Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-31
FRAU ZILLMAN EXECUTED.
The First Female Criminal to Die at
Berlin In Nearly Fifty Years.

For the first time since 1876 a woman
was executed at Berlin yesterday. The VIC
tim was Emile Zillman, of Hammer, Prus-
sian Silesia. She had been convicted of the
murder of her husband and the facts elicit
ed at the trial showed that the crime was
most deliberate and cold-blooded. Frau
Zillman was forty-fve years old.
In Germany capital sentences are car
ried out by a headsman and yesterday
Reindel Of Magdeburg acted in that capaci-
ty. The preparations for the execution were
kept secret Even Reindel did not, until
Sunday night, know who IT was he was to
decapitate. The condemned woman, who
had been incarcerated in the Moabit pris-
on, was only apprised of the nearness of
her fate at 1:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon.
Up to that time she had firmly believed
When she was told that she was to die yes
terday. she broke down completely, and
her actions were pitiable.
The Moabite prison has no execution
yard, and the prisoner was, therefore.
transferred to the Ploetzenze prison. She
was taken there Sunday in a van, a num-
Der of mounted policemen riding around the
conveyance. The prison was reached at
2:30 O'Clock, and the woman was placed in
a cell on the ground floor in the mask $
wing. A female warder remained with her
throughout the night.
When supper time came the prisoner
asked that she be served with beefsteak and
coffee. remarking, as she proffered her re-
quest:
1T will be the last time I will want to
eat.'
She partook very heartily of the food
furnished her. AS darkness set in she be-
came very restless. She would lie on the
pallet for a time and then get up and
walk up and down in her narrow cell.
Most all the night was passed in this
manner. the prisoner continually protesting
her innocence.
At o'clock yesterday morning the exc
cution attendants appeared in the cell, &C
companied by a clergyman and several
other persons. Frau Zillman was then told
that il was time for the final preparations
for death TO be made. The woman was In
an agony of fear, and made not the slight
est resistance to those detailed to prepare
her for her awful fate.
A woman stepped up to her as she sat
with wide staring eyes on a chair and ex-
peditiously cut from her dress a circular
hair was twisted into knot and fastened
on the top of the head, leaving her whole
neck entirely bare.
At s o'clock two warders took her by the
arms. lifted her from her seat. and half
led, half carried her into the court yard
where the headsman's block had been plac-
ed. Beside it stood the executioner, resting
on the hilt of his heavy sword.
Half dead with fear. the woman was
placed beside the block, and there sup
ported while Prosecutor Laamann read to
her the sentence of death.
The prisoner was told to kneel, but she
apparently did not hear. and the warders
gently but firmly forced her down until
her head rested on the block. While they
were doing this handkerchief that had
been temporarily placed around her neck
was removed.
The next instant after her head touched
the block there was a cleaning fash of
steel. and the head of the woman dropped
into the basket TO receive 1t. AS the blood
f7nyx -a1 in from
the eXecutioner exclaimed:
THE sentence of the law has been exc
cuted. May God have mercy upon thou.
sinner"