The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-01-09
GraSpS at StraWS to Save
Her From Going to
Chair Thursday.
GRAY READS HIS BIBLE
Governor Smith viii Not
Rule Today on Woman'S
CIemenCy Plea.
BY LOUIS F. KEEMLE
United Press STAFF Correspondent

NEW YORK, Jan. 9.-The cleo
trocution of Ruth Snyder grew
nearer today and prospects of saw
ing her grew fainter hourly. In her
death cell in Sing Sing Prison she
graSped pathetically at strawS OF
hope.
The preparations for her electro
cution, with Henry Judd Gray went
forward steadily in the death cham
Der, fifty yards from her cell, ana
there was little idea among prison
officials that any last minute move
to save her would be successful.
Yet she asked for news from Gov
ernor Smith, who will make no an
nouncement on their plea for Glenn
ency today, the United Press
learned.
A belief was growing that he
would make no announcement, but
would let the execution proceed.
With equally despairing hope,
Mrs. Gray awaited word from her
lawyers of some legal miracle that
would stay the execution. Edgar F.
Hazleton, her chief counsel, said he
planned no appeal to the courts, but
his associate, Joseph Lonardo, ap-
parently at odds with his chief,
talked of move for a writ of er-
ror in the United States Supreme
Court.
The contrast between Mrs. Snyder
3Nfv In
the murder of her husband, re-
manned as remarkable as it had
been since the trial.
Gray Resigned to Death
Gray has taken refuge in religion
and was resigned to death-even
looked forward to it as a release.
The State Of Mrs. Snyder's mind
was best indicated by the action OF
prison officials in taking extraordi-
nary precautions to prevent her
from cheating the chair by self de-
struction.
She had been changed to new
cell today from the one she had
occupied since her arrival in Sing
Sing. Her mattress was ripped apart
and every article in the cell was
examined for poison or weapons.
The new cell was fitted out with
different furnishings and even her
clothes and toilet articles were
changed.
Reads His Bible
It had been discovered that she
had been in surreptitiouS communi-
cation with her mother, Mrs. Jo-
sephine Brown, by using the ma
irons room, to which visitors have
access, as a repository for notes.
Prison officials believed poison or
weapons could be Smuggled in by
the same method.
Despite the discovery, however,
Mrs. Snyder was not denied the
comfort of seeing her mother. Mrs.
Brown visited the prison today and
wept as she apologized to Warden
Lawes for violating his courtesy.
No such precautions were needed
in the case of Gray, who sits the
hours away in his cell with his
Bible, and thinks thoughts that he
communicates to no one. He ar
ranged to make his will this after
noon in conference with his lawyer,
Samuel Z. Miller. The meager
property of the corset salesman will
go to his wife and daughter. Jane.
His wife has been to see him once,
but his mother, Mrs. Margaret Gray,
has been his constant visitor and
comforter.
"Fie has awakened from his mad
ness" she said, "and he is my son
again"
At IL a. m. today, the condemned
pair had eighty-four hours to live.
The executions will take place short
ly after IL 1o'clock on Thursday
night.
If Warden Lewis E. Lawes sue
ceeds in his plans, it will be a
smooth-functioning, precise affair,
stripped as far as possible of any
details that would make it sensa-
tional.
Bars Telegraph Wires
LaweS, an opponent of capital
punishment, has even barred tel
egraph wires from the prison on the
night Of the execution, and the de-
tails will have to be sent from the
Ossining railroad station half a
mile away.
There will be no access to the
prisoners, and the only glimpse any
one except their counsel and their
closest relatives are likely to get of
them will be when they make the
short march from their cells and
enter the death chamber.
SANITARY BOARD SIFTED