The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-11-13
.PRRRf5!AHP RfE5{! AAH[ i[||RR|Ay 5TT9REFY
Tragic Heart Rending Scene at Last Meeting of
Condemned Man With Wife and M1ther-Makes
Statement Concerning Murder of Fellow Lawyer
Was Crazed With Drink
(By United Press Leased Wire

SALEM, Ore, Nov. 12.-At
Finch, an attorney-at-law, news
paper man and politician of prom
inence in Oregon, was executed
by hanging at the Oregon peniten-
tiary for shooting to death Ralph
Fischer in his law office at Port
land on November 28, 1908.
Dies Bravely.
Finch left the cell with the
greatest bravery, keeping his
nerve all the way. He walked
Steadily to the chapel, where he
remained but Do seconds.
The sacrament of absolution
was administered to him by Faith
er Francis, of Mt. Angel, an old
friend of the family. He was
taken through the big dining
room. which was empty, to the
execution chamber. About 100
people were present. Finch en-
tered with his hands behind him.
They were clasped behind him
and he stepped up to the railing
and said in full strong voice:
Last Speech ON Earth.
Gentlemen, | am about to
meet my God. These are the last
remarks that l will probably ever
make on earth. l can only say
that / am innocent. l am willing
| to submit to a postmortem exam
ination which will show that my
head has been permanently in
jured by the seal referring to his
claim that Fischer had struck
him with a notarial seaD. can
alos say that my case has been
tried and I have been Judged by
the newspapers and not by law
and justice. In few second 7
will met my God. / go to face
Him as an innocent man. l bid
you all last farewell. And may
God help me-"
Finch was pronounced dead
just 3 "a minutes after the trap
dropped.
The defense made a stubborn
fight to save Finch to the last
hour, besieging Governor Benson
with petitions from prominent
member of the bar.
Last Meeting Pathetic.
The last meeting of Finch with
hi swife and mother was heart
rending in the extreme. At 10
O'Clock the women spent some
t;,,, uri4b h Eipcb In bie call opd
lit wa sonly by using force that
the grim prison officials were An
ally obliged to tear the two faith
full and loving women away from
the barred grating that closed for
ever on the living form OF the
son and husband.
"Oh, my God! Jim, how
can bear it?" sobbed the
wife of less than a year.
"Oh. my God, my God;
Jim, my son, my son!"
shrieked the mother as they
boreher away, agony betray-
ing a love that was dearer to
her than life itself.
AS the women were led away,
Finch fell on his knees and gave
utterance to deep gutteral sobs
that seemed torn from his very
vitals.
It was a hard, cruel, terrible
scene that made the most hard
ened criminalh finch and the Of
ficials turn away sickened.
Made Hard Struggle.
Resorting to every resource
which has trained legal mind COM
manded, James A. Nnch's fight to
evade the gallows was the most
persistant and stubborn in the
criminal annals of Oregon. Not
one infinitesimal technicality was
overlooked; not one apparent flaw
in Oregon's judiciary statutes but
was assailed.
Wife Takes Up Fight.
And as a ghastly climax to the
hopeless struggle, Mrs. Finch,
wife of the condemned man, car
.ried a petition Thursday to Gov
'ernor Benson asking that her hus-
badn's life be spared. While she
waited at the executive mansion
for an audience with the COVER
nor, workmen were completing
CONTINUED on Page Three.)