Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-10
TORAL IS EXECUTED
IN 0BREG0N DEATH
Youthful Slayer Faces Firing
Squad With Religious
Phrase on Lips.
BY CLARENCE DUBOSE,
Associated Press Correspondent.

MEXICO CITY, February 9.-The
pistol shots that killed Gen. Alvaro
Obregon last July had their last echo
today with the execution by a firing
squad of Jose de Leon Toral, the Presi-
dent-elect's assassin.
The young slayer, who throughout had
maintained that he felt his act was for
the good of Mexico, went to his death
calmly and bravely, facing the firing
squad quietly and dropping swiftly be-
fore a rapid hail Of shots.
The execution had been set for noon,
but it was put over until 1890 pm. A
few minutes before that hour Toral
was taken to a small patio and in
structed how to act before the firing
squad He listened calmly to the in
structions and even smiled little as
the men told him how to die Then he
was led to stone wall in large court
yard of the. Federal Penitentiary and
was placed before portion SCARED by
the bullets of many other executions.
At 12:35 pm. 0:35 Eastern Standard
Time) the fatal shots rang out and
Toral slumped down. His body twitched
and Capt. Rodriguez Rabiela, in charge
of the squad. fired the coup de grace,
using pistol once presented to him by
Gen. Obregon, Torals victim.
Cry Cut Short by Death.
~;a 0f+ +1o &xiy1 Il
sacked, Toral tried to shout.
"Viv---'
That was as far as he got. He had
hoped to cry viva Cristo Rey" c'Long
live Christ the King"o, but his words
were cut short by death.
A Catholic priest, dressed in civilian
clothes, as all priests have been in
Mexico for some years, except when In
churches, was with Toral in his cell
until the walk to the execution ground.
The distance from the cell to the firing
squad was very short, just down the
corridor.
Toral was dead in less than minute
after he left the priest and only few
seconds after he had stepped into the
courtyard. The squad was ready as he
approached. The instant he was in
| position the rifles cracked. This rapidity
seemed to startle Toral and he carried
into death an expression Of astonish-
ment, as if he had expected an oppor-
| tunity to say something before death
while facing the squad.
He was not blindfolded, nor was any
move made to do so. He simply was
marched from his cell by two civilian
officials of the penitentiary.
Priest Is Detained.
A moment after he received the coup
! de grace, the priest who had been with
| him in his cell, Rafael Ruiz Soto,
pushed through the soldier guards, ad-
vanced to the corpse, knelt and dipped
| his handkerchief in the blood of Toral.
He made the sign of the cross and pro-
nounced extreme JUNCTION. He was de-
tanned by the guards for having broken
| through the lines. However, he kept
the bloodstained handkerchief as a
relic of what Toral earlier had called
his martyrdom.
! During a final conference with one of
his attorneys this morning, Toral said:
II am absolutely convinced that I will
| go direct to heaven and join God there.
/ die absolutely tranquil"
One of the guards, when asked by
| reporters just before execution how
Toral was conducting himself. replied
| He has the courage OF a bull"
Toral was shaved at his request by
the prison barber this morning. He
felt his face and said: "It is not smooth
enough, go over me once more" After
the barber had repeated the operation
Toral attempted to pay him, but the
barber refused.
In accordance with another of his
1TyontinI,ed on page s Column II