Arizona republican., 1920-04-17
TORRES HANGED FOR MURDER OF
 OFFICER MEL|CK
Young Mexican Asks For giveness on Scaffold; Shows No Sign of Insanity But Meets Death Bravely; Mother and Brothers Claim Body
Special to The RerubIican)

FLORENCE. Ariz., April 16.-Sim- plicio Torres met death bravely at the state penitentiary this morning, when he was hanged for the murder of Con . stable Victor l.. Melik at Williams a year ago. The death trap was sprung at 10:04 o'clock. Torres neck was in- stantly broken, and Dr. George F. Hoffman, prison physician, pronounced death at 10:15 o'clock.
 Torres slept we'll last night, accord ing to the watchers and this morning, on awakening, glanced indifferently in the direction of the scaffold. to which he was to be led an hour or so later He declined breakfast, however, be- cause he was to receive communion from the Rev. Father Maneuis, his confesSor.
 Then. when he had received the final miniStrationS of the priest, the con- demned man walked directly to the few steps leading to the Scaffold and, unwavering. climbed to his doom. Be- fore his head was covered with the black shroud with which the con- demned are blindfolded. Torres was asked whether he had anything to say. His reply was characteristic of his conduct throughout the ordeal. In clear. even tones. he answered that he wished to be forgiven for any offense he might have committed, and de- clared that he wished to thank the prison officers for many courteSies '
 
 Torres said. adding that he was about to die. with forgiveness for all his foes.' There were only a dozen wit resses to the execution, but a throng gathered outside the gates of the prison.
 George Harbin of Flagstaff repre- scented the attorney general, and J. O.. Harrington, sheriff of Coconino coun- ty. who captured Torres following the murder of Constable Melik, witnessed the hanging.
 No Sign of Insanity
 It was remarked by witnesses that Torres displayed no sign of the in sanity which had been alleged by friends who sought a stay of execution with a view to obtaining a commuta- : ton of sentence.
 As there were no prisoners in the death cells, which flank the scaffold, the wailings which usually emanate from that quarter during a hanging were absent.
 Torres body was formally turned over by the state to the dead mans mother and his two brothers who waited at the prison, but who did not witness the hanging. Interment will probably be at Williams, it was said.
 The hanging of Torres was the first since capital punishment was restored to the state statutes by an election in 1918. Torres was the thirteenth person to be executed since the state took the privilege away from the counties in 1910. The death penalty was abolished during two years. beginning in 1916.
 Counsel for Torres twice appealed to the supreme court in an effort to save him from the scaffold, and the state board Of pardonS was appealed to to commute the sentence to life im- prisonment on account of Torres al-a ieged insanity. The supreme court was then asked for a writ of habeaS corpus to remove Torres from the pris- on, and also for writ of mandamus to compel his examination before an alienist.
 Make Final Effort The petitions were denied Then the United States district court at Tucson was asked for a habeas corpus writ on allegation that Torres was being denied his constitutional rights That petition also was denied when ar gued Thursday. Finally, on Thursday night, Pedro c. Lama, editor of a