Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-23
EXECUTION TOMORROW
GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT TO CON-
DEMNED MANS FRIENDS.
They Had Expected Extension of
Clemency-Reported Recon-
mendation of Officials.

President Roosevelt has denied the appli-
| cation of Benjamin G. Hill, the wife muir
| derer for Communication of the death SEN
| tence. which is to be inflicted upon him to-
| morrow. The denial of the application Is
| great disappointment to Hills attorneys
and his friends. 1t has been generally un-
| derstood that there strong hope of
communication, and this understanding had
gone so far that comparatively few prep
| arations for the execution of Hill had been
made up to this morning The President
| kept the papers before him for several
days. and held some personal correspond
ence with Attorney General Knox, who is
at his summer home In Massachusetts,. The
outcome of his study of the case was the
determination that Hill must suffer the
death penalty.
The understanding has been that the
! three assistant attorneys general Of the De-
| partment of Justice, MeSSrS. Day, Purdy
| and McReynolds, who sat at hearing OF
| the case several weeks ago. united in rec
| ommending the Communication OF the SEN
tence. The Attorney General took part in
the hearing also. and likewise added a
| favorable recommendation. The opinion of
these officials appeared to be that Hill was
| acting under An acute mental stress when
| he shot his wife, who had been charged
| with being unfaithful to him, and conse-
| quently was not in his right mind at the
| time.
| Reconciled to His Fate.
While Hill has chung to life and has al
| ways hoped for the Lest he has expressed
| himself as being reconciled to his fate.
| The crime for which he was convicted and
| sentenced, the shooting of his wife, has al
| ways seemed as a dream to him, 30 he has
| repeatedly informed his friends, He pur-
| chased the weapon for the purpose of TAX
| ing his own life, he has told them, and he
IA Or fired he hnf
| that ended his wife's lie.
DO you think it is right for me to make
| an effort to save my life?' he inquired Of
| friend few days ago.
| THAT is your duty he was told. TT
would be suicide If you did not do all in
your power to save yourself from the gal
| lows
Since his Incarceration in the District
| Jail the prisoner has embraced the Catholic
religion. and the Rev. Joseph Mcguire has
| spent many hours in the cell with him. Hill
| has been a model prisoner since he reached
the Jail and has never given the guards
| the slightest trouble.
No Recollection of Crime.
During the time of his confinement he
has discussed the number of times.
and while saying he has not the slightest
| recollection of the killing, he says he is
| satisfied that he killed his wife because of
! the statements of the witnesses who ap-
| peared at his trial.
Many of his younger days were spent in
the neighborhood of Culpeper Va, and he
| often refers to the and Incidents Of
| his boyhood days He also spent some time
| in Louisiana. Hill says he has witnessed
more than one execution He was on duty
| at the last public execution in Virginia
On that occasion he drove the condemned
| man from the prison to the place of execu-
ton. where crowd of fully five thousand
persons had assembled.
| 1t stated at the Jail this afternoon
| that Hill has behaved remarkably we'll
der the strain of the last few weeks Jail
! officials say he had hoped for the best, ex-
pecting clemency because others who were
charged with similar ofrenses about the
| time he killed his wife were not executed
News Broken to Hill.
The news was broken to Hill this morn
ing by the warden of the jail and the Rev.
Father Mcguire, the spiritual adviser of
the condemned man. The last hope dis
| appeared when the information came from
| the President and the Jail officials were
soon making final preparations for the ter
rible ordeal through which Hill will have
| to pass tomorrow. The task will also be
| severe one to those who will have to assist
in making the sentence of the court effec-
| tive, for they have become somewhat at
| tached to the prisoner, and his white hair
| and advanced age also have telling effect
upon them. Until three days ago 1t
| confidently expected that President Roose-
welt would interfere and save the con-
| demned man from the scaffold. Some
| thing occurred about that time to cause
change of feeling, and this feeling was
shared by Hill. who had heretofore expected
| executive clemency. Despite the almost
certain knowledge that his time on earth
was short the aged man hoped for the best
| and held up well under the strain This
| feeling better fitted him to receive the final
message today TO prepare for the end Of
| all things on earth. so far as he is con-
| cerned.
Both the warden and priest were more
visibly affected when the three men met in
the cell than the condemned man. 1t
was with seeming difficulty that the big
| hearted priest was able to refrain from
| breaking down. The demeanor of Hill was
all that kept them up.
| Il had had no hope to amount to any
thing" said Hill when told of the Presi-
dents decision. II am prepared to die,
far as the future is concerned" he added.
| Il feel that l do not exactly deserve this.
but have no complaints to make and
| willing to take what comes"
Will Make No Statement.
Hill informed Warden Harris that he
would make no statement on the scaffold.
| Shortly after this hard task had been
| performed the warden and priest retired
| to the office for few minutes, and during
| their absence Miss Mabel Fallon, a Chris
| tan worker and friend of the condemned
| man. called to say farewell Hill was led
to the opening of the cage, where he
| several minutes. During this conversation
| Hills eyes moistened and he could hardly
| refrain from crying. The big iron door
| was again closed and the prisoner who Is
| so soon to die, returned to his cell.
The Rev. John Roberts. colored, who has
attended so many executions. was on hand
| at the prison. He had felt deep interest
| III Hill and had hoped for news from Oyster
| Bay different from what was received The
Presidents decision was severe disap-
po;ntment to the jail officials. This after
noon Hill spent his time in his cell with his
| spiritual adviser. Tomorrow morning as
| soon as the routine work in the prison is
| finished he will be taken from his cell and
escorted to the north wing of the jail and
given quarters adjoining the instrument OF
| death. This will avoid the necessity for
| the long walk to the instrument from the
| so-called murderers' row.
Hill's Crime.
The crime for which the extreme penalty
| Is to be paid is the murder of the con-
| demned mans wife. Carrie Theoda Hill.
| The crime was committed November of
| last year at 315 Missouri avenue, where
| Hill lived with his wife and stepdaughter.