Waterbury Democrat., 1901-10-29

| TOT a Few SecOnuS dSalH oHce AuoIS 1 the body became rigid. At 7:15 the current was turned off for good | From the time Czolgosz had left his I cell until the full penalty was paid, | less than four minutes had elapsed. l The physicians present used the steth- 1 0scope and other tests to determine if l life remained and at 1:l1 the warden,
 raising his hand. announced: Gentle
 men. the prisoner is dead.''
 The witnesses filed from the cham | Der. many of them yisibly affected, and 1 the body was taken from the chair and l laid on the operating table. | Auburn. N. r., Oct 29-Czolgosz
 was a carefully secluded prisoner in | Auburn prison, and his confinement | and execution were devoid of sensation | alism. State Superintendent of Pris- | onS Cornelius V. Collins was deter | mined that the prisoner, despite the ] enormity of his crime, should gain no undue notoriety and issued strict or | ders for his complete seclusion. These | orders were carefully carried out. and i from the time the prisoner entered | the prison until he was brought to | t2e death chair he was practically out | of public view. During his impriSon- ment the mails brought more than 1 1,500 letters, papers and packages to | the prisoner, but none of these were | ever delivered to him. They came l from the army of letter writing cranks I and were of every character, from l harmless to vicious. The Irison of | ficials felt that the delivery of such quantity of mail would not only seri-
 ously disturb him, but would have giv- en him a false idea as to his import ance and prominence The other con- | vfcts in the death house were not per l mitted to talk to him, and the guards | who kept the. death vigil watched 1n l unbroken silence. The seclusion of | the prisoner operated both ways, for if | the world went Csn in ignorance of the 1 life of the prisoner from day to day, the prisoner lived in ignorance of what went forward in the world even as to | the great question affecting him. The rule of silence as to the prisoner was broken that if he was so disposed he. might prepare himself spiritually for 1 his death, and the priests who wished | to give him the ministratons and con- l solation of religion in his final hours came and went as he willed. The rule was also broken in a final effort | to secure a confession from the con- | demned man. The prison officials felt that it was their duty to again seek to ascertain if others plotted with him or abetted him in the murderouS plan { that he carried out in Buffalo, and early in October Superintendent Col 1ins had lengthy interview with him. Night was chosen for the in- quiry, and at 9 o'clock the superinten- | T | oner was transferred to another part | of the prison, where there was no one to overhear the conversation. For | the first few minutes Czolgosz sat in sullen silence, and the superintendent began to despair of getting any infor
 nation. Finally, just as he was about l to leave, CZolgoSZ answered one Of his queries From that time on he talked freely, but his utterances afforded no I enlightenment as to the motive for his crime or a possible conspiracy. The most important statement he made was one in which he absolutely denied | that he had a handkerchief ties about l his hand or that the pistol was con- cealed in any other place than his ! coat pocket. The superintendent said: | Now, Czolgosz, I want you to talk ] to me- I am the only one that can do ! you any good, and if you tell me all I l may help you to get out of lere.'' ] T don't want to get cut of here. They'd kill me outside" was the re I ply.
 Who'd kill you?"
 "Why. the people"
 You mean the men who told you
 to kill the presidentg' asked MT Col | lins.
 No; nobody told me to kill the pres ident I mean the people Who gave you the money to get to
 Buffalo?1
 No one. A man in Chicago wanted to see me. and went there from l Cleveland"
 '.Who was the man?n pursued the superintendent
 T don't remember his name"
 Do you remember where he lived?" "'No, I don't know the names of the streets there.''
 ~How did you get to Buffalo from Chacago?"
 Ibid this man pay your fare?. No, sir. I had some money l earn
 ed at painting and carpenter work" Didn't this man in Chicago and
 some others tell you to kill the presl-
 dent?' asked Mir Collins. No, they didn't; l thought it out
 myself
 Did you first follow the president to San Francisco to kill himY' That's Il lie, responded the pris-
 oner "I did not I didn't make up
 my mind until l had been here a few days
 You say you worked for your
 money? Your father says you never had any money and that you wouldn't workT'
 Hes no good. He married wo- man who made me cook my own food in the house after had bought it"