The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-07
KEMMLERS LIFE,
His Early Training Bad, and his Career
Disreputaple.

| His Early Training Bad, and his Career
Disreputaole.
Kemm Ter was man of low mental and
moral qualities. The surroundings Of his
birth and early life were very bad. His
father was a butcher in Philadelphia, where
! William, the murderer, was born in 1860.
/ The boy grew up in the shAmb.es and in the
market place. His parents sent him TO
school for brief period, and several times
| he sa " the inside of church and heard the
service there These feeble influences con-
stituted the only contact the boy and man
ever had with things pure or good. kemm-
ler's was life thar grew rankly. On no
side did IL bear the impress or polish of
any training or efforts to ennoblement. He
was sample product of conditions existing
to-day in all large cities.
He worked in the slaughter house with
his father, then he became a brickyard
worker, and finally he became huckster on
his own account. OF his rascally devices to
cheat customers, while huckstering, Kemm-
Ter since his Imprisonment has told with
chuckles aud much gusto.
In 1887 Kemmler married a worthless
woman named Ida Porter, in Camden, New
Jersey. Two days later he found she had
been previously married, and he left her to
live with Matilda Ziegler. They moved to
Buffalo, n. Y. Kemmler frequently found
his mistress purloining money from his
clothing, and he suspected infideity on her
part They quarreled, blows we're ex-
changed; Kemmler became a hopeless
drunkard
On the morning of March 90 1889, all
Buffalo was shocked by the news OF the
brutal butchery of a woman at No. 526
South division street. The woman killed
was "Tillie Zegler," and the murderer was
the Philadelphia butchers son, Kemmler
he 81
committed in the state of New York after
the law to kill murderers by electricity had
become operative
kemmler was arrested, and In the mean
| time the unfortunate woman was removed
to hospital. Her face, arms and breast
| were covered with blood, and she was quite
insensible A casual examination resulted
in the discovery of twenty-six distinct
gashes on the face aud head, and five bad
wounds on the right hani, arm and
! shoulder, she having evidently tried to de-
fend herself from the savage attacks of her
| paramour. She fingered in a comatose
condition until the next day, when death
| ensued before she had once regained
consciousness, and she was, therefore, IN
| able to make an ante-mortem statement
The only eyewitness was the 4-year-old
| daughter of the victim, who sain; Papa
nit mamma with the Ratchet when she was
| lying on the floor"
The couple in Buffalo had lived under the
name of Hort. The victims father, a
PHILADELPHIA huckster named Tripner.
came to Buffalo and identified the BODY of
the dead woman as his child. With him
came Henry Kemmler, the murderer g
brother, who had married a sister of Ne
| dead woman.
The woman was described by the Buffalo
papers at the time as a prepossessing bru-
nette OF about l35 pounds. and quite stylish
looking.
After his arrest the murderer refused to
talk of the crime, and at one time there
were doubts as to his sanity. He made no
attempt to escape after the assault When
pressed to give reason for the iced he only
said: 81 wanted to kill her, and the sooner
/ hang for it the better" Nearly $500 in
cash was found at his room. The ooroner's
jury pronounced Kenmler a murderer, and
| Immediately after the inquest he was taken
from the jail to the police court and ar
raigned on a charge of murder in the first
degree. He pleaded guilty, saying he had
no use for lawyer.
Judge Childs sentenced him to die within
the week beginning June "a. 1889, by the
application of electricity, as provided by
the code, at Auburn state prison. Counselor
Hatch took exceptions to the sentence,
upon the ground that the punishment was
cruel and unusual, and contrary to the
spirit of the constitution. Kemmler reached
Auburn Friday, May "a, at midnight. A
writ of habeas corpus was served upon
Warden Durston just before the fatal day
arrived, and upon June IS an exhaustive
argument was heard by County Judge Day
The whole argument was as to the constitu-
tionality of the law substituting electricity
for the gibbet. upon the ground of the
former being cruel and unusual Judge
Day dismissed the writ, and the case was
taken to the general term of the supreme
court at Rochester, where the constitution
J, atty of the law was upheld The last
resort was the court of appeals, and here
too, the decision was adverse to Kemmlers
counsel
The criminal was resentenced to die ir
the week beginning April IS, 1890 1t i,
likely kemmIer would have been electri.
, clzed on April 80, but on the Goth United
States writ of nabeas corpus was served OF
the warden, and the case was then carried
to the United States supreme court on tho
point of constitutionality Of the law, on the
same grounds as urged in the state courts
The New York courts were upheld in the
final appeal, and Kemmlsr was again sen
fenced to be killed in the week beginning
| Aug. 4.