murder was committed on March