The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1920-12-24
five DIE IN CHAIR
AT SING SING
Youngest Only 20 Years Old,
But Already Married and
the Father of Three.
FAMILY CLINGS TO HIM.
al Am Innocent" Says Usefof, First
of Four Bronx Youths Killed After
Last Court Appeal Fails.
"BuII" Cassidy Last to Go.

Ossining, N. Y.-Five young men
paid the penalty exacted by the state
for murder, in the execution chamber
at Sing Sing prison, shortly before
midnight Thursday night.
Between them, they had taken two
lives while committing robbery. The
money they took from their victims
totalled a few paltry dollars - not
enough in the aggregate to furnish
any one of them with good time.'
Fearless to the last, they strobe
into the little chamber, where their
lives were to be snuffed out, with a
drmness of step that drew suppressed
comment from the group of witnesses
to their death.
While three Of the four who were to
precede him were lying dead in the
mortuary, and the fourth was being
encouraged to the last by Father
cashin, Bull" Cassidy, the last to go,
sang:
''Oh. what pal was Mary"
Then when the electrode was placed
over his head. he waved at the wit
nesses, and laughing, said:
"Give her the gas, chauffeur, and
I'll be on my way"
AIienists. who had examined Cassidy,
said he had the mind Of child.
OF the five, four did not deny that
they had committed murder. The
ffth, Joseph Usefof. in his last breath,
insisted that his death was mis-
carriage of justice. As the death
chamber attendants were making the
fnal preparations to snuff out his life,
he turned to Warden Lawes, and said
"Warden, you are about to see how
m innocent man dies. Goodby and
God bless you"
Four of the youths were residents
of the Bronx, New York.
The fifth was an upstate youth,
Howard Baker, twenty years old. He
killed William DeGref, night watch
man, at Wolcott, N T., September IL,
1919.
Outside the murky prison, in the
1rizzling rain, while the paid execu-
toner was earning $3.50 each time
he threw on the deadly switch, snuff
ing out another human life, sobbing
group of mothers, fathers, wife and
sisters prayed that the inevitable
mfght not happen to their loved ones.
Among the relatives of the con-
demned men who visited the prison to
say last good-byes, the most pathetic
were the young wife and three little
sons of Howard Baker. The oldest
child is less than five years old. With
Bakers mother, Mrs. Ida Pemberth,
the disconsolate group kept vigil at the
death house from early morning until
an hour before the execution.
Up to the last minute they had hoped
that something might occur which
would prolong, if not save, the lives
Of the condemned But at 8 80 Thurs
day night Thomas ]. O'Neill, attorney
for the four Bronx men, telephoned
to Warden Lawes: -
Nothing more can be done, Justice
Hotchkiss has refused writ"
Immediately afterward the prepara-
tions to execute the men before "Un-
lucky Friday" had been tolled in were
begun in earnest.
At five minutes after eleven, Usefof.
The weakest of the five, was led to the
chair by Father Cashin. AS he left
the death house. he turned to the
other men in the place and said:
Goodbye, boys"
Then, as he sat In the chair, he look
I'd at the witnesses and said:
'I'm an innocent man. but I die
with a smile"
At II rs he was pronounced dead,
and two minutes later Baker was
seated in the death chair. Although
only twenty years old. the day of his
death was his fourth wedding anniver-
sary. At II :26 the doctors motioned
that he was dead. Mclaughlin follow
ed him into the chair three minutes
later. Thirteen minutes later he was
lead. MiIano was dead in nine min
utes, and Cassidy was pronounced
dead at four minutes to twelve.