The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-01-30

n ,
onight
Handy maintained 20 the last thr
iron composura which marked hts de-
meanor from the hour OF his arrest IN
Tacoma. Wash. last June. II" refused
thr Offer OF the Protestant and Roman
CATHOLIC chaplaIrs % accompany Nun
1" the chair and walked I" his dcath
had seated himself hr turned 10 War
den Lawe~ aud asked PERMISSION 1"
make statement W Ctar voice
which betrayed not the slightest sym
tom of emotion. h" said:
Il want 10 say that any one who had
the misfortune. for indeed II was a
misfortune. To como in front OF Jay Is
Aliens gun had q chance and good
rhanC., That's all Go ahead boys
From the time of his trial Handy
had insisted that his right name was
Jay Is. .\llen.
Handy spent his last day in the
death house writing letters m ms cell
reading new spaperS and talking with
the ouija board. 49,
Gordon Fawcctt Handy. tho bandit
who today expiatsd his crimes IN the
death chair, was arrested IN Tacoma:
sIsx sS" B Xii Alan" afteS Killing a man there
In a revolver fight. He was later iden-
tifed as one Of the two robbers who. on
December oS,l91S. held up the East
Brooklyn Savings bank and. after Kill
Ing two OF It's employees, esCdPeo III al
automobile with $4,000.
Extradited TO New York and tried for
this crime Handy stood revealed as
self-confessed participant IN the roooery
OF thirteen banks and two trains and
many killings. He steadily refused 10
tell anything about his family; He said
he preferred 10 known as Allan and
that ne was born in 1898 in Alberta.
Canada He declared his parents were
dead and that he had two brothers whom
he had not seen for five years. He said
, he was a college graduate and had spe-
cialiZed in psychology.
After Hamby's conviction hero. his at
! torney. against the prisoners wishes.
I appealed his case He obtained the ap-
posntment OF q commission to determine
the bandits sanity but the higher court
affirmed the verdict and he was also
, found to be normal" He freely ad-
mitted his crimes and said he was want
| ed in Chicago, San Francisco and other
places. After the Brooklyn robbery.
i Handy said he met a girl IN New YORK
ton. Philadelphia, Baltimore. Pittsburgh.
; Chicago. California and Tacoma
| Il was surprised the California police
did not get me-" no said. shortly after
being brought East. Then in Tacoma
got in that political row with Bob
fellow and I'm sorry I shot him but l
; was afraid he was going TO get me.
After that 7 was all ready to beat II TO
Shanghai. China. and now here | am"
II expected to get $4,000 out OF the
Brooklyn job" he contldcd. and I was
greatly disappointed at the little we
, did get. This was because my partner
did not carry out my instructions. l
had ordered him to jump over the rail
the minute we entered the place but
much time. II took him about four min
utes TO pick UP what money we did get
when It should not have taken more
than a minute"
Who was your partn"- IN the Brook
lyn robbery" he was asked.
II don't care to say. l don't want to
implicate him. He il married and
think by this time has left the coun-
try. l met him first in Norfolk. Va. a
short time before the Brooklyn Job -
Handy said he had never had any wo'
men accomplices in any Of his robber-
les because they talk too much" The
day he was brought 10 Sing Sing the
prisoner was asked what interest" he
had in life. He lighted cigarette and
watched the match burn itself down and
so out before he replied:
The only interest l have Is to see
that I spend the time from now until
I 20 to the electric chair in smoking.
reading and making myself comfort
able know there is no possible
chance OF acquittal. am guilty and
that is all there Is 10 IT,. NJ another
time he said: Nothing ever botherS mo
at all. The sooner the end comes the
better Ers immaterial - TO me. I'd,
sooner have II all over with than have
this fuss. This place Is nice. Every
thing here is very nice. There Isn't any
thing want that haven't got here.
Judge Fawcett. of Brooklyn. who SEN
fenced Handy. said ne was tho worst"
criminal Of 5000 who had come before
him in his entire career on tho bench.
Hamhy's philosophy OF life was en-
bodied n the following statement he
made Just before being sentenced to die:
II. is nothing for me to die becaus"
I am coming back. II may take few
years or II may take several thousand
years. Of course. hut time does not
count Being brought into this world
IS like being placed in n class OF small
children with each trying to compete
with the other some Of us arc sue
cnssful and some are not. AS for my
self. have flunked.