The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-06-06
DIED BY THE WIRE.
Murderer Martella Electrocuted at
Dennemora-H His Last Fight.

DENNEMoRA, N. Y. June 6, 1S93.-
Martella was electrocuted at Clinton
Prison today at nine minutes TO twelve
A. N. Two contacts were necessary to
cause death.
A gloomy day greeted Sapione Mar
telIa on his last day of life upon earth.
The prisoner rested fairly well last light.
but. of course, was rather nervous. He
arose early this morning and. before
breakfast, was visited by father b elan
ger. his spiritual adviser, who nd minis
tered holy communion TO the condemned
man. Afterwards Martella ate hearty
breakfast. when Father Belanger, ac-
eompanied by Father Blanchard OF
Malone, returned to remain with him
until the final moment.
TROUBLESOME YESTERDAY.
1t was learned today that Martella had
been troublesome yesterday. When
Warden Thqyer, accompanied by Deputy
Warden McKenna. reached Martella's
cell yesterday morning. at the time the
death warrant was read, the Warden
found that the Yale lock on the cell door
would not open. He thought nothing OF
this circumstance at the time, and read
the warrant to Martela through the cell
window. during which operation Mar
tella sat upon his cot smoking. The
Warden then left to have the prison
machanic repair the lock. Before he
reached the end of the corridor. however.
he was called back TO Martella's cell by
the whistle of the guard who was watch
ing Martella.
Hurrying back, he saw Martella striking
himself over the head with the iron
bucket used in his cell, his evident ipten-
ton being to fracture his skull. At the
same time Martella was declaring that he
would never be taken to the electric
chair alive. Failing to injure himself In
this manner, Martella tried to choke him
self with his hands, but again his efforts
were unavailing.
By this time a sledge hammer and
chisel, which the Warden had sent for,
were brought, and the lock OF the cell
door was soon broken. AS the Warden
entered the cell the prisoner threw him.
self headforemoss upon the floor, but
without any evident injury to himself.
Martella was then secured and placed in
another of the condemned cells and. a
keeper was left in the cell to guard b..
the door being left unlocked.
An examination of the lock of the first
cell showed that Martella had removed
one of the pearl buttons from his under
shirt. and strstching his arm outside of
the cell door through the bars, had In
serted the button in the keyhQie, He evil
IDENTIFY thought that if the door could not
| be opened his execution mnst necessarily
! be delayed. 1t is evident that the con-
| demned man expected to die yesterday
| from the fact that the other electrocu.
| tions took place on Monday.
PROMISED TO DIE QUIETLY.
| Last night Marietta promised Warden
| Thayer that no would make no further
| trouble and would approach 5he death
\ chair today quietly. AT the condemned
| man's request the Warden called in an
| interpreter one day last week when two
| letters were written, one 70 Martella's )
wife and the other TO q friend in Sara
toga. In the latter epistie he asked
that his death certificate be mailed TO his
wife in Italy. In the letter to his wife.
sMaEtella fer the first time, informed har
Of his fate. He requested her to tell their
| six year old son, when he grew up never
| to name child after him. as he had been
! so unfortunate, and declared that the
| fates were against him being successful
in this country. These letters will be
| mailed by the Warden this afternoon.
! At eight o'clock the condemned man
| was shaved and dressed and all his prep
| arations for the execution, so farfas he
| himselt was concerned. were Completed
| The witnesses had about all arrived at
| ten O'Clock.
| At half-past eleven the witnesses were
| conducted within the prison on their way
| to the execution chamber.
Warden Thayer informed Chief Blodg-
EFT that under the law the body could be
delivered to no person but relatives. and
consequently the body will be inferred in
the prison cemetery. Martella is the first
Italian to be electrocuted.
THE MURDER.
The murder for which Martella paid
the penalty today, was committed on the
evening of May 5. 1892, inSaratoga, when
he cut the throat of another Italian
named Giovanni Parrello, aud stabbed
him in six other places. thrice in the
breast, once on the left shoulder, in
tae back and in the back Of the
head. Jealousy was the cause. Anna
Guy. who lived with Martello as his mis-
tress, WAS entertaining Parrello .on the
night of the murder. Marrello discovered
the pair. when Parrello ran out of the
house, followed by Martelo. who threat
ened TO kill him. Later Martello returned
to the house with q cut in his eye, saying
that Parrello would never trouble him
again.
The execution Of MartelIo was the first
in fifty years of person convicted of a
capital crime in Saratoga County anu
the third in the history of the county, Or
ganiZed 102 years ago. During this time
thirty-three persons have been indicted
for murder in that county. but only four
of them received the death penalty.
Martin Fay. Jr.. who shot young
woman at Saratoga, is now in Clinton
Prison waiting for the Court of Appeals
to pass upon his case.