Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-04-23
CITY AND DISTRICT.
WAITING FOR THE GALLOWS.
The Three Condemned Murierers Now
in Jail.

WAITING FOX THE GALLONS.
The Three Condemned Murderers Now
in Jail.
soMMERFIELD, LEE, AND Neutrality-suspicious.
BEING MADE TO SECURE COMPUTATIONS OF
sENTENCEs-How THE CONDEMNED MEN BEAR
THEMSELVES.
Next Friday, the 3Oth instant, unless there Is
an Intervention Of executive clemency, two of
the three men In Jail under the sentence of
oeatn Will be hanged, viz: Lewis Sommerfield,
alias Sumerfeldt, the Pole convicted of the
murder of his wife and mother-in-law, and
Richard J. Lee, alias Sparrow, the cOlored man
convicted the murder of his wife. Messrs. E. p.
Phelps and ]. E. Maedel, counsel for Sommer-
held, and Messrs j. w. Walker and T. G. Tay-
ior, counsel for Lee, as we'll Messrs. George B.
Corkhill and Thos NJ. Fields, who appeared for
Antonio Nardello, under sentence OF DEATH to
De executed May 7th, are making some effort
TO save the lives OF their clients In the case of
Sommerfield, q petition for communication Of
sentence has already been presented, and petit
short time. 1t is not generally believed, how
ever, that the petitions will avail anything,
unless IL is to obtain respite for few weeks.
SOMMERFIELD'S CRIME.
Sommerheld's offenses are the murder of his
wife, Christina Sommerfeld, in which the sem
tence of death was passed, and the murder of
his son-in-law, GottlIeb Eisenbraun, in which
sentence was suspended. The double murder
was committed at Eisenbrauns saloon, on Mary
land avenue, near 10Th street northeast, on the
10th of November last. The accused shot both
of them dead, it is claimed, without any provo
cation, save that the son-in-law and the daugh-
ter objected to his seeing his wife, who had not
lived with him for some time. He was arrested
as he was making his way from the place by
indicted soon afterwards and the trial took
place December 14th. On January 9th he was
sentenced to be hanged between the hours OF
IL and O'Clock on the second Friday after the
adjournment of the next General Term. The
announcement of the sentence was received by
him in the same stoid manner that had char
acterlZed his conduct during the trial, and this
apparently Indifferent bearing he maintains,
he has, however. been receiving the visits OF
an church, and within few weeks has shown
some evidences of feeling. He is 81 years old,
by birth Pole, 512 feet in height, heavy build,
Weighing 165 pounds, has gray hair and full
whiskers, and his countenance is not unpleas-
ant.
LEE AND HIS CRIME.
The other condemned man to be hanged next
Friday is Richard ]. Lee, who was convicted on
December 18th last of the murder of his wife,
and sentenced January Is. The murder was
committed on the 23d OF November last, near
4th and K streets southeast. Lee had had some
words with his wife, who had left him on ac-
sisters house to the Street, firing several shots
at her with fatal effect. Lee, who was undoubt-
1as at ths me once left the
with Officers Wilson, Blanford and Thomp-
son sam IN n,a,+ house us nj in Howard row
down when arralgned and ali during the trial.
1t was thought by the Jail officers that if he
could not restrain his feelings he would wear
quoted down and has devoted about all his
time to the work of preparation, reading his
Bible, receiving the ministrations of Rev. Mr..
Williams of Israel Church, his spiritual adviser,
and others. He now says that he feels that he
has made his peace with God. Lee is barber
by trade and has ., served in the United States
attached to his brothers band, He
gave his age at the time of his arrest as %
is feet inches in height and weighs l45
pounds Is OF light brown color, is slightly pock-
marked. He has a star worked in India ink on
his night hand,
THE MURDER OF cARM1NE RoruNNo,
The third candidate for the scaffold is Anto-
MO Nardello, convicted of the murder of his fell
low countryman, Carmine Rotunno, on July
29th last. The trial occupied the Criminal
Court from December Sd to 18th last He was
sentenced January 10th last to be hanged the
third Friday after the adjournment OF the GEN
eral term. The Adjournment of the court this
week fixed May 7th as the day tor his execu-
trial because the prisoner and witnesses were
unable to speak or understand English. The
1fy 81 t adsr case 9 briefly is as follows: dsa.
led to an examination, and the body of Rotun-
no was found in the building with his throat
cut. The detectives, upon making inquiry as
that Rotunno had lived on SIh street
with other Italians, and that he was last seen
with NardellO. NardellO was arrested, and ad-
United that he was present when the murder
was committed, but claimed that two others
the act. Since his convection he has
admitted receiving part OF the money taken
from ROtunnO. The statement made by him
as TO the killing finds number of believers,
for ROtunnO was an able-bOdied man, and
it Is thought NardelO could not have
the act alone; but there are few if
any, who believe that the parties he named
were with him. He was arrested on August
Sd, at the Baltimore and Potomac depot hav.
ing spent some days and nights at the house of
Villa Morris, in South Washington, where he
was known as Frank Ross. He gave his age as
~. He Is OF slender figure, and has black hair
marks OF a dog bite. For some time after his
he was inclined to be Indifferent
rs TO his fate, but he has been for several weeks
engaged in his religious duties receiving the
ml Illustrations OF the priests--Father Sullivan,
Of this city, and an Italian priest of Baltimore
he has written letters on mourning paper to
numbers OF his relatives in Italy and sent them
copies of his photograph.
THE sCAFFOLD.
The warrants for the executions were sent to
The Jail on the 10th instant but as yet no prepa-
rations have been made by the jail officials |
AS the scaffOld is already in place it REQUIRES |
but a few hours for all the necessary prepara.
lions to be made The scaffold, which has been |
used in the execution of Guiteau, tor the muir
Tor the murder OF young Hirth; Charles Shaw |
Tor the murder of his sister, and LANCASTER, for
,he murder OF officer Fowler, is q permanent
fixture In the Jail, and is located in the north |
wing OF the structure. |