The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-10-29
FINAL INTERVIEW WITH BROTHER
Superintendent of Prisons Refuses Request of Rela=
tives to Be Allowed to Be Present
at Execution.

living or dead.
Prior to the late evening interviews
Czolgosz reluctantly received Fathers
Fudsinski and Hickey. 1t was late
in the afternoon and occurred after
he had once refused to meet them.
When they reached the prison, Su-
perintendent Collins conveyed the re-
quest for an interview to the prison
er. Czolgosz sent back word that he
did not care to see them but the
priests asked to see him dispite his
refusal. Superintendent Collins con-
sented and personally escorted them
to the cell. The priests remained
with Czolgosz for three-qlarters of
an hour and earnestly pleaded with
the prisoner to repent and pray for
divine forgiveness. He rejected all
their advances, however, and they re-
gretfully withdrew.
They told the prisoner they would
hold themselves ready to answer
call from him at any hour of the
night 1t was o'clock when Super
intendent Collins went into the death
house and tried to get the prisoner to
talk to him. Although he talked in
the cell he was apparently not sue
cessful in getting anything material
from him.
At s o'clock his brother and BROTH
er-in-law arrived and Superintendent
Collins took them down to the con-
demned mans CELL There was no
demonstration when they met. Czol-
gosz merely stepped to the front of
his cell and said, "Hello."
The brother ventured the remark:
Il wish you would tell us who got
you into this scrape?"
The assassin answered in slow
hesitating manner: mo one. No
body had anything to do with it but
me-"
'"That is not how you were brought
up," said the brother, "and You ought
to tell us right now"
81 have not got anything to tell"
he answered in surly manner.
'Do you want to see the priests
again." asked his brother. And he
answered with more vehemence than
he had previously done:
mo, damn them; don't send them
here again; don't want them"
The brother-in-law interjected here:
That's right, Leon"
The brother looked rather disturb
ed by the answer.
Then stepping up close to the bars,
the condemned man said: "And
don't you have any praying over me
when I am dead. I don't want it.
don't want any of their damned re-
ligion."
There was a painful pause of a
few minutes and then the relatives
resumed the casual conversation with
him, to which he replied in mono
syllables until the brother-in-law sug-
gested, much to Superintendent Col
Inns surprise, that he and the brother
be permitted to witness the execution.
Before Superintendent Collins could
reply Leon Czolgosz said: Eyes, Mr..
Superintendent, let them see me
killed"
Superintendent Collins told the
trio in emphatic terms that no such
thing could be allowed and ordered
them to say good bye.
Czolgosz walked to the back of his
| cell, sat down on the edge of his cot
and did not answer the last farewell.
When the relatives reached the
warden's Office they again renewed
their request to see the execution to
which Mr.. Collins replied: ''Em-
phatically no. Czolgosz will be killed
at z o'clock tomorrow and if you ap-
ply to the warden in the afternoon
you may be able to see the body
The two men were then let out of
the prison.
! A few minutes after they had left