The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-27

comfortable to leave, and requesting that
he be called again at o'clock he rolled
over and was asleep in an instant. At no
time during the night was his sleep
troubled nor did he exhibit restlessness.
At o'clock Fredericks was awakened.
He rose and dressed and passed an hour
with his prayer-book. At 4:30 o'clock he
returned to bed and slept again, the death
watch having to awaken him for break
fast. The morning hours were spent with
the prayer-book, the condemned man
ceasing the perusal of its pages only to
listen to the exhortations of the priests.
who arrived from San Rafael about 8
o'clock.
At $3.50 O'Clock Warden Hale entered the
condemned mans cell. He announced
the hour of execution, and Fredericks re-
marking III am ready" leaned against
the wall while the death warrant was read.
Now that the hour of execution had ar
rived matters proceeded with awful ce-
lerity. Four minutes from the time that
the warden entered the condemned cell
Fredericks walked into the death chamber.
The Warden and the prison chaplain
headed the procession and two priests fol-
lowed.
Fredericks himself was very pale, and
Captain Lunt held him by one arm in case
he should need support. His step, how
ever, was firm and he glanced curiously
upward at the rope as he assembled the
gallows. AS he stepped on the trap Warden
Hale said:
Gentlemen, Mr.. Fredericks wishes to
say four or five words. Please keep as
quiet as possible"
The condemned man then spoke his pre-
pared "last words" as printed in the
CALL this morning. He had, however, i'm
perfectly memorized the words and
faltered and simpered over the perform
ance like an embarrassed schoolboy.
Once he had to be prompted by Father
Lagan, bnt he carried it off well, and ex
cept for a scarcely perceptible tremor at
the words III de-" his voice was as un-
concerned as when the day before he had
asked for light for his cigar.
At the conclusion of his set speech Fred
ericks added:
ttThe One who is above all, blessed be
his name forever, amen"
The .'amen'' was shot forth with an en-
phasis which showed considerable strain.
When Captain Lunt dropped the moose
over Fredericks' head the latter turned to
him and said:
MAKE it good and tight"
Lunt did so as the black cap was adj
justed, then stepped back and raised his
hand. The trap crashed and Fredericks
dropped the length of the rope. Only
three minutes had elapsed since he en-
tered the chamber, and only seven since
Warden Hale had approached the cor
demned cell. Life was declared extinct in
twelve and half minutes, and the body
was cut down and placed in the cheap,
black prison coffin.
Fredericks carried the secret of his
crimes with him to his grave. A short
time before his execution he Indignantly
denied rumor that he had made con-
fession, and also asserted his innocence of
the killing of Sheriff Pascoe of Nevada
County. The three sons OF Pascoe were
among the hundred or more witnesses to
the execution, and statement was made
that their presence was due to an oath
that they had taken over their fathers
body to avenge his death or witness the
execution of his murderer. r. II. E.
Miller, cousin of Herrick, the murdered
cashier, was also present.
The crime for which Fredericks to-day
paid the penalty was one of the boldest in
the criminal annals OF this State. In
broad daylight he entered the branch bank
of the San Francisco Savings Union, near
the corner of Fell and Market STRAITS an.