The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-11

Frank w. Funk convicted of the murder
| of William II. Brooks. and sentenced to be
| hanged in the District Jail on Friday next,
| yesterday embraced the Catholic faith, the
| sacrament of holy communion being ad-
| ministered to him by the Rev. Father Ma
guire, of st. Peters Catholic Church.
Funk, with many of the other prisoners
| confined in the jail, attended the services
conducted by Father Mcguire yesterday
! morning After the service Funk appeared
TO be in excellent spirits. Since his con-
| finement he has always appeared to be in
| good spirits, but never SO contented as he
| was yesterday.
Since his imprisonment Funk's actions
and behavior-haye bsen in marked contrast
with those of the other prisoners, particu-
| larry those charged with or found guilty OF
murder. The others have appeared broken
in spirit and morose. Not so, however,
with Funk. Not for a moment since he
was arrested and charged with the murder
Of old man Brooks has he appeared to have
lost hope that he will be able to finally
prove himself innocent OF the charge. He
said yesterday that he was not very much
surprised at the result of his appeal to the
Court of Appeals for the District. He ex-
pressed himself as confident, however, that
the Supreme Court of the United States
will reverse the decisions OF both the Su-
preme Court of the District and the Court
of Appeals for the District. In the event
that he is not granted a new trial, and is
made TO suffer the penalty for the crime
of which he stands convicted he said there
will day come when the truth will be
known as to who did commit the crime,
when many persons who gave testimony
against him will regret what they did.
Most conclusive evidence as to his inno-
cence, he said, was shown by the condition
of the heads of the man who was muir
dered and his wife, who was also brutally
assaulted with the same instrument an
AK, with which her husband was killed.
In each Instance the testimony showed
the victims Of the attack had received
six or seven blows After referring to this
part OF the evidence against him, Funk
called attention to his physique, stating
that man of his size and strength, on a
mission of robbery, in daylight, would not
have found it necessary, nor would he
have wasted time, to have inflicted four
teen or fifteen blows when two would have
sufficed to have removed interference
with his plans The number Of blows in
ficted, and the nature of them, Funk coz
tends, show that they were dealt by some
weak person, perhaps woman. This con-
tention is in support of Funk s evidence at his
trial when he stated that Immediately after
the murder was committed he visited the
house of the Brooks family and there saw
=. /. s.,-- rf
dead man, and a negro, in the parlor. He
also said that the daughter knows more
about how her father met his death than
she cares to tell.
There appears to be one consolation to
Funk in the turn affairs have taken in his
case. AS stated, he is confident that he
will be able to have his case reviewed by
the Supreme Court Of the United States.
He does not expect that this will be so in
the case of BENJAMIN. II. Smell, sentenced
TO be hanged the same day and at the
same time that he is. Funk objects TO
passing into eternity from the same scat
fold with Smell. Because of the different
conditions presented by their cases, he
feels that il he has TO meet his fate on
the gallows it will not be in company with
the child-murderer.
Shell is as morose and sullen as On the
day he was committed to Jail. II is said
he never introduces conversation with any
of the other prisoners and returns very
meagre answers to the few who speak to
him. One day last week when one of the
census enumerators called at the Jail to
make en- enumeration of the inmates, Smell
was called upon TO tell OF himself. In
answer to the question. ."What is your
name?" Smell is said to have replied, Il
think it is Benjamin The prisoner. it is
stated. seemed to have some trouble in
coming to this conclusion. Again when
asked his age, Smell stated that it is ''thir-
ty-four.'' This happens to be the number
of Smells cell in the Jail. Beyond this
the enumeration, it is said, was unable to
elicit any information from him.
There is now only one prisoner in Jail
awaiting trial for murder. This is James
Lancton, charged with the murder of Mrs.
Bette wrenn. 1t is expected that he will
be called for trial before the summer holi-
days begin in the Supreme Court for the
District.
Charles L. McUin, convicted of the MUIR
der of Robert F. Turner, and sentenced
to be hanged on July q next. is in worse
spirits than any other Of those under sem
tence of death. 1t is said he walks his
cell till late hour at night and contin-
uaily talks to himself. In his mutterings
he has often been heard to say, mo. l
will not appeal TO the President it is no
use" And then again, Il did not have
the knife; ! did not kill Turner" For
some days last week McUin did not have
any appetite, and he complained to War
den Harris, who asked HIM if it was any
fault of the prison fare He said he
thought not, and the warden had the pri-
son physician examine McUin. After
treatment he was all right, and on Satur-
day ate heartily.
Olof Pallessen, who was convicted of the
murder OF his wife, Josephine Pallessen,
and sentenced to imprisonment in the
penitentiary for life, is in much better
spirits than he was before his trial. Upon
his arrival at the jail, after sentence was
pronounced upon him. it is said he re-
marked We'll. 1 saved my neck, any
how
Arthur Landon. convicted of the murder
Of Henry Bradley, and Nelson Vale. found
guilty of the murder Of Alexander Jack
son, both sentenced to be hanged on July
6. are anxiously awaiting the action of the
President upon their appeal for executive