Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-05-25

VINO Was Implicated in tho Crime, Com
mitted Suicide In HIS Cell.
Norristown, Pa, May IS. james A.
Clemmer was hanged this morning, in |
the Montgomery county Jail, for the |
murder of Mrs. Emma p. Kaiser. The |
trap was sprung by Sheriff Light, at
10. 06 o'clock, and Clemmer was pro
pounced dead at TO-. "a. lie went to his |
death bravely, and made no statement
OH the gallows. None Of his relatives
were present.
The condemned man was escorted to
the gallows by Fathers Gallagher and
Shannon, of ST. Patrick's Roman
Catholic Church, Norristown, and
Father flanagan of the Church OF the
Assumption, Philadelphia. All the
prisoners whose cells are in tho corridor
in which the scatfold was erected, in
Guiding Lizzie DeKalb, who is serving
a two years sentence as an accessory
to the murder, were removed to another
part of the Jail, and the sound of the
falling trap did not reach their ears.
Before leaving his cell for tho march
to the sallows, Clemmer received the
sacrament of the holy eucharist, and
professed to have mado his peace with
God. The procession to the instru-
ment of death started from the con-
demned mans cell at 1902 O'Clock.
Clommer was attired in the blue suit
he wore at his trial, a new white shirt,
high collar and black tie. lie was clean
shaven, except for his moustache, which
no had allowed to grow. The scafold
had been erected less than 20 feet from
Clemmer's cell. The grim procession
consisted Of Clemmer, supported by
Fathers Gallagher and Hannagan,
| Warden Gotwals and his assistants, and
Sheriff Light, accompanied by his
deputies.
Clemmer displayed wonderful nerve,
and walked with firm steps to the
scaffold. The rope was fastened to a
pine beam, overhead. AS soon as the
condemned man had taken his stand
upon the fatal trap doors, the deputy
sheriff strapped his legs together and
handcutfed his hands behind him.
Clemmer, holding crucifix in his
hand, kept repeating: Jesus, Mary,
have mercy" the priests beside him
repeating the prayers for the dying.
Chief of Police Rodenbaugh adjusted
the moose, and Deputy Sheriff Abraham
M. Bergey placed the black cap over
Clemmer's head, while Sheriff Light
retired into cell Immediately facing
the gallows, to pull the lever that was
to send Clemmer into eternity. A
moment of deathlike silence was fol-
lowed by the click Of the lever, and
Clemmer's body shot through the trap.
There were few conyusive movements
of the legs, then they Strengthened out,
and all was over. Clemmer's neck
was broken. In the drop, the knot ir
the moose slipped from under the left
ear to the right ear.
: A local undertaken took charge o.
! the body, which was forwarded tt
Douglassvile, Pa, Clemmer's birth
place, for interment.
cLEuMEn's CRIME.
On the night of October 2Sth, 1896
Mrs. Charles Kaiser, while driving
with her husband, about one mile from
! Bridgeport, Pa, was shot in the head
: and instantly killed. The husband de
clared they were attacked by highway
, man, and exhibited wound in hi
! ! arm IN proof of his story.
! The discovery that the womau's lif
! had been insured for several THOUSAND
| dollars brought suspicion upon tn
! husband. He was arrested, and the
! the detectives set to work to unrave
the tangled skein of the plot that le
up to the murder. A tangled web
indeed, they found it. The more the
! investigated, the further tho net wor
y of crime appeared to extend, The
:. brought into it, at last, James A
y Clenmer and his mistress, Lizzie De
u Kalb, who had been concerned wit
y Clemmer in previous offences agains
:. the law, DEMONSTRATING being the mos
4 conspicuous among them. The onl
" one in all tho circle who was innocer
Il and good was the woman who wa
u slain, and the prime mover and arch
villain in the conspiracy was Clemmel
y 1t was no who persuaded Kaiser m
% Lizzie Delialb to play their fearf,
parts, and his was the hand that kille
! tho unfortunate woman, after repeate
y, efforts to accomplish the deed in otht
y ways had been made
y On the night of October 18th. 1881
y Kaiser was induced to take his wi
. upon the Gulf Mills road. GLENN,
v and Lizzie DeKalb. behind a rapi
y team, drove after, passing them as thu
70 were returning in the direction of No
~ ~ ristown. Clemmer turned his hors
- alightcd, handed the lines to Liz
~ Dekalb, and started in pursuit Of Il
20 Kaisers. afoot. Shortly after reachir
- the crest Of tho hill, Kaiser stoppe,
= Clemmer went running up, all out
" breath. He did not parley long. Aft
y making q pretence of taking Mr.
=, kaiser's pocketbools, he put revolv
" to her head; she screamed for hel
but her husband, leaning forward I
the dashboard, held her head forwar
M In a second, bullet had crashed in
he Mrs. kaiser's skull, and she dropp'
n over the seat corpse. So as to bra
m up the highwayman story, GLENN
n shot through the fieshy part of Kaiser
nj left arm. He wanted to have the bi
or Craze Kaiser's skull, but that seem
an too much like the real thing, al
he Kaiser objected.
ms Kaiser was tried for the crime, al
AS convicted. A year later, Lizzie DeKa
,;s was arrested and Clemmer was ca
tured shortly afterwards. Kaiser ties
fed against them, and commit
suicide in his cell, while await
ed execution, Lizzie DeKalb was Sc
RS fenced to two years Imprisonment,
ng an accessory to tho murder, and Gle
70. mer, sentenced on October 4th, IS!
~. had his sentenced reaffirmed by t
as, Supreme Court on March l4th last.
or Large Initiarion.
he Wilmington Lodge, A. o. u. v
He admitted GA new members at its me,
- inp Thursday Tho Iodua now h,,