The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-26
HAS BECOME RELIGIOUS.
But Is Not Inclined to Admit
the Justice of His Pun
iShment.
SILENT REGARDING HIS PAST.
Text Of the Farewell Address He
Intends to Deliver From
the GalloWS.

SAN QUENTIN, CAL. July 25.AWilliam
Fredericks, who is to hang tomorrow for
the murder of Bank Cashier sHerrick,
awaits his hour of death with what might
be either the dull complacency of the un-
thinking brute or the exquisite philosophy
of the highest human type.
81 do not fear death" he said this after
noon. Nothing matters really, and to a
man in my position the strange part of it
is that people make such tremendous
fuss over trif1eS."
Fredericks passed the day in reading his
prayer book and studying the speech he
will make from the gallows tomorrow.
He has ceased all pretensions to insanity
now that he is convinced that they can
benefit him nothing, and his demeanor is
indeed that of the mildest-mannered man
who ever cut a throat. There is much
about him to produce the impression of ut
ter harmlessness. His pale blue eyes, small
features and slight frame seem scarcely
appropriate to the desperate criminal, but
when speaking of the crime for which he
will pay the extreme penalty tigerish
CLEAN comes into his eyes which is by no
means pleasant to contemplate.
So far as words go, however, Fredericks
is completely changed man. He has be-
come ultra-religious. He cultivates Father
Lagan with the utmost assiduity, and
whenever opportunity offers in converse
ton he delivers a pretty little homily,
which might we'll be expected of very
young theological student. "There can be
no real satisfaction in this world" he says,
''for man unless he is Christian" But
now and then there creep into his words
unconscious quotations from an entirely
different school of thinkers-the extreme
socialists. On the whole, however, re-
ligious ideas seem to predominant, and
the murderer even confesses to very mild
and gentlemanly degree of remorse. He
is, indeed, sorry that he has troubled any
body, and he would not inconvenience any
one for the world.
Like most of his predecessors on the
scaffold Fredericks will not admit the JUS
tice of his punishment, but poses as an ILL
treated individual. This is apparent in
the written address which he is memoriz-
ing for his speech from the gallows. There
is, however, an odd similarity between his
written words and those which Father
Lagan spoke for Collins Immediately be-
fore the last execution. The prepared adj
dress is as follows:
Gentlemen: l heartily forgive all my
enemies, as l hope to be forgiven. I can
assure you, gentlemen, that I do not en-
terrain the least thought of hard feelings
to any living mortal. The blindness of
human justice will now soon be gratified,
and / leave behind me the chains of
IL rbo H. 80 ~
will of our omniscient Creator die in the
faith of the holy Roman Catholic church,
and cheerfulIy consign myself to the in
finite justice and mercy of the one who is
over and with and above ALL"
There seems to be little chance that
Fredericks will break down at the scaffold.
The nerve which led him within the lines
at Folsom with the arms with which Son.
tag made his break appears equal to all
the demands which will be made upon it,
though there is a suspicious moisture
about his eyes and drawn look to his face,
which tells of strain, in spite of his efforts
at nonchaIence.
Concerning his past life, Fredericks de-
clines absolutely to talk. 'The outer
world is dead to me, even as I shall be to
II tO-HloIIoW. Shall NC iOISOtueH III udv,
and why, therefore, publish a record? No,
I shall bury it in a little plat of ground six
feet long and three or four feet wide"
The murderer states, however, that his
father, mother and sister are living, but
that they do not know where he is, and
will not know his fate. He was born in
Aix-la- Chapelle and educated in military
school. He served in the German army,
and his early ambition was to become
great general. If he had his life to live
over he says he would become priest.
The execution will take place tomorrow
at 10 o'clock. Many invitations have been
issued and great influx of visitors is ex-
pected by the morning trains.