The San Francisco call., 1908-08-01
GASplPE THUGS
MEET DOOM ON
SAME GALLOWS
Siemsen and Dabner Pay Their
Penalty for Three Murders
Side by Side
Nervous, bat Without Collapse,
Both Men Face Death
in Silence
Hawaiian Leaves Diary Filled
Hawaiian Leaves Diary Filled
With Repentant Thoughts
of Last Days

There was the slashing of a
single cord in the execution room
of San Quentin prison yesterday
morning and side by side John
Sienasen and Louis Dabner shot
through the traps of double gal
lows to eternity. There was no
sound save the chanting of priests
to break the awesome stiffness as
the hangman's hand was raised in
signal that the final instant had
-come-no last word of goodby
from the lips of,either of the men
condemned simply the swish Of
falling traps, the tightening of
hempen ropes, and the lives of the gas
pipe murderers had been snuffed out.
sparrow circled through the raf-
ters of the silent room--a prisoner
seeking vainiy for some escape from
the chamber of death. Below swung
two black hooded. limp forms. The
souls had left the bodies. but still the
hearts pulsed on, and doctors rushed
forward quickly to tear open the shirts
from over the throbbing bosoms and
apply their stethoscopes. Minutes
passed and the murmur of voices be-
gan to fill the room. Twelve, thirteen,
fourteen minutes tioked away, and then
re doctors turned from Dabner. The
last of life had ebbed from his body,
Thirty seconds more, and Siemsen, too
was pronounced dead. The doors OF
the chamber were thrown open and
the sparrow darted out to freedom.
Close to the scaffold from which
hung the lifeless bodies stood Henry
Behrend. the jeweler who so nearly
met, at the hands of the murderers, the
same fate that they had dealt to three
others, but whose, terrific battle with
them resulted In their capture and
brought to an end the reign of terror
years ago. At Behreflds back was a
doctor, for the jeweler has been Ill
and grave fears were felt over the
possible effect the excitement might
have on him, but the services OF the
PHSB MSIS nut llSCQCN- oioc1if tllu
never removed his eyes from the forms
before him, but he spoke aloud to those
nearest him.
WANTED TO SEE THEM HANGED
I'm glad they're there. It's better
their lives than mine. and God knows
I fought with them once to see which
it should be-" he said. Yes. I'm salts
fed now. l wanted to see them hanged.
I'm deaf That's what Dabner did to
me. He beat me over the head with
an iron bar until / lost my hearing
forever and nearly lost my life. Oh
I'm glad to see them hanging there
by their necks. I'm sorry for their
people-yes-but It's justice and It's
satisfaction to me. I'm better alive,
They are better dead. But 1 never want
to see another man hanged-neverl
I'll run away from IT. These two
though-I'm glad they're there"
At little distance from Behrend and
those with him stood another group. 1t
was a group OF little men with swarthy
compilations, and in every brown face
was the CLINT of satisfaction. They
were the japanese friends OF M. Muna-
kata, the banker whose life was beaten
out by the men whose bodies were
swinging from the gallows. A. Sasaki
the cashier of the Kimmon Ginko
bank, who came near death at the as
sassins' hands al the time of the Muna-
kata murder, was not there, for he is
i'll with typhoid fever, but his uncle, H
Kubota was present, and with him
were Consul General c. Koike; George
Shima, president of the Japanese Asso-
ciation Of America; number of Japan
ese newspaper correspondents, and
others of Munakata's race.
Siemsen and Dabner faced the expia-
ton of their crimes with no spoken
plea for mercy at the end, but as they
modnted the - steps to the gallows
their faces were ashen with the terror
of coming death. Neither broke down,
yet neither facedzthe end with stoicism.
Siemsen spoke the only word that was
uttered by eitl@r from the time they
left their death cells. AS he reached
the foot of the gallows steps his glance
fell on DR.. Wade Stone, resident physi-
clan of the prison, and he muttered
scarcely audibly, two syllables-"good-
by"
THE MARCH OF DEATH
From the cells of the condemned If
was but so PAGES, through the great
steel doorway, to the foot Of the scat
fold and on the stroke of 10 o'clock
the doors rolled open and Warden
Hoyle entered, leading the march of
death Fathers Walsh and Callopv in
Iuli NcctiiChtot AOilOHcu, CIldnIlnR the
service of death, and then came Hang
man Frank Arbogast. Dabner walked
next between Guards Burleson and
Moore, and behind them were Hangman
Kneeland and Siemsen, between Guards
Clark and Sullivan AS the doomed men
reached the gallows platform they had
But fieeting instant to look into the
faces turned up to them from below.
The faces of both men were white
and both half leaned upon the guards
for support. Siemsen was led to Dab
ner's right The falling of two black
hoods hid the terror in their faces from
the sight of every onlooker. The
hangman's nooses slipped about their
throats. straps encircled their legs n
was the work of brief seconds. Dab
ner's. arms twitched convulsively be-
+lo4