The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-03-12
WAS MAYHEM GUILTY |?
Colored Convict Dies in the
Chair Protesting His In
noeenee Of Murder.

1S97.-Arthur Mayhew, the condemned
murderer of Stephen Powell, of Hemp
stead. l.. l., awoke this morning at 1880
O'Clock for the last time on earth. He
retired at 2:20 A. M. and Gis five hours
sleep was undisturbed His wife was with
him last night until nearly IL O'Clock and
was again admitted to the cell this morn
ing in company with the doomed mans
brother They remained until few
| minutes before the time set for the exc
cutton. Fathers Creeden and MCGUIRE
spent an hour with the murderer this
| morning in prayer. The negro was bap-
| tised into the Catholic faith few weeks
ago and he Joined devoutiy in the services
for the salvation of his soul this MORN
Ing. His prayers could be plainly heard
through the prison corridors. When he
awoke this morning ne asked the keeper
how the weather was, and when told it
threatened rain, he calmly replied, That .
| too bad"
| AT first he refused to take breakfast,
but changed his mind later and partook of
a meal of eggs and coffee.
| He still stoutly maintains his innocence
and continually begs his wife NOT to be-
| lieve him guilty of the murder. He will
be sent to the chair at n:15. All the
witnesses to the execution reached the
prison at 1880 and later were conducted
| to the death chamber. drizzling rain
| was falling which added to the dismal
| spectacle about execution room
| The following is a list of the persons
present at the execution
| Omar V. Sage. Agent and Warden; Dr.
| r. T. Irvine, Prison Physician; E. F.
Davis, State Electrician, assisted by
1
John Wilson Gibbs, Mr. Walter N.
Thayer, Jr., Mr.. Jerome NJ. King, all of
New York city; DR.. John p Rowan,
Brooklyn; DR.. N H. Freeland, Tarrytown,
N. T.; James H. Ward. Poughkeepsie. N.
| T.; DIR. W. e. Coombs, Yonkers, N. T.;
Archer B. Wallace. Freeport, L. l.; DR..
Loab, Philadelphia; DR.. Richard r.
| Daley New York city; John Kinzie,
Oceanus. L. l.; Dennis Sullivan, Flushing,
L. l.; W. c. Baker, Under Sheriff,
Queens county, N Y. and DR.. C. A.
Miles Yonkers, N. Y, Coroner of West
| chester county.
| Mayhew was electrocuted In the death
! cnamher at n;17. He tottered to the
| death chair supported by two priests, and
1t required the united efforts of four
| keepers to strap the doomed man into
| the chair. The negro was terribly fright
| ened and appealed to the keepers with
/ whom he struggled, not to turn on the
current until he cried he was ready. All
during the operation of fastening him
| down in the chair Mayhem cried out: Il
4 am not guilty; I'm dying an innocent
man; John Waynes and Frank Albertson
are guilty" These cries he interspersed
! with Jesus, have mercy on me! oh,
| Lord God, save mel"
| 1t was pitiful scene.
The witnesses entered the death cham
Der shortly after eleven o. clock and took
| seats on small stools around the wall. AT
n:M the prayers of the priests for the
| dying were heard coming from the pris-
on corridor. minute later Warden Sage
entered the death chamber, followed i'm
mediately by Principal Keeper Connaugh-
ton. Next came Mayhem, tottering and
reeling, supported by Fathers Creeder
Gentlemen, I tell you am innocent .
Four keepers quickly stepped forward
| taking hold of the condemned man.
! When Mayhem saw the death chair his
knees trembled and he almost fell to the
floor. The keepers pushed him toward
the chair; Mayhem resisting, shouting
Don't put me there; I tell you / am in
nocent. Sit down and be quiet" said
one of the keepers, the four of them al
the same time pushing him down.
| For Heavens sake. gentlemen, don't
turn on that current until T tell you an
ready" pleaded the negro. He was as
sured he would be given ample notice
In minute Mayhem was safely strapped
into the chair. All the time he kept pro.
|
vine mercy. In another moment his voice
was silent. Eighteen hundred volts at 4
signal from Electrician Davis, had beer
shot into the negro's body. Every muscle
in Mayhew's body instantly became rigid
and his frame tightened up against the
straps. After five seconds the voltage
was reduced to $50 and Immediately run
up again to 1900. At the end of a minute
1t was shut off entirely, and all that was
mortal of the dusky murderer slank into
the chair. He never knew what STRUCK
him." was the comment Of Electrician
During the execution Father Creeder
stood to the left of Mayhem praying sn
behalf of the doomed man. The electro
more SO than any previously held at Sing
Sing. The physicians examined the body
immediately and declared that death was
instantaneous
4 An hour later the body was removed
from the oath chamber to the autopsy
room.
Frank Albertson, who was accused by
Mayhew in his dying breath of being i'm
plicated with Waynes In the murder OF
Powell has never before been mentioned
IN connection with the crime That there
Is such q man is not even kglown by any
body interested in the case. Testimony
during the trial showed that only two
men were concerned in the crime Sew
era1 lawyers here today taking into con
sheraton the mans strong protestatior
OF Innocence and Waynes' confession that
Mayhew was not implicated in POWELL:
murder, expressed the fear that perhar,s
after all Mayhem may have been nlistajs.
en- for Albertson and that the unfortunate
negro died innocent L
Arthur Mayhew, who suffered the deasf
penalty in Sing Sing Prison this morn
ing, was convicted of a brutal crime
committed Saturday, March I, 1896. Or
that night Stephen Powell, a prorninen
resident Hampstead, l.. l., President O.
the Hampstead Gas Company and pro
prietor of a shoe store in the vilIas,e
was found dead in the street near Hi
home, with three gaping wounds in Iii
head Early next morning John Waynss
negro, employed by the gas company
and Arthur Mayhew, also colored hi
confession, accusing Mayhem of thu
crime and duplicating himself. He de
clared that on the night of the mur{e
he and Mayhem were together and wer
badly in need of money. On leaving ;
saloon in Hampstead, they met Mr. Pow
ell who. was on his way home. Knowing
he usually carried a large sum of money
the negroes followed closely. behind him
When near a secluded spot Mayhem drew
from his pocket a long, black stocking, ii
the foot of which was stone as big a
mans fist. With this Mayhem strllcl
Powell a terrible swinging blow. The oil,
man fell on his face like a log neve
uttering a. word. With inborn brutalit,
Mayhem twice again struck the prostrat
man with the deadly weapon. Assure,
he had been safely silenced, the tw,
footpads then calmly turned the victim
over on his back and robbed him
While hurrying from the scene Of th
crime Wayne accidentally dropped from
| his pocket a brierwocd pipe, the fintlin,
: of which led to the capture of the dusk.
murderers.