El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-12-20
BECKER
NEARING
THE CHAIR
With Him, the Four Gunner
Realize that the End Is
Approaching.
APPEAL NOW is
THEIR ONLY HOPE
Molineux, a Recent Els
cape, Describes the Final
Summons.
EW YORK. De-. 2O.-suspensa.

EW YORK, Dec. 20.-Suspenss.
~ watching, waiting, an indefin-
4 able air Of foreboding mingled
with an attempt to concentrate the
gaze on the ray of hope-this is the at
mosphere which now permeates the
Death House" at Sing Sing. It is only
an item of news to the rest Of the
world that the appeals judges at Al
bany are expected to announce the re-
suit Of their deliberations in few days,
or weeks but to the four young pro-
ducts of New YOri's east side and to
the iiOn-Willed police lieutenant VINO
hired them to slay his gambler enemy
it is the one supreme fact of existence
which blOts out all others as the light
of the sun blOts out the stars
The jokes and the curses are fewer,
the shouted checker games are not 50
eagerly debated, the voices raised IN
hymns at eventide are stronger and
more soulful, the callOuS featured
guards are affected and pace their way
about the hateful corner of the prison
y it'll an even greater taclturnlty than
See Four Go to Fate.
Four men have Becker and his &C
completes seen pass through The Lit
tie Green Door" to the execution cham
Der. The gunner are placed in cells
from which they have an unObstructed
view of this dread portal. Becker is
unable to see it, but his cell is in as
fearful a position. The head OF his cot
is against the wall on the other side
OF which stands the chair with its
straps bars, and electrodes The four
men who have gone away have been
put to death within a few feet of his
head
But from this il is not to be con-
Guided that the life Of the death cell
inn faz G a
their own language and customs Their
privileges are many Of them barred TO
other Sing Sing cOnvicts- They have
their recognized captain, or president,
who is now Becker
The daily life of the death house is
well known by the accounts brought
out by Lawrence J. SpOhr and Maurice
-LuSug. convicted. men VINO went 1ree
recently, and by the writings OF Roland
B AIOlineux, who also spent many
months and years in this shadow Of
death.
Before Becker came, the men in the
condemned cells had some OF them
decided to snub him because he had
been a cop" Becker, like most new
corners, was silent in his cell for sew
eral days after he arrived Spohr had
been military musician He was en-
tertaining the death house with Sc
lection on the harmOnica, when he
heard a voice from the next door.
That's very nice, old man. Very
nice"
Spohr made a hesitating reply. ad-
dressing him as Mr. Becker" The ice
was broken and soon everyone was
calling him Charley"
One evening Becker asked SpOhr II
he knew The Church Across the Way
They got up a quartet OF murder5rs 10
sing this old fashioned melody Becker
was baritone; SpOhr tenor; Muhlfeldt
bass and Lingley second tenor IheY
sang IL over and over again Mui-
raney. a Gopher band leader. would
~
out Casey Jones" or some other lively
air as a protest. Becker would laugh
al this Becker would read few chap
tiers from the bible every night, while
the rest listened in silence
One diversion was the singing OF
their own parOdies on songs putting IN
their guards and fellow prisoners as
characters. Becker also. according TO
sade, but gave 1t up after the prison
guards proved more frequent offenders
than the condemned men,
Becker Buys For Prisoners.
Becker is extremely liberal, buying
tobacco and many other little things
for all his prisoners who have grown
to like him and call him Mayor A
frequent Dastime of Becker and the
Jack Rose and the other infOrmers who
put them where they are
Becker was in the death house for
some time before the four gunner ar
rived.
Spohr gave this account OF the break
ing of the ice between Becker and the
quartet.
You know. we all have checker
boards and checker pieces in our cells
We play games by calling the numbers
from one to the other. Every spot is
numbered The gunner had been there
a couple OF days when Whitley Lewis
accepted a challenge from a man on
our side of the death house to play a
game. Whitley called out in his curious
accent:
Prom 70 to saiven-"
Ice Is Broken.
Lefty Louie and Gyp the Blood began
to initiate him and Whitley cursed them
Then Mulraney began to call "Na-a-a,"
referring TO their getting Whitey's
goat" and everybody in the place. in
GLIDING Becker took up the joke
Becker and the guEmen all laughed to-
gether.
Later prison official came in
Continued on next page. Ist oolumnJ