Execution At 10 a.m. on the morning of July 13, 1894, Cook County Sheriff James H. Gilbert visited Prendergast's cell and read him the death warrant issued in his case. He was visited one last time by his brother John at 11 a.m., by which time hope for a last-minute reprieve from Governor John Altgeld had dissipated. He was visited by a doctor at 11:30 and spent a brief time with a priest, declaring that there had been no malice in the killing of Mayor Harrison. Five minutes before his scheduled 11:45 execution, Prendergast's attorney, S.S. Gregory, arrived and was allowed to shake his client's hand one last time and to exchange a few words. A gallows had been constructed in the north corridor of the jail and seats placed between the row of cells along the north side and the high building wall. Prisoners facing the corridor were removed from their cells to a place where the execution would not be visible, and about 500 ticketed witnesses were assembled, which included the members of the jury which convicted him. At 11:43 the order was given to march and Prendergast was led to the gallows, accompanied by Father Gilbert of the Cathedral of the Holy Name, who was on hand to administer the last rites of the Catholic Church. Prendergast walked to the edge of the trap without assistance, where his hands were fastened. Although having previously planned to make a last statement, he had been dissuaded by the priest, to whom he quietly delivered his last words, "I had no malice against anyone." Prendergast's feet, knees, and chest were bound with straps and a white shroud placed over him and he was taken onto the trap, where the noose was placed around his neck. A white muslin hood was placed over his head and the noose, obscuring both from view. A signal was given and at 11:48 the rope holding the heavy trap in place was cut. Prendergast's neck was broken by the six-foot drop and his body did not move after the fall. Prendergast's heart continued to beat for about ten minutes, after which it ceased; five minutes later his body was taken down and placed in an awaiting coffin for burial. Media depictions On occasion, Prendergast has been represented in film or fiction. In the 1991 made-for-TV movie Darrow, he was portrayed by New York-born actor Paul