Evening star., 1914-04-13


died the easiest. He had intended max
ing a statement. but his mental processes
had failed him.
A new lot of witnesses file in. Through
the little door presently came Whitley
Lewis" He was garbed In black suit
as ''Dago Frank" had been The state
ment that he never finished was on his
lips as he entered. The attendants, fear
ing a shocking spectacle of hysteria,
sought to soothe him.
A current of 1920 vo'ts. with slightly
higher amperage than had been used on
Cirofici took his life.
The switch was first closed at 5:4I :3G
and he was pronounced dead at 5:52.
Carries Jewish Prayer Book.
At S:5S "Gyp the Blood" was brought
in He had a Jewish prayer book in his
left hand and Rabbi Goldstein walked by
his side Listen. Israel There is only
one Cod mumbled 'Gyp the Blood" in
Hebrew.
Two shocks were given, and at 6:o2
o'clock physicians pronounced the man
dead.
Lefty Louie the last of the four to
die, and accordingly the keenest sufferer
by reason Of the interval of waiting. en-
tered the chamber at e:o1 The Jewish
prayer book which he grasped ne handed
TO Rabbi Kopfstein before the guard
strapped him in the chair. Like "Gyp
he mumbled prayer In Hebrew.
The theory that the strongest shall die
last, Lefty bore out by his uncanny re-
sstance to the current. The first contact
was given at sos At s:11 he was pro-
nounced dead.
were in the prison at the time Of the
execution were ''Dago Frank s. mother
sister and brothers. and Whitley Lewis y
brothers. Mrs. Cirofici was borne to her
carriage in collapse an hour after the
electrocuton-
All the bodies of the gunmen will be
claimed by relatives
Mother Sought Confession.
An hour and half before the hour ap-
pointed for the gunmens death. Mrs
Cirofici arrived from Albany and had to
be almost carried into the prison. Upon
the last visit hung the fate of 'Dago
Frank" whom his mother, according to
report, tried to persuade to make a con-
fession and thus make it possible for him
TO secure postponement of execution.
one of her sons came with her and help
ed her into the warden's office.
Mrs. Cirofci remained with her son as
late as 4 am. This is an unusual pro-
cedure. She had thought until the last
moment that on her sons plea for mercy
the governor would grant a reprieve. She
believed in her boys innocence to the
end She pleaded with Frank in Italian
to confess: but he said he had told all
he knew. and that he had not been pres
ent when Herman Rosenthal was killed
The prison, soundless and dark, save
for the Sits of light that marked corri-
dors, seemed to slumber in the light of
late moon. There was nothing to hint
that within an hour and half it would
be the scene of a history-making execu-
ton. The last word from the prisoners
was that they had all fallen into the
specious s,eep that comes in the last
hours to men about to die.
Rabbi Goldstein and Rabbi Kopfstein,
Lefty Louie's" old spiritual adviser, and
Father Cashin waited for Mrs. Cirofici's
departure before taking the final confess
sion and holding their last prayers with
The gunmen.
The spiritual advisers then remained
with the prisoners to the end.
Dynamo Story Ridiculed.
1t was reported last night that new
dynamo which was to furnish the electric
power for the execution of the gunmen
had been tampered with and put out of
commission. Several screws, it was said,
were missing. The report had it that the
discovery was made when the watch in
the deathouse was changed.
Warden Clancy declared the dynamo
tampering rumor was ridiculous, and said
Ii had originated in a trivial difficulty
usually attendant on getting the dynamo
in working order.
To relatives who bade them goodbye
yesterday, and to their spiritual advisers,
the four condemned men again declared
their innocence and as night settled down
over the prison and the death watch
stood close about their cells there was
nothing to indicate that they would not
deny their guilt until the end
Almost Continuous Prayer.
Easter Sunday and the night that fol-
owed was almost one continuous prayer
knees most of the time that they were
not talking with relatives. A prisoner in
a distant cell now and then blew from
Nearer, My God to Thee" and in the
death house proper a photograph played
sacred music. On the walks in front of
the prison curious townspeople passed
10 and fro, whispering, and every now
and then a party of dusty automobilists
swung down from their car to survey the
buildings.
OF the scenes in the deathhouse cor
ridors that which stood out boldest con-
cerned the visit of two nuns. As Father
Cashin. the Roman Catholic prison chap
lain, led the four gunmen in prayer, two
Italian Franciscan sisters, who had come
from New York to see Dago Frank,
whom they had taught in his boyhood,
showing the cells bare and immaculate
after yesterdays cleansing. disclosed the
four gunmen also kneeling.
Spirit of Devotion Spreads.
Suddenly the spirit of devotion spread
TO the whole death chamber Every one
Of the sixteen condemned. among them
three Cinnamon and Hans Schmidt, slay-
er of Anna Aumuller. Joined in the Lords
prayer, which concluded the services
The Franciscan sisters. black-robed and
black-hooded, urged the four gunmen to
accept their fate as punis hment for their
sins. whether they were innocent or
guilty of murder.
To the boys of the East Side in New
York the Jewish trio of the gunner"
sent final message through Rabbi Jacob
Godstein
Whitley Lewis wrote: There are
many boys who are well brought UP
and have good parents who do not
look out for the company they get
their fall They got a bad record and
then, no matter whether guilty or not
they would be framed up. Keep away
from bad company is the best message
L can send"
Lefty Louie" said: Add what I said
the other day about bad company. A
fellow who honestly earns Sc a week
ts better of than he who gets 81 900
a week IL he doesn't get II straight,
We were supposed to have as MANY
friends as any fellow that was on the
East Side, but when 1T came to a show
down II was only the 'shool' fsyna-
sosuel that stood by US. outside of our
maj t1lE