New Britain herald., 1915-05-14
WAS A USER OF DRUGS.
Execution in Wilmington Witnessed By People He
 Had Shot-His History.
tspeclal to the HeraId.o-

Wilmington. Del, May 14.-Repu- diating confession he signed yester- day and protesting his innocence of any connection with the murder of Rev. Joseph zebris and Miss Eva Gilmanaitis in New Britain on the night of February s, Peter Krakas forfeited his life on the scaffold in the New Castle County Workhouse yard here this morning. Tie was con- Nicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Police Officer Tierney. At t0:23 o'clock this morning Krakas was pronounced officially dead by the rison physician.
 Protests His Innocence. N
 Even as he stood on the scaffoid and the black hood was being placed over his head and Knowing full well that within few f1eeting seconds he was to be jerked into eternity, Krakas stoutly maintained his innocence of the Connecticut murder.
 Krakas, in what was his dying statement, made the startling an- Eouncement that he was a member of a gang of robbers in which some of tbe police of New York and Philadel- phia are members.
 Ar-NOhsSA atSS ASCAu0Eti NA00tN1u.
 Until the very end as the trap was sprung the doomed criminal main tained his iron nerve, which seemed 10 have been shattered when he signed a confession yesterday. As the prison official stepped forward to E adjust the death hood the doomed man agazed long and silently at the sky, then said; 'I will never look
 .sx 41x .s..s 4 .t.n Ioint Chat he denied having amy con- raection with the murder of the New Britain priest and housekeeper. Tn this ante nortem statement Kralkas also exonerated his friend. Bernard Montvid, of any compiicity in this murder, declaring that he had nothing to do with it.
 This statement is discredited, how ever, on account of the confession made by Montvfd himself when he was arrested in Wilmington in which he named krakas as one Of the as- sassifls and himself as the rssn who stood outside the parish house as a guard while the murder was being committed.
 Belonged to Isobber Gang.
 Before being hanged Krakas told the Title cordon of officials about him that when he came here he was ad- dicted to the use of morphine and that his entire life since he was fifteen years old had been one continual ca- reer of crime. This, he claimed, was due to his association with men of bad character. He continued in their company and eventually became a member of the gang of robbers to which, he charged. police officers of New York and elsewhere are mem bers. t Among the spectators at the hang ing, in addiffon~fo the special jury of witness demanded by 39H. were Coun- !, cilman Zimmerman, of tiSas city, and M. R. Malinowsl<i, the New Britain interpreter who assisted in Securing the confession of yesterday. officer Sharpless, one of the policemen shot by Krakas at the time Tierney was l murdered, also witnessed the execu- ton.
 Krakas' Dying Statement.
 It was with a firm tread that Kra- kas walked from his little cell for the . last time and out into the prison yard | to the scaffold. As he ascended to the 4 platform he remarked: 'I stand be- fore Gods sunshine today for the last time.f I came to America when was only fifteen years old. I got in com pany with somc bad men and they taught me bad. Now I stand here and I sayr I revoke the paper I signed yesterday I did not know what was in it. did belong to gang and police in New York and Boston be- longed to the gang. l took morphine and it was in me when l came to Wilmington and did not know what I was doing. Now this is my last minute and don't remember any thing to say. The police who belonged to the gang in New York and Boston got money through them.
 That man Montvid did not have anything to do with that priests mur- der in Connecticut. I am not guilty of that New Britain murder I have told the names of the men who know about it. I was asked to sign paper. I do not know what l signed. am only responsible for my own writing which is in my Bible. The sun will shine on me no more forever, so l re- yoke what I have signed my name to. cd save my soul and lead me to the last. believe He will and did take morphine and I did not know what I was doing
 At this juncture the Rev. Father Kaulkawis of Philadelphia, mounted