Evening star., 1947-05-10
Willie Francis Shows
No Fear as He Dies on
Second Trip 10 Chair
BY the Assoeiated Press


ST. MARTINWILLE, La, May 10.
Willie Francis, Is, made his second
trip to the electric chair today,
wearing his Sunday pants and his
Sunday heart"
The same chair which spared his
life through mechanical failure a
year ago, took it this time, took 1t
quickly and apparently painlessly.
Electrocutioner Grady Jarrett
threw the switch at 1905 pm, Cen
trail standard time, and again at
1906, and at 1910 the Negro was
pronounced dead.
Willie Francis said two days ago
that he was going to wear my Sun
day pants and my Sunday heart" to
the chair.
HoIdup Melted S4.
Willie paid the legal penalty for
the killing of Andrew Thomas, a
white druggist of st. Martinville, in
a holdup that netted 81 and a
watch. Among the witnesses today
was MIR. Thomas brother. Claude,
who was chief of police here at the
time of the Staying when Willie was
IS years old
Francis went to the chair after
a years argument over the right of
Louisiana to attempt an execution
a second time after a mechanical
accident had prevented the first
try. The fight went all the way to
the United States Supreme Court
where the Court divided to last
January in ruling against Francis.
Only yesterdav the Supreme
Court had turned down another
plea, which Willie's lawyer Bertrand
de Blanc had taken to Washington
without the knowledge of tie con-
demned man.
The Louisiana Supreme Court and
the State Pardon Board each refused
three times to prevent Willie's second
trip to the chair.
Showed No Fear.
Francis himself told his lawyer
yesterday morning to make no last
minute attempt to stay the execu-
ton, declaring he was ready to die.
Francis walked his last half-dozen
steps on earth without a flicker of
fear or apparent excitement. Twice
he wiped the palms of his brown
hands against the legs of his dark
pin-strike trousers
Asked by the executioner if he
had anything to say before going,
Willie said quietly, nothing at all" :"
His attorney haggard and sleepy
eyed after a flying trip to Washing
ton, went to Willie's cell in the tiny
st. Martinville jail, less than two
hours before the hour set for the
unparalleled second attempt at
electrocution.
Attorney Bids Goodby.
II told Willie that 1 thought I
still could stay the execution" Mr.
De Blanc said.
He told me:
No. Leave it alone. Thank you,
but leave it alone. I'm ready. I'm
sorry I did what I did, but now
I'm ready"
Mr.. De Blanc then said good-by.
A small crowd gathered in the
Jail yard starting about am, not
long after Francis was transferred
from the jail at New Iberia, where
he had been kept since May 8, 1916,
when the portable chair failed.
Several members of Willie's FAM
lily paid him a visit before Mr.. De
Blanc arrived.
Members of the family left with
their heads erect, dry-eyed.
Across the street from the jail,
Mrs. Paul Guilbeaux, wife of the
jailer, cooked Willie's last meal of
fried fish and potatoes.
Wilie's favorite food was fried
chicken. But he was a Catholic, and
yesterday was Friday.
With him at the end was Father
Charles Hannigan, Catholic priest
who had .isited him every day
since his first trip to the chair last
year. Willie refused assistance in
walking to the chair. motioning for
Father Hannigan to precede him.