The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-08

Richards-NO Hope Held Out to
Him-The Prisoner Still Confident
Strongly Asserts His Innocence.
| final effort will be made by Attorneys
! d. W. Baker and Alexander Wolf today to
have the execution of Frank w. Funk.
| who is under sentence to be hanged to-
| morrow in the District Jail, delayed. 1t
is understood that they will petition the
President to respite the condemned man
| for thirty days longer. This action is
taken by Funk's counsel because they be-
lieve that upon the Presidents return to
the city today he will not have sufficient
| time to review The case before the time
set for the execution. There is no doubt,
| ii is contended, that Mr.. Mckinley will
| be a very busy man for some time after
| his arrival in Washington. For this rea-
son it is believed that he will not have
| time sufficient to review the matter in
question Immediately and give final judg-
| ment in the case.
William F. Funk. the father of the con-
| demned man. called at the Department of
| Justice yesterday and made a strong ap-
half of his son. His appeal for clenency
for his son was very pathetic, but Mr..
Richards gave him no reason to hope that
! the Department would recommend that
| the sentence of the court should be chang
| ed TO imprisonment in the penitentiary
for life. Mr.. Funly however, has not CIV
en- up the fight for his sons life, and to-
day will make another personal appeal
| TO the President for Executive clemency.
| Last week Mr.. Funk visited the President
| at his home in Canton and was promised
! that his appeal should be given calm and
| serious consideration.
In speaking of the case to Mr.. Funk. Mr..
| Richards stated that he had reviewed the
| case thoroughly and that he was unable
| to discover anything either in the testi-
mony or the legal phase of it which would
| justify the judgment of the trial court be-
| ing altered or delayed.
DO l look like murderer" asked
Funk of Times reporter al the Jail
yesterday afternoon. Il do not believe
| that the people of this great city or
| the President of the United States will
| permit an innocent man to hang for
crime that he did not commit, and ii is my
| knowledge of my innocence that makes
| me firm in my conviction that | will not be
hanged No who has not passed
| through the same ordeal can imagine the
| terrible mental strain that l have been
| subjected to for the past few months, and
yc.m jaIers can tell you that my rest is
| as undsturbed as that of a child and my
| appetite vigorous as that of farm
hand / have never sought the sympathy
| of the people. All that ask is justice"
Ever since the conclusion of his trial. on
the oath day of last December. Funk has
been disinclined to see representatives of
the press, and this is the first instance
N.h. he hos nod hiy,,Sa al ad
freely about his case. He does not in any
way share the anxiety of his friends. who
have become discouraged as result OF the
adverse report OF District Attorney Ander-
son on his petition for a Communication OF
sentence. He regrets that Judge Cole did
| not feel justified in making any recon-
mendation regarding his appeal. trusts that
the action of the Attorney General will be
| more favorable. and is positive that the
President will grant him a reprieve. He
cannot understand how the afidavts that
are presented in the petition for commu
tation can be ignored, as they are from
thoroughly reputable parties, and are so
strong that if their evidence had been
heard at the trial, he is confident that the
jury could not have failed to acquit him
This evidence, he says, is all cumulative
and substantiates the evidence given by
him in every particular
Funk was taken to the Jail on August Il
a year ago Immediately after reaching the
city from Columbia Mo-, He is regular in
his habits both eats and sleeps well. and
is in much better condition than he was
when he arrived here. He arises at in
the morning and dresses and then reads
the Bible until o'clock. when breakfast is
served. He is no longer confined to prison
| fare and may order whatever his fancy
may dictate. Following breakfast, Fathers
Mcguire and ODonohue usually spend an
hour with him, and after an hours exer
else in the corridor he reads and writes
| until noon, the lunch hour OF late his ia
| Their has been visiting him in the afternoon,
| and after he goes Funk continues his writ
| ing until dinner time, which is o'clock
at the Jail. The evening usually passes
| quietly with him until 8 o'clock when ne
retires. He follows the papers very closely
and is much Interested in all current
| events, particularly regarding the election.
Funh's faith in a repreve is not shared
by the Jail officials, and the preparations
for the execution were commenced yester-
day with the testing of the working parts |
OF the gallows. The scafold itself is a
permanent fixture in the jail. 1t was
erected in 1880 for James Peyton. who was
afrerward pardoned James Madison Wyatt |
Stone was the first person executed on it, |
He was convicted Of having cut his wife's |
throat, decapitating her in the process
When the drop fell from beneath his feet |
his head was completely severed from the |
body Babe Bedford and Ed Queenan were
executed together on ii for the Heath muir |
der, and Charles Guiteau, President Gar |
fields assassin, was number four. There |
have already been twenty-five people hung |
on this scaffold. Tomorrow the prepara- |
lions will be completed at the jail. The |
windows will be draped TO shut out the |
view of the curious and the rope will be |
tested. If it stands the test the rope with |
which George Horton hanged will be |
used, as an old rope is far more preferable |
than new one, owing to its pliabilty The |
knot will also be tied and il will only re |
main tomorrow morning. to look over the |
work and see that nothing has been slight |
ed
Immediately after breakfast tomorrow |
the prisoners will all be removed from the |
cells on the east side of the north corridor |
which command view of the scaffold |
About II o'clock platoon of police will be |
stationed outside of the jail to prevent any |
possible disorder, and usually II is but a |
few minutes past u when the warden goes |
10 the condemned mans cell and reads the |
death warrant. The prisoner is imme- |
diately piniOned and the death march is be |
gun. The warden and his deputy are in |
the lead, followed by the prisoner and his |
spiritual advisers, after whom come the |
ing the rotunda they descend the stairs to |
the east corridor OF the north wing at the |
far end OF which the scaffold is located |