The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-06-20
BERGMAN HANGED.
Morristown's Fratrieide Dies in
Spite of Legal Teehni-
ealities -Van Tise
Operates.
Speciaz to the Jerseu Citu Neus.

MORRISTOWN, June 20, 1Sso.-August
Bergman was hanged for the murder of
his brother, julius. at 1O:05 A. M. this
morning. Hangman Van Hise of New
ark performed the execution. Bergman
rested well last night and arose at 5:l5
ual adviser, Father Stein. of Newark.
After this he went to sleep again and
awoke at Tbs o'clock. When the last
rites of the church were administered
He the ate heartily of a breakfast of
ham and eggs and bread and coffee.
He then dressed for the ordeal, and bade
Court House was guarded by the Tar
bert Post, G.. A. R., armed with loaded
muskets. Only a small group of curious
people collected near the Court House.
Bergman's body will be inferred in the
Catholic Cemetery here.
The crime for which Bergman today
paid the death penalty was a cruel one,
and wa committed at Stirling. about one
o'clock on the afternoon of January IL,
1894, in the presence of Mrs. Augusta,
widow of Julius Bergeman. and her W
small children.
The brothers, August and julius. had
quarrelled for some time over an amount
of money which August believed that
his brother had received from their
mothers estate in Germany. At the
dinner table on the day of the trouble
julius remarked that he would like to
LIVE twenty years to see his children
grow up. August replied: Julius, you'll
never live twenty years, I'll warrant
you," and rising from the table he COM
manded Julius to hand over to him all
the money due at once. Julius answered
that he could not give him the money
until information was received from
Germany as to what amount was due
him.
He said he had received letters from
Germany telling him not to settle with
August as the papers had not yet been
attended to by the administrators, and
he accused August of having sent word
to the administrators not to attend to
the papers. August denied the charge
with an oath, and falling upon his knees
called upon God to witness that he
spoke the truth.
Julius laughed at his brothers oath.
and said that he had not been to church
since he had been in the country. With
this, August drew a pistol from his
pocket, arose from his knees, and sprang
at Julius, who was in the act of rising
from the table. The two men clinched
and fell across a trunk in a fierce and
desperate struggle. Mrs. Bergman at
tempted to separate them, but could do
nothing. During the struggle August
fired two shots which took effect upon
julius. One bullet entered the neck on
the left side, ~severing the jugular vein,
and the other pierced his right breast.
julius arose and staggered to the bed
room, where he fell ON the floor. He
was lifted to the bed by Antonio Boggio
and John Ferris. who had heard the
noise and entered the house. Julius
died in less than five minutes, without
speaking.
August was arrested by Constable
Melee, of Stirling, and brought to Nor
ristown, where he has since been con-
fined. He was tried at the January
term, 1894, and convicted. The principal
witness was the wife of the murdered
man, Mrs. Augusta Bergman. August
was sentenced by the court to be
hanged on the 10Th of March of last year,
but the case was appealed on technical
grounds by his counsel, Thomas J.
O'Brien, who carried the case to Wash
ington, where after a long wait the SUI
preme Court decided not to interfere,
and Governor Werts named June 20,
1895, as the day for the execution.