Texas warden was last voice heard by 140 inmates
Charles Thomas O'Reilly
For about 140 people over the past six years  the soft Texas drawl of Charles Thomas O'Reilly was the last voice they heard before they died.
 Some did leave an impression  although the only name that came immediately to mind for O'Reilly was Frances Newton  who in 2005 became the third woman executed in Texas in modern times. She was the only woman executed under O'Reilly's watch.
 "One guy  he cracked jokes  he cracked jokes through the whole thing " O'Reilly said. "I can't remember his name. But I remember things like that."
 While O'Reilly recalls the professionalism everyone shows throughout the process  it's the last words of the inmate that tend to draw considerable attention.
 With witnesses assembled and looking through windows  the chaplain normally offering a comforting hand resting on the inmate's leg and the final OK from a prison department executive  O'Reilly  standing near the prone inmate's head  leaned over.
 O'Reilly would meet with inmates when they arrived to explain what would happen.
 "What I want to do is talk to him and figure out his demeanor " he said. "Whenever they get here  they're either angry  extremely upset or nervous. They know why they're here. ... It's weighing kind of heavy on them. One way or another  it's weighing heavy on everyone here.
 Few condemned inmates balked when the "time" arrived  O'Reilly said.
 "We've had some tell us: 'I'm not going to fight  but I'm not going to walk '" he said. "We picked them up and carried them. Ninety-nine percent of them  they walked on their own."
 He told inmates they could say whatever they wanted in their last statement  but it must be in English -- "That's all I understand " he said -- and it can't be profane. If the obscenities start  so do the drugs.
 "He's got about 15 seconds to do all the cussing he wants to and it will be all over " O'Reilly said. "It is going to be the last thing they're going to say. It ought to mean something. Most of the statements are pretty decent. They apologize to the victim's family and tell their family they love them."
 The Huntsville Unit was the 11th stop in a career that took O'Reilly to prisons from one end of Texas to the other beginning in January 1977.
 Edward Smith  a warden who worked as an assistant under O'Reilly  called him "a natural leader."
 Although he has no qualms about capital punishment  O'Reilly would prefer to remembered for other aspects of his career. He figures he's worked with about three generations of prison staff and sees some of the grandchildren of people who were there when he started.
 "The things I want to stand out in my career  my past  isn't executions " he said.
For about 140 people over the past six years  the soft Texas drawl of [TGT] was the last voice they heard before they died.
 Some did leave an impression  although the only name that came immediately to mind for [TGT] was Frances Newton  who in 2005 became the third woman executed in Texas in modern times. She was the only woman executed under [TGT]'s watch.
 "One guy  he cracked jokes  he cracked jokes through the whole thing [TGT] said. "I can't remember his name. But I remember things like that."
 While [TGT] recalls the professionalism everyone shows throughout the process  it's the last words of the inmate that tend to draw considerable attention.
 With witnesses assembled and looking through windows  the chaplain normally offering a comforting hand resting on the inmate's leg and the final OK from a prison department executive  [TGT]standing near the prone inmate's head  leaned over.
 [TGT] would meet with inmates when they arrived to explain what would happen.
 "What I want to do is talk to [TGT] and figure out [TGT] demeanor " [TGT] said. "Whenever they get here  they're either angry  extremely upset or nervous. They know why they're here. ... It's weighing kind of heavy on them. One way or another  it's weighing heavy on everyone here.
 Few condemned inmates balked when the "time" arrived  [TGT] said.
 "We've had some tell us: 'I'm not going to fight  but I'm not going to walk '" [TGT] said. "We picked them up and carried them. Ninety-nine percent of them  they walked on their own."
 He told inmates they could say whatever they wanted in their last statement  but it must be in English -- "That's all I understand " he said -- and it can't be profane. If the obscenities start  so do the drugs.
 "He's got about 15 seconds to do all the cussing he wants to and it will be all over [TGT] said. "It is going to be the last thing they're going to say. It ought to mean something. Most of the statements are pretty decent. They apologize to the victim's family and tell their family they love them."
 The Huntsville Unit was the 11th stop in a career that took [TGT] to prisons from one end of Texas to the other beginning in January 1977.
 Edward Smith  a warden who worked as an assistant under [TGT]called him "a natural leader."
 Although he has no qualms about capital punishment  [TGT] would prefer to remembered for other aspects of his career. He figures he's worked with about three generations of prison staff and sees some of the grandchildren of people who were there when he started.
 "The things I want to stand out in my career  my past  isn't executions " he said.