["The Broome Murder", The West Australian, Thursday 14 December 1905, page 5]
THE BROOME MURDER.
CONDEMNED MEN TO BE EXECUTED TO-DAY.
HAGEN STILL MAINTAINS HE IS INNOCENT.
The sentence of death which was imposed upon Charles Hagen, Simeon Espada, and Pablo Marquez, for the murder of Mark Liebglid, at Broome, will be carried out in the Fremantle Prison this morning. It is understood that Hagen, who is a Norwegian, will be hanged at 8 o'clock, and that the two Manilamen Marquez and Espada will be executed together immediately afterwards. Last night the three men were much depressed, and they appeared to feel their position very keenly. Hagen, who is described as a man of strong nerve, had completely broken down. He still maintains his innocence, and stated last night that he believed the other condemned men would, at the last moment, make a confession which would exonerate him from all complicity in the murder. Last night, at his urgent request, Hagen was visited by a man whom he had known in Broome. He also spent several hours with the Anglican chaplain of the gaol (the Rev. G. O'Halloran), who wrote several letters at his dictation. He stated at a late hour last might that he had no desire to make any statement beyond that which was published in yesterday's newspapers. He has eaten very little during the past week, and has given the officials practically no trouble. The coloured men still adhere to the statements which they made at the trial. Marquez, whose health has failed considerably under confinement, was last night in a state bordering on nervous collapse, but Espada seemed to be more resigned to his fate. Both men were visited yesterday by Monsignor Bourke, the Roman Catholic Vicar-General, and the Rev. Father Cox. O.M.I. Monsignor Bourke, who speaks the Spanish language, has been very attentive to the condemned men, for whom the superintendent of the prison wrote a number of letters last night. Yesterday afternoon Mr. W. M. Purkiss, who defended Pablo Marques at the trial, visited the condemned man in the Fremantle Gaol. Mr. Purkiss informed a "West Australian" representative last night that Marquez still protested he was merely an innocent spectator of the tragedy; that he accompanied Liebglid to the lugger Mist, at Liebglid's request, and that he took no part in the commission of the crime. The Premier (Mr. Rason) stated yesterday that there was no conflict of opinion between members of the Executive Council and His Excellency the Governor in respect to the case of any of the condemned men.
