The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-08-07
HANGING OF A THUG WHO
CAME FROM HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

SAN FRANCISCO, August with
trembling lips and with the fear of
death in their eyes, John Siemsen and
Louis Dabner, the gas-pipe thugs, VINO
held the city Of San Francisco in a
state of terror for several months dur.
Ing the latter part of 1906, went TO
their deaths at the same instant yes
terday at San Quentin. The double
execution was one of the quickest ever
managed at the prison. The pair were
hustled out of their cells, half carried
up the thirteen steps to the scaffold
and the black caps thrust over their
pallid features.
AS they staggered up to the traps
side by side Siemsen's lips quiverei
and he muttered, Goodbye ALL" Dab
ner, with the hue of death in his face,
looked upward and shot furtive
glance into the gaping crowd. Guards
sprang upon them, the nooses were
adjusted. The fingers of both witch
ed
No sound came from under the black
caps as the knots were hurriedly put
into place. Guard II. u. Buleson, who
adjusted the caps, waved his hand. The
two men who had whole city terror
lied shot down through the traps to-
gether. Unseen, three conviGts had
cut the rops that held the traps.
DOCTORS WATCH HEART BEATS.
Four doctors stationed beneath the
scaffold crowded around the dangling
figures. The limbs of the stalwart
IKanaka twitched for a few seconds
but Dabner did not move after the
drop. The traps were sprung prompt
ly at thirty-four seconds after the
hour of 10, the time set for the execu-
ton. Dabner was pronounced dead
fourteen minutes and fifteen seconds
after the traps were sprung. The Ha-
waiian chung to life for quarters
of a minute later.
AS the doctors whispered the heart
beats the crowd drew backward from
the roped Enclosures and shifted ner-
vously from foot to foot, all save four
Japanese. One of them was the Japa-
nese Consul, c. Koike. Another was
George Shima, president of the Japa-
nese League of America and uncle of
A. Sasaki, assistant manager of the
Kimmon Ginko Bank 1t was for the
murder of M. Munakata, president of
the bank, that the gas-pipe thugs were
hanged.
AS the bodies swung below the scat
fold the brown men watched with ex-.
pressionless faces. The murder of their
countryman had been avenged. In
their own country justice is swifter,
but they had no complaint, no malice
against the dead men. They were sat
isfied that retribution had been paid
in full.
BEHREND WATCHES EXECUTION.
Near the west side of the old furni-
ture room, where the body of Louis
Dabner the younger thug, dangled,
stood Henry Behrend, the jeweler,
whom the pair had attempted to muir
der and rob. 1t was his pluck that
brought the pals into the tolls of the
police and rid San Francisco Of a reign
of terror Dabner had battered his
head with an iron pipe, but he fought
tenaciously for life, and his cries so
alarmed the murderous thugs that they
were finally frightened off and run
down.
When the pair wehe thrust upon the
scaffold ,Behrend whispered, That's
him. That's the man that beat me
over the head" He looked up at tie
younger thug with savage light in
his eyes. An instant later the body OF
the boy, black-capped was swinging
by his side.
Behrend started back in horror as he