| Show tH HAT T DO DOES A DO DOOMED MAN THINK A W Deering Answers What That hat does a man think of when 1 I illis Ws lis about to die That hat question F Friday rid a y was ut to John W. W Deering conI con- con I murderer as he waited in eath th th row at the Utah state prison or r the summons which will take lim im before a firing squad next dawn What does a man think of when is is span epan of life is being measured hours minutes seconds When he is in perfect health and normally normally normally nor nor- mally would have years of life be before be- be fore for him And Deering's answer He doesn't think If hes he's smart Deering has trained himself not to think he said He practiced for 20 years in the cells of San Quentin Quentin Quentin Quen- Quen tin and Folsom prisons and now he sa says s I r can make my mind a B. blank He doesn't welcome death but buthe buthe buthe he prefers it to more years of ot prison confinement Im no hero for not being jittery jittery jit- jit tery or terrified or begging for lor mercy Deering said Its just a a. philosophy Ive I've developed during 20 years in prison If a man who had never served time who time who was sentenced to death for a crime of passion say took say took it calmly and without going to pieces hed he'd really be a hero But Im I'm notA not A CIA guy who's been through the mill doesn't think If he did hed he'd go You can make your mind a blank or at least divert it if you ou practice long enough Watched Men l Go Crazy Ive watched men go stir crazy They count the days until time of release They hang a B. picture of a pretty girl on the wall and wish they were outside They think of all aIl the things they'll do when their time is up That's badI badI badr bad I r dont don't say I dont don't mind doing time I do do plenty That's why I want to die But I developed a a. philosophy When I used to be thrown in the hole solitary in Quentin I wouldn't rave and yell or think I ge get gel out of here r. r What'll What I do l x Instead Id I'd jU just t say Hell what what Of it Im I'm here Quit thinking Death to Deering will Deering-will will be rest h. h ho he said The end end of of doing time Tm Ira Sincere Im I'm Sorry Religion You see a lot of gU guys 6 who never thought of God yelling for Him or a minister when the hot seat is waiting for them Deering Deering Deering Deer Deer- ing said They figure if there i. i is isa isa a B. God and a hereafter they'd better better better bet bet- ter get on the right side of Him while theres there's time So they start praying Those kind of guys arent aren't sin sin- cere If there is a God Hes He's not fooled He knows when youre you're sincere sincere sincere sin sin- cere and when youre you're not Whatever Whatever Whatever What What- ever I do Ill I'll be sincere about it Im sincere when I say Im I'm sorry sorry sorry sor sor- ry Meredith Oliver R R. Meredith Jr whom Deering killed last May 9 was killed That's true He was WM wasa a good man and it was an accident acci acci- dent Cards La Lay That Way Yay Im Tm not sorry for most of my life lif life except except of course that I wish the circumstances had been dif dif- dif dif- ferent But as for the rest of it it- it the cards just lay that way Death to me is the lesser of two evils If someone gave me a 38 right now and I thought I had haa hada a chance of making it outside Id I'd take it ft But to spend another 15 years here here be be be 55 years old when I got out and probably land back in jn again I might as well be dead no sob-sister sob stuff stuff its its it's common sense sense N Y Ac 4 v bi bix x sr I II I 4 SS i fiA hr f P N s Y A AP P Y y yn n j M P Y 1 r L i Y 1 J l S JOHN Vii V. V DE DECKING RING |
