The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-04-27
THE DEADLY SPARK
Felgencamp Killed By Elec-
tricity in Sing Sing
Prison.
CURRENT TWICE APPLIED
Ho Murdered His Boarding House
Keeper and Was No Better
Than a Crank.
CURRENT TWICE APPLIED


SING SING, N. Y, April 27 1sse.-The
third murderer to suffer the death penalty
al the State Prison here within a week
was executed this morning. Today;s
victim was Carl Feigenbaum, VINO had
been confined in the death house of the
prison for sixteen months awaiting punish
ment for the murder of Johanna Hcff-
man in September, 1894 The woman lived
in small aprtment at $40 East Sixth
street. New York City, and Feigenbaurn
occupied one of her rooms as Iodger
The murder was committed at night
while the woman was in bed, and there
was no apparent motive for the crime.
out the guilt of Feigenbaum was con-
clusively established by the evidence eff
the murdered woman's son. who was
an eye witness of the tragedy, and his
story was corro5orated by other strong
circumstanuial evidence. Nevertheless.
Fefgenbaum stoutly maintained his in
nocence throughout his trial and his long
incarceration and went to the death
chair claiming that Jacob Weibel was
the real murderer.
The condemned man was visited by his
brother, and his last words to him were,
Il am innocent He repeated the same
statement to Warden Sage this morning.
The case was along time bending in
the Court of Appeals, and after the con-
vIetion was affirmed DIR. Carlos McDon-
AID was appointed by Governor Morton to
application for executive clemency hav-
ing been made on the ground that he was
DR.. Mcdonald spent two davs in tha
examination, and reached the conclusion
lhat F,eigenbaum was sane, and the con-
aenaned man was then resentenced to die
Hf NJ zracaly
While the condemned man was not in
sane ne was IN many respects peculiar,
and undoubtedly he could be described
as a crank. He was aGarman, "a
years old. of highly nervous tenpera-
nent and very passionate and excitable
u JI late, however, under the influence OF
ms approaching doom, and the ministra-
tlens of his spiritual advisers he became
more calm, and it was remarked by all
before his execution that he never be-
fore had manifested so little concern
over his fate
Rev. Fathers Bruder of Poughkeepsie.
ard sCreeden of Sing Sing were with him
until ten O'clock last night After their
departure he sat up until two P. NJ
tired and slept soundly until six O'Clock.
tie ate no breakfast, but was in a cheer-
Iul mood One Of his last acts was to
make his will, in which, he left his personal
property and some real estate to a sister
| IN Germany, giving her all his property
wlrq the exception of $50. which he left to
penses. He named Warden Bruder as
ms executor, and the will was witnessed
by =. c. Westlal5e and F. II. Burroughs,
officers of the prison.
AT eight o'clock the clergymen arrived
and remained with the condemned man
until the, end Shortly before eleven
Feigenbaum drank a bowl of milk. de-
cl1nlng to take any other food.
The witnesses invited to the execution
included the following:-Dr/J u. McAllis-
ter, DR.. George Knipe, DR.. Grant H.
Elchtmeyer. DR.. G. Wimpelberg. DIR. John
Mllson Gibbs, Dr.. Justin Hero9d, all of
Vernon, N. z; Dr.. E. J. Gallagher Dr.
". II. Connolly. both of Kingston, Ny:
Dr., Pr sehafImeister. Sing Sing; Or. 2. E.
Schneider @s Yonkers. N. 4; DF Byron ashTy E
French and VIM. S. Lawton, New York
city, and George S. Jenkins Sing Sing
All of these, together with a number OF
press representatives, assembled in the
Warden's office at eleven O'Clock and
at ll.0S they We're conducted to the exs-
cution chamber.
The preparations were soon completed,
and then the heavy door leading 10 the
condemned cells was opened and Warden
tne condemned man. The procession was
soon heard returning to the oath cham
per Warden Sage entered at 1:16 fol-
icWed Dy Feigenbaum, who was supported
on el5ner SIDE by the priests. while a little
squad OF officers brought up the rear
Feigenbaum was dressed in brown suit
minus the coat, which he left in the cell.
A blue and white striped shirt, black tie
and slippers completed his attire. He
one hand and prayer book in the other.
The priest continued to recite PRAYERS
with him while he was being strapped in
to the chair. Before his right arm was
fastened he shook hands with Warden
assse', cage ana ct the last moment he said.
DR.. Irvine, the prison physician gave
the signal TO the electrician and the cur
rent was turned on at the full force of
I;S2O volts. It was gradually reduced to
800 volts and then raised again to / $50
Deing nnaMy turned off ait Ills. DIR. John
Wilson Gibbs, who held the watch, and
andp ronounced the man dead.
The other physicians We're then invited
to examine the body and occupied several
| them was willing to say that he
Thought the man alive. but one or
two Of them expressed a slight doubt on
the subject and to satisfy them the cur
rent was again turned on at II 25 for
a space OF three seconds at the full volt
age. Before this was done DS. Gibbs
reiterated the statement that the man
was undoubtedly dead after the first ap-
plication Of the current.
Several of the physicians who had witt
opinion that this was the most success
ful one they had seen, and declared that
the second application of the current was
entirely unnecessary. When the current
was first turned on and again when it
was raised to the full voltage at the end
OF the first application Of the current
there was a loud noise caused by the
sudden expulsion of air from the lungs,
but on the second application there was
nothing Of the kind. The burns caused
by the electrodes at the points of con-
tact with the body were very slight.
AT 1850 the body was removed from the
chair ana turned over to the surgeons.
who proceeded at once with the autopsy
The brain was examined first, and as
usual in these cases was found to con-
tain many ruptured blood vessels and
large quantity of freeblood, indicating
the thoroughness with which the current
had done its work on the first applica-
ton.
WRECKED BY A BOILER.
,fyT .TyVTfT. .AND Anri1 27 1896 A Sna-