In Cold Blood, The End

The ending of this book was somewhat happy, somewhat sad. The two men responsible for the Clutter murders were finally captured, arrested after a confession, and sentenced to death. A few years later, they were executed by hanging in a Kansas State Penitentiary. Although these two men brutally murdered an innocent family of four for only fifty dollars (all that was gained in the robbery), one still must feel somewhat bad for them, or at least one of them. Perry Smith had an extremely violent and troubled childhood. His parents were separated, and he lived with his mother in San Francisco. His mother drank too much, and he was soon in the care of an orphanage where he was beaten and brutalized. These memories were never forgotten, which no doubt led him on a path to violence. However, this is not an excuse for murder, which the jury in this case realized. Smith showed remorse before his hanging, while his partner joked around. The agents on the case viewed this hanging, and related that it did not make them feel any better. Maybe they will never have consolation for this brutal crime.