Merry Christmas
FROM WILL FRITTS

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 18.—Will
Fritts died in the electric chair at
the state penitentiary shortly after
midnight here today wishing, as
his last words, "a merry Christ-
mas to the folks at home."
"Tell them", he requested as
he was being strapped into the
chair, "that I died like a man."
"You can lead a horse to water ,
and you can make him drink," the
condemned man remarked as he
walked steadily into the death
chamber.
Fritts' execution marked the
close of one of the most bitterly
contested legal fights in the crimi-
nal court history of Texas to es-
cape paying the supreme penalty
for the murder in October, 1927 of
D. W. Hamilton, Haskell county
Farmer. Every resource was ex-
hausted in the effort to save the
condemned man from the chair.
It was charged that Fritts had
called at the Hamilton home and
shot down Earl Hamilton, the
son, and D. W. Hamilton, the
father. The prosecution sought
to prove that Fritts had been an-
gered by testimony given by the
younger Hamilton in a liquor case.
Fritts was tried on five occa-
sions for the murder, the first at
Haskell, and the succeeding ones
on changes of venue in various
West Texas county seats. He was
sentenced to a life term for the
murder of the son, and to death
for the murder of the father.
Fritts entered pleas of insanity
and self defense.
After the fight was carried
through the supreme court in an
effort to set aside the verdict of
the lower court unavailing pleas
were made to the governor to
commute the sentence to life im-
prisonment.
The tragedy of Will Fritts end-
ed beside a grave in the cemetery
at Rule Saturday afternoon while
a grief exhausted mother repeated
over and over the hysterical cry
that "I don't believe I could stand
it if he hadn't been baptised."
The drama which had followed
him through his spectacular career
continued into his death when a
short while before, a group of
hysterical women- mother, sisters
and others closely related, had
gathered about his opened casket
in the Rule Baptist church, scream-
ing the agony of their sorrow as
they fondled the peacefully com-
posed features of the man who had
died in the electric chair at Hunts-
ville 36 hours before.
Loved ones of the man who had
paid the supreme penalty for mur-
der carried with them from the
grave the knowledge that on the
Sunday morning before Fritts had
professed faith and had been bap-
tised, and the comforting words of
their pastor, Rev. J. Perry King
of the Baptist church, that "Will
Fritts went to his death serenely
because he knew that he walked
with his Saviour."
Fritts' body had been claimed at
the penitentiary by a brother im-
ediately following the execution
and had been sent overland
to Rule, where he had spent most
of his life. The spacious auditor-
ium of the church was filled to its
utmost capacity and scores had
turned away, unable to gain en-
trance, when the last services be-
gan.
As a preliminary to his funeral
oration, Dr. King read, as Fritts
had requested, a poem the con-
demned man had written as the
hour for his death approached.
Fritts had titled his poem, "What
Says the Clock?", and had com-
posed it as a clock in his prison
death cell measured off the min-
utes that he was to remain upon
earth.
Dr. King stood directly above
Fritts' flag draped coffin as he
read the poem and as he followed
it by declaring that sin is to blame
for most of the sorrow and the
suffering in the world. The flag
under which Fritts rested had been
given by the Rule post of the
American Legion, as a mark of re-
spect to a man who had spent two
years in the service of his country,
part of the time overseas.
Only once during his sermon did
Dr. King mention the electric
chair. "If it were not for sin," he
said, "there would be no need for
jails and prisons, for electric
chairs, for law enforcement offi-
cers.
"Let me urge you", he continu-
ed, "not to be bitter in your sor-
row against your God, against the
law, against your state or against
your government. Be bitter
against sin."
Dr. King related that Fritts was
born at Comanche, Texas, on Dec.
31, 1891 and had moved to Rule
with his parents in 1904. He was
married on Dec. 21, 1927, and was
the father of one child, Billie Joe.
Surviving him, additional to the
widow and baby, are the parents,
two brothers and four sisters.
"I realize," Dr. King said, "that
many of those gathered here today
have come out of love and respect
so members of the bereaved fam-
ily. Will Fritts had many friends.
Many of you are here out of curi-
osity. But the occasions serves
further emphasize that all of us
must meet eternity.
"I am not here as a criminal
lawyer. I am not here to prose-
cute this boy. The Lord knows he
has had enough of that. I am not
here to defend him in what he may
have done. He was ably defend-
ed. But I come as the representa-
tive of one who serves in hours of
sorrow.
"Sorrow and our Savior go to-
gether, and it is my happy privi-
lege on this sad occasion to repeat
once more that the great heart
of Jesus is ready to forgive.
"It was my privilege to talk
with Will Fritts before he was
taken to Huntsville. He was a
changed man from what he had
been before. He possessed some-
thing that I do not have. He was
not afraid. He was willing and
anxious to get out from under
the load he had been carrying for
three years."
The casket was opened follow-
ing the sermon and the most dra-
matic moments of the service were
reached when members of the
family gathered about it for their
last glimpse of Will Fritts. The
mother, a frail woman who obvi-
ously had known the trials and
sorrows of home making, had re-
strained her grief somewhat dur-
ing the service. However, as
those who had gathered passed by
the casket she sobbed hysterical-
ly, at the point of collapse, while
close friends of the family att-
tended and attempted to quiet her.
After others in the assembly
had viewed the remains, the fam-
ily gathered about the casket.
Several of the women broke into
hysterical screaming. The mother
fondled the face of "my boy",
threw up her hands and fell back.
Friends caught her and carried
her back to her pew. She re-
mained there momentarily, and
then pushed her "way back to the
body, only to collapse once more.
Again she forced her way through
those crowded about the casket,
again to be saved from falling to
the floor by those about her.
Finally she was dragged back to
her seat, her eyes turned to the
opened casket.
Several hundred followed the
casket to the cemetery . The
mother, viewing the closing scene
from a closed automobile, broke
anew into hysteria as the coffin
was lowered into the grave.
No service was held at the cem-
etery. The only ceremony was a
brief prayer by Dr. King after
floral offerings had been heaped
upon the mound.
"O Lord," were the pastor's
closing words of his prayer, "let
us go from this scene embittered
against sin, and determined to
fight sin."

The Clock Strikes
BY WILL FRITTS

What says the clock, as it strikes
One?
God loved the world, and gave
His Son.
What says the clock, when it strik-
es two?
Oh glad, good news--He died for
you.
What does it say to sinners at
three?
When, oh when will you serious
be?
Come to Christ, it says at four;
Enter at once the open door.
I hear it urge as it strikes five,
To enter life's straight gates
now strive,
It speaks at six of your fading
day;
Your life's vapor that passes
away.
What says, the clock, as it strikes
seven?
Born again you must be, to
enter Heaven.
Hear its solemn chime when strike-
ing eight,
If you longer wait you may come
too late.
Then louder still warns at nine,
No longer slight God's love di-
vine.
With pleading voice it now strikes
ten;
Why will ye die, ye sons of men?
Sad words it utters as it tolls
eleven,
Almost too late to enter Heaven.
Hark, it tolls twelve, the die is
cast;
It's heaven or hell for your soul
at last.
Each tick of the clock
says "Come to Me;
Soon your soul will be
In Eternity !"