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Show BECKER DENIES CRIME TO LAST. Meets Death Without Flinching anc Protesting His Innocence. Ossining, N. Y. Charles Becker was electrocuted at 5.45 Friday morning He went to his death with a photograph photo-graph of his wife pinned outside ol his shirt. Becker met his death without flinching. flinch-ing. He entered the death chambei with two priests at his side. They were chanting a litany. Becker joined it, repeating "Have mercy on us, have mercy on usr." He walked steadily to the death chair, and, taking his seat, glanced squarely into the eyes of the witnesses for a brief moment. Then he con tinued the chant, "Have mercy on us have mercy on us." At 4 : ."50 o'clock Becker gave out the following typewritten statement as his dying declaration, signed in his own bold haifdwriting: ".My dying declaration. "Gentlemen: I stand before you lr my full senses, knowing that no powei on earth can save me from the grave that is to receive me. In the face ol that, in the teeth of those who con (lemiiPil me and in the presence of my God and your God, I proclaim my absolute ab-solute innocence of the l'oul crime for which 1 must die. You are now about to witness my destruction by the stale which is organized to protect the lives of the innocent. May Almighty Al-mighty God pardon every one who has contributed in any degree to my untimely un-timely death. And now, on the brink of my grave, I declare to the world that I am proud to have been the husband hus-band of the purest, noblest woman that ever lived Helen Becker. This acknowledgment is the only legacy can leave her. I bid you all good-by. Father, I am ready to go. Amen. (Signed) "CHARLES BECKER." |