The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-04-14
STORIES OF THE CRIMES
Brutal Murders Which GEM and
and Maekin Expiated
This Morning.

with so much careful elaboration that
his lawyers, Gilbert Collins, now Supreme
Court Justice. and William S. Stuhr, were
| unable to convince either of two juries
that their client was insane. Nor had
| they any better success with the Court
of Pard5ns. The crime was committed
on the afternoon of August Is. 1894, at
No. 107 Hudson street, Hoboken. The
couple had occupied a room on the third
floor of the house, and it presented album
dant evidences of a Wcman'S taSte1ul
handiwork. Ten minutes before she
|swas killed Clara was in Mrs. korne-
mann's sitting room on the second hool
assisting Mrs. Kornemann in making
preparations for a birthday party which
was partly open, and Clara saw GEM go
upstairs. He had a bunch of flowers
in his hand which h must naturally
have thought was for her.
IN be back in a few minutes she
said to Mrs. Kornemann, as she passed
through the door and tripped lightly up
could not have been more than three
minutes after the young woman left her
room in UGH a light-hearted. joyous
manner before she heard five pistol shots
was followed by a woman'S scream, and
Immediately afterward there was a
heavy fall on the floor. Mrs. kornemann
room occupied by Clara n her hus-
band, as GEM was supposed to be. Clara
was lying on the floor in a pool OF her
bullet rounds in her body, GEM was
her blood-stained face and exclaiming,
My edelweis! My edelweis! What have
/ done? What have 1 q one?"
The police arrived a few minutes after
ward and found GEM sitting on the floor
was apparently frenzied with grief and
remorse. and it was only by the exer-
else of a great deal of physical force that
from the body OF his victim. A n ambui-
ance was hastily summoned. but the
young woman's life had passed away be-
substituted for the ambulance and the
body taken away The tragedy created
an intense sensation. Crowds gathered
around the house, and It was fortunate
protection of the police. If the crowd
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
steamer Gelert in March, 1894. 1t was
came here first in 1885. and followed his
profession OF civil engineer. While in
Dakota in 1893 he met with an accident
which incapacitated him for work. An
iron beam struck him in the chest, and
after remaining in the hospital six months
he went back to Germany. He and
tldTd were thrown IOSoIner d great QtaI
during the oyage on the Gillert, and he
became enamored of her. They were to
be married on their arrival in this coun-
try. but in a burst of confidence he told
her that he was engaged TO a young
woman in Germany. Clara then re-
fused to marry him on the other young
woman's account, but consented to be
room where Clara was afterward lone
to death and the other people in the
house believed that they were married.
Or10 M ny Nc.ffA n - -.
the American liner New York, and made
two trips across the ocean. While on
the other side he learned that the young
woman to whom he was engaged was
about to marry another man. She noti-
fed GEM that the engagement with him
was broken, and then GEM came back to
In the meantime Clara had made the ac-
quaintance of Bernard Stencil, a young
man employed as a bartender in Busch's
1t was the knowledge of this fact, i'm
parted to him by Clara herself, that
aroused GEMS jealousy and prompted
him e XIII her. On the day Of the muir
ing preparations for it. He purchased
the revolver and took two lessons in
Earning learnt e how aort to load It; He bought the
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
yer before shaved a man two hours be-
fore his death. It was afterward In
f ferrsd y fr pIT1 this this sa that he had It IN his
life, but his nerve failed him. He
stopped in several saloons and babe good
bye to the proprietor in one place, but
places.
GEM was indicted at the September
term {ssa Of 1894 his Indictment being the
plead on September IL, and pleaded gull.
tty. being anxious at that time to be
minSf ,d as soon as possible so that he
pincott ordered the plea ~disregarded. and
a plea of not guilty entered. LAWYERS
Collins and stuhr were assigned to de-
: reno nm n his trial was begun on May
murder in the first degree. On Nav n
ms counsel moved for an order to show
g eaanf why on a the nsW asd trial Tia m shGuld n not b
MED. and Genz was sentenced 70 be-
hanged on July 25, 1895. Thu Judgment
= was new set tr aside by the Supreme Court and
commenced on May 6, 1896, just a year
from the date of the previous trial and
OF pend NAY Z . another verdict Of guilty. was
rule to show cause was made on Nav IL
and on May % it was enied and J,1jv *
f1xed as the date Of the execution. A
was pendlng in the Court of Errors until
the early part of March this vear wben
a are;v WIT be was - dismissed The remittitur
hA~A IA W. dllu lQTee laws
a~fterward Sen was sentenced ~ bs
hanged on April Is. The Court Of Par'
dons passed upon the case twice ana 70
fused to interfere LIN
John Mackin killed his wife. Iizzia. his
motner-in-law Bridget onnor and friad
70 XIII ms father-in-law, Morris Connors
ABOUT DUSK on the evening of Febr11ary
", 1886. His wife had left him in lam,
airy on account of his disinclination 70
work and Inability 10 support her and
their baby: a boy two years old. ana rnne
70 live with her parents, at No. 10 Phiijn
street, down on the Communipaw shora
Mackin called at the house in the mnrn.
ing and asked to see his wife and child
put was refused admittance. He was told
10 Keen away from the house. He went
away and spent the hours between f5af
time and the time of the tragedy IN
rink and making preparations for #
re e q revolver in Fred Tayne's
store, n newark avenue, and visited sew
Poou7bye TO his friends and acquaintances
NO attention was paid to him az he
had always been known as Giraffe ana
rather weak-minded. He had also estab-
ilshed q reputation for viciousness and
innate d~epravity, although he was only
~ years old: From boyhood he had been
a source Of worry and trouble to his
parents, and 1t was a source Of wonder
TO everybody who knew the family that
Harry Mackln. who had the respect and
should have q son with characteristics
SO Numerically opposed to his own.
After preparing himself for the tragedy
Mackin went back to the Connors house
and knocked at the rear door Just as.
starting to 60 to work. He was emnloved
as night Waterman at the Communities
Abattoirs The old man had hts IIinrh
pail in one hand ind had given an annie
70 Mrs. Mackin, who's he had kissed