The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-04-13
STORIES OF THE CRIMES
Brutal Murders Which GEM and
and Maekin Expiated
This Morning.

- t
The crime for which Genz was hanged
was the murder of Clara Arnim. his mis-
tress, or as he was fond of calling her
his .'edelweis., The murder was planned
With so much careful elaboration thai
| his lawyers, Gilbert Collins, now Supreme
Court Justice. and William S. Stuhr, were
unable to convince either of two juries
hat their client was insane. Nor had
they any better success with the Court
of Pard5ns. The crime was committee
on the afternoon of August rs. 1894, al
No. 107 Hudson street, Hoboken. The
couple had occupied a room on the third
floor of the house, and it presented alum
dant evidences of a wcman's tasteful
handiwork. Ten minutes before she
was killed Clara was in Mrs. Korne-
mann's sitting room On the second 1ool
assisting Mrs. Kornemann in making
preparations for a birthday party which
was to be held that evening. The door
was partly open, and Clara saw GEM go
upstairs. He had a bunch of flowers
in his hand which she nus naturally
I'll be back in a few minutes she
said to Mrs. Kornemann, as she passed
through the door and tripped lightly up
the stairs. Mrs. Kornemann thinks it
could not have been more h a three
minutes after the young woman left her
room in such a light-hearted. joyous
q I1dIlueT QGIUIG sic IGdIu 1--WE pIStOl ollOtS
fired in. rapid succession. The first one
was followed by a wonlan's scream, and
Immediately afterward there was a
heavy fall on the floor. Mrs. Kornemann
room occupied by Clara and her hus-
band, as GEM was supposed to be. Clara
was lying. on the floor in a pool of her
own blood, which was oozing from four
bullet wounds in her body: GEM was
bending over her, passionately kissing
her b-lood-stained face and exclaiming,
MY edelweis! My edelweis! What have
1 done? What have l G one?"
The police arrived a few minutes after
ward and found GEM sitting on the floor
with his victims. head on his lap. He
was apparently frenzied with grief and
remorse. and it was only by the exer-
else of a great deal of physical force that
the police were able to drag him away
ance was hastily summoned. but the
young woman's life had passed away be-
fore its arrival. The morgue wagon was
s boay tahen aqF the T fm0g 9ragedy a Creates tea
an intense sensation. Crowds gathered
around the house, and it was fortunate
for the murderer that he was under the
could have had a chance at the MUIR
derer the county might have been saved
the expense of his two trials and execu-
ton.
GEM and Clara Arnim first met on the
GEMS second trip to this country. He
cane here first in 1855 n followed his
Dakota in 1893 he met with an accident
which incapacitated him for work. An
iron beam struck him in the chest, and
he went back to Germany. He and
Clara were thrown together a great deal
curing the voyage on the Gillert, and he
be married on their arrival in this cour-
try, but in a burst of confidence he told
her that he was engaged to a young
woman in Germany. Clara then re-
fused 70 marry him on the other young
woman's account, but consented to be-
come his mistress. They engaged the
room where Clara was afterward done
house believed that they were married.
GEM secured a position as fireman on
the American liner New York, and made
two trips ACROSS the ocean. While on
woman to whom he was engaged was
about to marry another man. She noti-
he'd GEM that the engagement with him
was broken, and then GEM came back to
this country determined to marry Clara.
In the meantime Clara had made the ac-
quafntance OF. Bernard Stencil, a young
Hotel, and had become engaged to him.
It was the knowledge of this fact. i'm
parted to him by Clara herself, that
hina Sc .; Sens jealousy n prompted
der, GEM spent the entire morning max
preparations for it. He purchased
the revolver and took two lessons in
bunch of flowers and told the florist that
it was for a funeral which would take
place the next day or perhaps the day
after. He went to a barber Shop to get
shaved and asked the barber if he had
before shaved a man two hours be-
his death It was afterward in
rerred II Ir ON h TINS tat ne had It in his
life, but his nerve failed him IL
stopped in several saloons and bade good
pye to the proprietor In one place, but
places. W
GEM was indicted at the September
of 1894, his Indictment being the
plead on September IA. and pleaded gull.
tty, being anxious at that time to be
min5f ia az s9on as possible SO b a he
pincott ordered the plea disregarded. and /.
q plea Of not guilty entered. Lawyers
solilns n Stuhr were assigned to de-
7 MN His trial was begun on May
murder in the first degree. on Nav %
ms counsel moved for an order to show
cause why q new trial should not Be
MED. and Genz was sentenced to he
hanged on July rs. 1896. The iudgmenf
was set aside by the Supreme Court and
6 nam lcsaI on sra Mas 3 1 Tnat int trial was
from the date of the previous trial an
on May 8 another verdict of guilty was
rehaf r. Show Anothe application for a
ana on May 20 it was denied, and J,1iv *
Ixed as the date of the execution. A
WIFI VIII OF error was allowed and the case
the early part of March this wear wben
the writ was dismissed. The rern;ttifer
aff ! nsr es on March 10, and three days
hanged on April ID. The Court Of Pa pe
ions passed upon the case twice and re-
fused to interfere re-
John Mackin killed his wife. Lizzie. b,s
motner-in-law. Bridget Connors- and r inS
to kill his father-in-law. Morris rnnr olaeu
ABOUT dusk on the evening of Fehr,,o, ~,
1886. His wife had left him in Iannyy
airy on account of his disinclination 70
fbein Ia ah p inan,iity 10 support her and
lHeif oaoy a boy two years old, and gone
live with her parents, at No. ITO Pbiiin
street, down on the Communipaw shora
Mackin called at the house in the morn
~ any anu askea 70 see his wife and child.
20 Keep away from the house. He went
away and spent the hours bel ween tEat
and the time of the tragedy n
and making preparations for it.
re ought|a revolver in Fred Payne's
store, IN Newark avenue, and visited sew
erak saloons for the purnose of hidd;no
TO his friends and acuuaintannas
altenElon was paid to him. as he
rather weak-minded. He had also estah-
l1shed q reputation for viciousness ana
innate ~depravity, although he was onlv |
Y I years old; From boyhood he had been
q source OF worry and trouble to his |
parents, n 1t was a source Of wondar
TO everybody who knew the fam,lv thai
Harry Mackln, who a the respect ana
OF everybody who knew him. |
SO Numerically opposed to his own
After preparing himself for the TRAGEDY
Mackin went back to the Connors ho,,sa !
sna knoeked az the rear door Just as.l