The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-16
GIUSEPPE ALA
 PAYS THE PENALTY
Murderer Of Priest Is Hanged
 For His Crime
NO SORROW OVER THE DEAD
Italian Is Taken to the GaIows, and After Calling Down Maedietions, He Dies Slowly By
 Strangulation.

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 down maledctions on the Roman Cath olic priesthood and shouting in Italian, Long live Italy-long live the Protes- tants.s Giuseppe Ala, who murdered
 Father Leo Heinrichs at the altar of St. Elzabeths church. Denver, was carried to the death trap and exactly at S;3O o'clock tonight paid the extreme penalty of his crime by hanging.
 Perhaps a more sensational and thrill Ing scene was never beheld by any Of the sixteen persons present than the ex- eeution of this Italian murderer whose cries and screams were only hushed by the automatic springing of the mechanism which forever silenced the tongue that
 cried for vengeance against those whom Alia had considered the destroyers of his home and happiness.
 At o'clock this afternoon Warden | Cleghorn of the state penitentiary, l through his interpreter, Antonio Sasso, a prison guard, read the death warrant to Alia. Contrary to expectations the prisoner exhibited no emotion, and when | the reading was finished said:
 "An right 1 am ready to die now" At o'clock supper was served to the prisoner Before eating he divided it into five portions, saying that one was for his | wife one for himself and one for each | of his three children. He then ate with apparent composure and relish
 Alia Felt No Sorrow. At I o'clock Guard Sasso came to him
 with the information that within one | hour the execution would take place. Alia again said that he was ready at any time He further said he felt no sorrow
 whatever for having killed Father Leo. He was certain that Father Leo was the
 man he had been searching for for many months and claimed that he had recog-
 nized the priest by scar on the side of his face.
 Alia said he had worked for Father
 Leo in Portugal and was sure that he had killed the right man. Alia said he
 did not believe there was a God, for if so, he would not have been permitted to be in his present predicament. He said he found no fault with the law, but that the priest did wrong in breaking up his family.
 At S:30 o'clock every thing being in
 readiness, the warden's assistants ap-
 preached Alias cell and led the con demned man to the execution house, where the black cap and moose were ad-
 justed by the deputy warden. During this procedure Alia became frantic and
 shouted Long live Italy Long live the Protestants," Alia was placed upon the trap. Chaplain Blake of the prison ut | tered a short prayer. the dripping water of the automatic mechanism released the great weight and at exactly S:30 o'clock it was shot into the air
 Unfortunately Alias neck was not broken owing to the slipping of the rope ! and he died of strangulaton. After 1s minutes Alias body was cut down and he was pronounced deau.
 Alias Crime.
 Giuseppe Alias crime, the murder O. Father Leo Heinrichs of the Order of Franciscan monks at the altar rail in St. Elizabeth's church in Denver, while the priest was administering the sacra : ment of the Eucharist, struck horror to l the heart of every person in Denver and awakened anxiety throughout the Catholic world lest 1t should prove the
 beginning of a general plan of priest murder.
 Alia had been in Denver several weeks, unemployed and apparently penniless. Early on the morning of Sunday February 23. according to hls story he was aroused from sleep by | the ringing of the oh ines in St. Eliza . beth's church. He arose, dressed him ] self hurriedly and walked out to the church, led by the musical tones peal ing forth a call to worship But he went not with the thought of thanks. giving in mind, for he declared, and many times repeated, after his arrest that the chimes recalled alleged wrongs experienced in his native Italy, and at tracted him to the church.
 Enters the Church. Y Entering the church, Alia went
 through the usual ceremony of bless ing himself with holy water and then seated himself here his view of the
 altar would be unobstructed. There he
 followed the ritual up to the point
 where communion is given to all who
 are prepared. Alia approached the
 altar and. kneeling. awaited the ar
 rival of the priest officiating at the
 communion. not knowing Alia has said
 or caring, who 1t should be. A number
 of other communicants had assumed the same posture, and positions at the
 communion rail were practically all
 taken. When Father Leo-beloved by all who knew him both in and outside the church-appeared with the con
 secrated waters, all at the, rail seemed
 impressed with the soemnity and
 sacredness of the service and inspired
 with thoughts of God. Alia howeve.
 according to his own statement. could
 barely restrain a desire to spring at
 the throat of the priest, despite the
 place, the scene and the peculiarly
 sacred character of the action in prog
 ress.
 Priest Is Shot
 Along the line passed the priest. plac ing upon the tongue of each successive communicant the consecrated wafer and repeating the lines of the mass, declaring the Eucharist thus administered is tho Savior himself in person Alia was now
 the next in line. Father Leo placing the wafer upon the tongue of the stranger. all
 unsuspecting of the murderous design in Alias heart, began: Take, eat; this is
 my body" but stopped horror r-stricken
 The subject of the prayer had spat the
 blessed morsel from his mouth. Almost
 simultaneously with this desecration |, shot rang out and Father Leo sank to the floor mortally wounded bullet from
 revolver fired by Alia had penetrated the priests body near the heart Father
 Wulstan Workman, hearing the shot
 rushed from the adjoining sacristy just in time to administer to Father Leo the
 last sacrament, Father Leo expiring a
 moment later in the arms of his brother
 Iriest. Immediately after firing the shor Ala, with curse, darted toward the main
 aisle of the church and rushed for the door. With hair disheveled and smoking