Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1901-10-29
CZ0LGOSZ PAID
THE PENALTY
He Did Not Break Down and Ex-
pressed No Sorrow for His
Atrooious Crime.
his DEATH WAS PAINLESS
1t Was Only Four Minutes from the Time
That he Left His Cell Until the At
tending Physician Pronounced Him
Dead Witnesses Moved.

this morning, Leon f. Czolgosz, mul
derer of President William McKinle.
was shocked to death by 1,700 volts {
electricity. He showed no fear, talkin
to witnesses while being strapped
the chair.
IT killed the president because h
was an enemy Of the good people-th
good working people. I am not sorr
for my crime
These were his words as the guard
hurried him to the chair. A momen
later, mumbling through the half ad
justed face straps, he said: IT am aw
fully sorry I could not see my father.
Czolgosz retired last night at
o'clock, and slept soundly. Warde
Mead went to the cell shortly before
o'clock this morning and read th
death warrant to the assassin VIII
hardly raised his eyes.
AS the warden stepped away iron
the cell door, Czolgosz called: II woul,
like to talk with the superintendent.
The warden responded: "He will b.
down presently"
AT 515 the prisoner dressed.
Superintendent Collins visited hin
at $50.
statement before you kill me-"
What do you wish to say, Czol.
gosz?' asked the superintendent.
II want to make it while there are a
lot of people present I want them te
hear me-" said the prisoner.
''Well you cannot" said the superin-
tendent.
''Then I won't talk at ALL" said the
prisoner sullenly.
After the superintendent left, the
guards brought his breakfast which
Czolgosz ate with relish. While he
was partaking this, the witnesses were
gathering. After the witnesses were
seated Warden Mead addressed them
saying: you are here to witness the
death Of Leon F. Czolgosz. desire you
to keep your seats and preserve abso-
lutte silence in the death chamber no
matter what may transpire. There are
plenty of guards and prison officials to
preserve order and to attend to the
proper details.''
Warden Mead gave the signal to
have the prisoner brought in at 7:10:1-2.
The guards had hold of his arms as if
either to support him or keep him from
making demonstration. AS he step
ped over the threshold he stumbled and
near the chair he stumbled again. He
was intensely pale, and his chin quiv-
cred perceptibly
\ AS he was being seated he looked
about the assembled witnesses with a
steady stare and made the remarks
quoted above. He just finished the
last statement when the strapping was
completed. Warden Mead raised his
hand and at 7:11:12 Electrician Davis
turned the switch. The electric cur
rent was given three times.
From the time that Czolgosz left his
cell until electrocuted, less than four
minutes elapsed. The physicians pres
ent used the stethoscope and other
tests to determine if any life remained,
and at 7:17 the warden, raising his
lduu, dIluOuuCGu. GGILieUlGIl, LAc
prisoner is dead The witnesses filed
from the chamber, many visibly affec-
ted, and the body was laid on the
operating table. -syMl
The most important statement Sc
cured from Czolgosz by Prison Super
intendent Collins was the denial that
he had handkerchief tied about his
hand when he shot the president.
Superintendent Collins at intervals.
repeated the question who sent him to
kill the president, but to each query
he would respond: Nobody. I did It
myself"
what did you kill the president
for?"
'He wouldn't give me- any work"
"Did you ever ask him for work?"
'Yes, at Canton once, and he turned
me down." sh hNEN3
"Did you ever ask anybody else for
work?"
Eyes, lots.'
"Why didn't you shoot the people
who refused you?'
'They weren't like Mr.. Mckinley. He
could have fixed me-"
''who helped you tie up your hand in
the handkerchief"
Nobody. I never had handkerchief
on my hand. Anybody that says so
lies. l had the pistol in my coat poe
ket, and when got near the presi-
dent, 1 pulled it out and fired"
Scarcely hundred people gathered
outside the prison gates to watch the
witnesses enter and wait until they re-
appeared. The witnesses dispersed
quickly. The prison superintendent,
Collins, made the following statement
to the Associated Press: THE execu-
tion was one of the most successful
ever conducted in the state. Extraor-
binary care had to be taken. because
both the warden and received hum
dreds Of threatening letters, many as
serting that the prisoner would never
be put In the chair. have decided
that, for the present, we will not des-
troy any of the letters. Perhaps we
should make list Of them, especially
those letters signed with full and
proper names. believe there may
come time when such a list would be
valuable in running down anarchists.
I have decided to bury the body of
Czolgosz in the regular prison plot Of
the local cemetery. The funeral will
take place some time within the next