Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-08-01
TWO MEN MEET
DEATH CALMLY
GASPIPE THUGS MAKE NO
SCENE AT GALLONS
SIEMsEN BLAMEs WOMAN FOR
RUINED LIFE
In Diary Written During Past Two
Weeks Man Hanged Yesterday
Tells of Incidents Of
His Career
By Associated Press.

By Associated Press.
SAN QUENTIN PRISON, Cal, July
31.-John Siemsen and Louis Dabner,
the notorious "gaspipe thugs of San
Francisco, were hanged in the prison
yard this morning in the presence OF
200 spectators.
They went to their deaths calmly and
made no scene at the end.
The double trap was sprung at 1905
O'Clock. Dabner was pronounced dead
by the prison physicians at 1914, and
Siemsen at 1915. AS they stood to-
gether on the platform just before the
black masks were adjusted Siemsen'
in a voice audible to all within the in
closure, said:
Good by
Dabner nodded his head family at
this. but made no sound with his lips,
which seemed to move very slightly.
The two condemned men walked
from the death chamber to the scat
fold firmly. Dabner seemed to be the
more self-possessed, but there was no
sign of any great weakness in either
one of them as they assembled the steps
leading to the platform.
Siemsen was visibly nervous when
the moose was adjusted, and for an IN
slant it seemed that he was about to
collapse. But suddenly he rallied and
was calm and firm to the last. Fathers
Walsh and Kalapy were in attendance
on the men. having been with them
since the time of their awakening early
this morning. Dabner had slept well,
but Siemsen spent the greater part OF
the night in writing letters to relatives
and former acquaintance.
Eat Last Breakfast
The men partook of a breakfast, both
eating sparingly, and talked together
after awakening. They accepted the
ministrations of the priests in silence
and arose quickly to their feet when
told that the time had come for them
to march to the gallows.
ARRANGEMENTS for the execution
were carried out without a hitch. The
Japanese consul in San Francisco and
H Behrend, the man who caused the
arrest of the pair after their crimes
in San Francisco, were present.
Behrend was the only man among
the spectators who gave expression of
his feelings while life was fast ebbing
from Siemsen and Dabner as their
forms hung suspended on the gallows.
Behrend had a desperate fight in his
iewelry store on Suffer street with
Dabner on the night of his capture, al
most two years ago. In that fight he
sustained injuries that caused him to
be deaf ever since and was otherwise
badly injured Two weeks ago he re-
ceived the reward for the capture of
the thugs
AS the doctors counted the last heart
beats of Siemsen and Dabner the
jeweler gave vent to his sentiments.
Better of Dead
I'D rather see them there than be
dead myself" said Behrend. you bet
I would. I'm better living and they
are better dead. I thought they would
cave in. I never expected to see Dab
ner pull through. But, my God, I've
got my satisfaction now. I'd travel a
hundred miles not to see another man
hanged But these two Yellowstone.
I'm here, amt 1, but I'm sorry for that
poor old woman who brought the boy
up to end here and Tn sorry for the
Kanaka's folks, too, if he's got any.
The remains of Siemsen were placed
in the prison graveyard, but the rela-
tives of Dabner had his body taken
away for burial near their home.
During the past week Siemsen spent
a great part of the time preparing a
diary, in which he set forth his feeling
and impressions while awaiting the
hour in which he should pay the pen
atty of his crimes. The diary is adj
dressed to his mother and sister. He
tells of the beginning of his criminal
career and attributes his fate to a wife
in Hawaii, claiming he should have ig-
nored appeals from her and saved him
self. In his final words he declared his
innocence of the crime for which he
met death.