The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-05-10
MAN WHO GUARDED ROGER BASEMENT TELLS STORY OF
 HIS LAST HOURS OF LIFE

will they listen to it? However, if they won't posterity will. Here is my state ment" The statement was handed up, and very shortly afterwards the sentence was pronounced.
 What a relief was Easements only remark as he passed to the cells below. He was amazingly calm while waiting to be conveyed to Pentonville, and he talked all the way, evidently trying to give the impression that he was indifferent to what a British Court might mete out to him in the way of punishment. His one anxiety the way of punishment. His one anxiety for the next few days seemed to be to get permission for lady friends to visit him in prison, and this privilege was accorded after con sideration by the authorities. After the death sentence had been passed Easement asked me one night how soon 1t would be carried out, and as I had that day advised that an ap- peal was to be lodged on his behalf, l told him so. He seemed surprised and exclaimed.
 But I never asked for an appeal. What better death could a man ask | for than to die for a cause he believes | in? If the appeal succeeds 1 shall be | kept in Prison for the rest of my | life, and probably my death will be | kept a secret. It would be better to 1 die now rather than to live on until l am forgotten"
 1 That remark was the key to the character of Easement. He was a re- l markedly vain man, who realized that | his end was approaching in the natur- | al way, and he wanted to die under conditions where he would be thought a hero.
 Easements Vanity.
 | Though he left like that about it, and had made up his mind that death must come soon, he nevertheless cher ished the belief that an attempt would be made to rescue him, and for days l the question he asked me repeatedly was whether I thought that the au- thorities suspected a plot to rescue him. I merely laughed at the sug- gestion, and told him not to trouble about anything of that kind.
 Easement was certainly not lack l ing in courage, and he retained to the last his composure. He was con scious of his own strength in this respect, and was even characteristic cally vain on the point
 | Warden he would say to me at least half a, dozen times in the night, q want you to promise me that when it is all over you will not let them
 say I was afraid of my end or that I begged my life from anybody"
 Whatever we may think of the
 crime for which Easement paid for
 felt of his life, it must be conceded
 that he never showed the slightest sign of fear, even when the end was
 at hand.
 The last night which Easement
 spent on earth I was in the cell with
 him. He remained about until mid
 night when he took a nap down on
 the bed, and remained quiet as though asleep. He was not, for he
 spoke to me until about TWO o'clock
 and talked with me for about two
 hours. About ten o'clock he had
 asked me for some personal belong
 ing he had been allowed to keep
 They were mostly photographs ot
 friends, ladies being among them
 One was a picture of his mother.
 And that he gazed for some time and l saw signs of the emoNon that
 always seized him when thinking of
 his mother, but on this occasion he
 managed to avoid a breakdown. He . kissed the picture and put it into his
 breast pocket. He turned over the | other pictures, tore some, and pur
 others with that of his mother, ant afterwards asked me whether there
 was any rule against a condemned
 man dying with photographs o- friends in his pocket.
 . l told him knew of none, and he thanked me for all my kindness tc him, and then was silent until he
 spoke to me again at one o'clock
 His last question whether I wa. certain there was no pain in hanging F and when I repeated my assurance . he replied, Thank you, warden; ) believe you" And then fell into the 3 slumber from which I woke him tc . summon him to his fate.
 On the fatefuI morning of Angus 3 he was fast asleep when the gov.
 ernor of the prison and the rest o1 the authorities came to wake him. He had left instructions the nigh before that the chaplain was to by . admitted if he came earlier, but that otherwise he was to be allowed tc sleep his last hours on earth 1T peace. When at the request of the . governor I touched him lightly or ! the shoulder he awoke with start and exclaimed, What is it, war
 den ?'''
 He looked around and saw the of.
 ficials then it dawned on him wha
 was the occasion of the visit "Of i this is the morning, I had forgotten l will be ready in good time gentle men," he said and then gave ma jestic wave of his hand, like a Kins dismissing his court.
 The officials passed outside, and
 helped the condemned man to ore 3 pare for the ceremony. I have nevel
 seen man so vain of his persona [ appearance as CaSement was tha 3 morning He was not satisfied witt l the glass in the prison cell, ant = aske me if I could obtain a miro 3 ! for him.
 An Impatient Prisoner,
 Before that he had partaken of tn, 8 breakfast which I had brought him I and ten minutes before the time fxet r for the last procession he was ready y for the final scene. As the minute @ passed and there were no signs of tn r officials he bacame patient '.Wha e is keeping them ?" he excIaimed d ? This is too bad They must knoy that am ready. It is disgracefuI. | It was in vain I tried to pacif him by pointing out that there wa