Rock Island Argus., 1898-01-07
DURRANT At LAST HANGED.
End Of the Most Desperate Legal Fight in the Annals of
Criminal History.
Famous San Francisco Murderer is Calm But Firm on
the Scaffold.

San Qaeatin Prison. Cal, Jan. Z.
Theodore Durrant was.exe:uted at
1880 this morning in the state peni.
tentisry. Warden Hale read the
death warrant, and Durraas ssceaded
the scsrold calmly. followed by
Father Lagsn, Who administered 70
his spiritual w.nts. He made .
briei speech In which In quiet tones
he asserted his innocence. iorgiving
those who had prosecuted him. men
sioaing especially the press Of San
Francisco. Ills last wofds were: II
am innocent" Death appeared to be
painless
Durraars father Was present at
tho execution. The parent Was un-
moved until the drop fell and then
dropped his head on the shoulder OF
n compsnion. Durrant, with his
parents approval, embraced the Re-
man Catholic faith. and reaeivtd ex-
treme urction before starting for the
scalrold.
Durrant steeled his nerves for the
iual ordeal. 10 it should come TO
that, by getting as much sleep ss
possible last night, while his mother
ard father spent the hours In .
l,ttie ian outside the prison walls.
Meantime the death watch followed
Durpnt's every move, lest he should
s,tcmp. suicide. tho3gh he appsr-
eu,ly hsd Go such Intentions. He ap-
peared cool and declared hs would die
without hachirg. The prison ply
slcians we're greatly impressed By
the ptiso,er's nerve In the face Of
death.
The morning broke with . cloud
less shy. The prisoner bad retired
Mt midrieht, and By o'clock Was
soundly sleep;ag. lie rested quietly
sll nigh,, and =, sis swohe. and bid
ding the guards good morning.
dressed himself IN . neat suis OF
black, provided for his execution.
No collar % nesktie being provided.
as they would have 10 be removed
when tbc n1osa was placed around HE
neck. Durrsnt noticed the omis-
sion. aui at his rsques. the missing
articles 90 attive were sent him.
Durrant also remarked that the soohs
sent him were little ligh, in color.
and q piir ~ darker shade were pro-
cured. You never saw q cooler
man" said Capt. Edgar. "He is
cslmer than you OF I. and no, . biz
nervous. There Is 70 DANCE. thst
he will weaken"
This morning Durrant expressed
himself ss extraordinarily happy.
lie declared he was satisfied his law.
yers had ione all that wac possible.
aud said hi, only sorrow was fer his
mother and father. concluding by
saying; God has me in his keep.
10y. and lie makes no mistakes"
The Last Appss,.
washington. Jan. 1.-Durranrs
attorney began early TO mako his
Last desperate efors 10 secure Q stay
OF proceedings. lie first called .,
the residence OF Justice Shiras snd
applied for q writ of stay In ths
same form tha, the application ws'
MADE yesterday before Justices Brew
er and Harlan. Justice Shiras de
clined 10 issue the writ. The attor
ney dld no, see the other member,
owing 10 lack "a time. lie ap
peated before the full court n
noon and asked for writ o.
haboas corpus or prohibition
Almos, immediately after the mem
bers Of the supfeme court took theil
seats Attorney Bosfdmsn sought Il
presen, his petition for . writ o
hsbess corpus He hss not been Cd
mitted 20 the bar Of the suprem'
court. and 10 save time presented
personal petition. Bosrdm,n res'
the petition q, length. eonsumirI
halt 81 hour. the justices askinl
many questions to get 81 th' essc
status of the case. The justices thei
retired n consider the case.
The supreme court, however, de