Nogales international., 1934-07-14
OBY CRAIG POTTINGER)

With the same bravado spirit that
he displayed during his incarcera-
ton in the Santa Cruz County jail
and his appearance IN court here
when he was sentenced to die,
George Joseph Shaughnessy, 49,
year-old Albany, N. Y, youth. went
10 his death at dawn yesterday in
Arizona's new lethal gas chamber
1T the Florence penitentiary.
Without any sign CT fright what
soeyer, the slayer CT Lon Blanken-
ship mounted the II steps leading
to the death house, saw the guards
strap him into the gas throne, and
blindfold placed across his eyes,
and took his medicine like man"
as one guard said.
Forty nine persons, 10 of whom
were from Nogales. law the boy who
brutally murdered Lon Blankenship
year ago last Saturday, pay the
penalty.
FrCm NOgales
Present at the execution from No
gales were Glenn Blankenship, a
brother of the slain man: w. w
Barbee, Roy Gardner, Phil Capin
Jake Capin. Ben Jones. j. M. Soto
Jr.. Hugh L. Walker. Chief CT Po-
lice Eduardo Garcia of Nogales
Sonora, and Craig Pottinger.
The Nogalians and others were
admitted into the prison at 4:45
o'clock-15 minutes before the time
set for ShaughneSsy to die at dawn
Attorney Duane Bird of Nogales
who assisted in the prosecution OF
Shaughnessy, arrived at the prison
at 4:5O O'Clock, five minutes too late
to gain admission, therefore, he cid
not get to witness the execution.
Clad In Shorts
Clad in only a pair of shorts. and
with fresh haircut. and clean
shavon, the youth spent several
minutes in prayer with the prison
chaplains, Father j. p Murphy OF
Casa Grande, Father Basil DelgadC
of Florence, and Rev S. B. Hannah
protestant minister of Florence
before he trudged up the steps tc
the ga! chamber. He recited word
for word the prayer OF the clergy
He possessed an Irish smile as he
mounted the steps, and as he reach
ed the little room where his life
was to be snuffed out he kissed the
cross
The youth was pronounced dead at
sos A. M.-five minutes after he
had been strapped into chair With
head erect he sat straight up in the
gas throne. At 502 fifteen cyanidc
gas eggs were dropped into a pail
of water and sulpheric acid solution
The lethal vapors floated through
the chamber. Shaughnessy took
three breaths-the first q short che
the second a little heavier, and the
third somewhat deeper. Then he
slumped over dead.
Among persons whom the boy
told goodbye was Matt Bacon. guard
who had been on his death watch
He had handshake for Bacon.
In the list of 49 per-ons witness
ing the execution. big percentage
were newspapermen and news photo
graphers. Numerous flashlights were
taken as the youth went to his
death. Down at the bottom Of the
steps climbed by spectators to the
gas chamber were three women but
that was as far as they got. They
did not witness the execution.
A person at the execution who
saw to it that newspapermen got a
close view was j. G. McPhee
VI Phoenix, press secretary to Gov
Tnor Moeur. and former city edi-
.or OF the NogaleS International.
Buried At Casa Grande
A few minutes after the execution
the. body was placed in pine box
and taken by Undertaken G. A. Rob
ms of Casa Grande to the Catholic
cemetery at Casa Grande for burial
There he was laid to rest short
distance from where the Hernandez
brothers. who were executed week
ago yesterday, were buried. The Her
nandez brothers rest in the Pinal
county plot of the burial ground.
Instructions to bury Shaughnes- y
at Casa Grande came from his fos-
ter-mother, residing in New York.
Shaughnessy was the 31st person
put to death at Florence. Twenty
eight were hanged and the other