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i limbs, he says.1 as Navarro county.--- - ----- —* — mtwwmmjh^ 1 UUthe main University campus,Ray Dies In Electric Chair Despite Innocence ClaimsHUNTSVILLE, Tex., June 9—UP) —Claiming innocence to the last, William R. Ray was executed early today for the rape of a nine-year-old girl In a Fort Worth park in 1948. ‘The execution took place despite a weird involved maneuvering In his trials and appeals, two reprieves and a last-minute, desperate attempt to get his sentence commuted to life imprisonment.Office™ said he admitted hi* guilt at one time, but he had pleaded Innocent In court. HI* attorneys said the admission of guilt had been obtained by coercion.Twice the 35-year-old ex-Alr Force cook had narrowly escaped the death chamber -once througha court error and once through aplea by his victim's parents.A long series of attempts were made—the latest a few hours before he was strapped to the chair— to get his Sentence changed to life imprisonment.“Well, I'm dying for something I don't know anything about/* was his final statement.Ray entered the death chamber at 12:02 a, m. the current was ap8lied at 12:05 and he was dead iree minutes later.Relatives, Including his mother Mrs, F*d Bay of Vernon, who had visited him a few hours before the execution kept a death watch on the sidewalk outside the prison.The rapist's last visitor was Prison Chaplain B, C. Anderson who went to the death cell at 11:30 p.County Attorney Charles T. Banister agreed Friday that “justice has been done” in the execution of William R. Ray for the rape of a nine-year-old Fort Worth girl.I have the utmost sympathy for Ray's mother and relatives, he said, “but this does not extenuate the crime.m. The chaplain read the 10th and 103rd PsalmB and the 14th Chapter of St. John—which uiya in part: “Lot not your heart be troubled.The body was taken to the Huntsville Funeral Home. Early today no arrangements had been made for burial.Roy Starnes of Corsicana, aChurch of Christ evangelist, visited Ray about 9 p, m,“My hearths with God and I am retdy, he quoted Ray as saying. “My sentence may £o commuted but I could die In throo months, so I think it is better this way.While Ray spent his last day talking and praying in the death cell, his attorneys fought for a last minute reprieve,Doyle Fevehouse of Corsicana went to Galveston Thursday andSresented Federal Judge T. M. iennerly with two writs designed to win another stay. Kenner-ly refused to take any action.Then Pevohouse left Galveston, with the reportod Intention of finding some other federal judge whoSee RAY CASE, Page 2
Newspaper Details
Corsicana Daily Sun
Corsicana, Texas, US
Fri, Jun 09, 1950
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
TX, USA 08 Jun 2020
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