The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-08-19
MURDERER KNAPP
IS ELECTROCUTED
Stranger Of Five Women
Pays Laws Penalty.
IN COLUMBUS PENITENTIARY
Tried and Convicted of Killing Third
Wife-History of the Crime
and Arrest.

COLUMBUS. Ohio. Aug. I9.-Alfred
A Knapp. Of Hamilton, Ohio, stranger
OF MS two wives. Hannah and Jennie
hhappi his mistress. May Eckhart, and
TWO children, Emma Lippleman and Ida
Eebhart. was electrocuted in the Ohio
Peniteniary annex this morning at
1903 o'clock.
Inc electrocution was successful. Only
one charge Of the fluid was necessary to
carry out the mandate OF the law. but
In order to make death certa %. Warden
Hershey turned on a full current after
he bad reduced it, as usual, from l 40
volts to 800 volts
Knapp was declared dead six minutes
after the current was turned on In
spite Of the fear OF his friends that he
would break down. Knapp was the
most composed man who was placed in
the chair in recent years. The. execu-
ton was wholly devoid of nsational
incident. as the victim himself had
prOphesied. II lacked every phase of a
dramatic or spectacular eIectrocution,
and instead OF dying as a villain. his
end was quiet and peaceful When the
warden asked him Il he had anything
to say. he responded Nothing" The
stranger met death bravely
hAdPP " aS NOAu pOScu
Knapp had been wholly composed
throughout the night. and less than half
an hour before he was conducted to
the chair he played There VIII Be a
Hot Time on an ACCORDION. Earlier
in the evening he entertained his cell
mates with "Hiawatha" and Where
Is My Wandering Boy TOnight2'
When he was being prepared for the
chair in his cell he wanted his guards
to make it known that he was not
breaking down.
Knapp said before he died: Il do not
deny any Of the crimes with which I
have been charged. 1t would be use
less to deny them now"
He has made an additional written
confession, in which he said he at
tackled the Matter children in Hamil-
ton. September IS, 1902 Joseph Roth
was arrested for this crime and ac-
quilted. Knapp said he made the con-
fession TO clear Roth's marie
For Murder of Wife.
Knapp was electrocuted for the muir
der Of his third wife, Hannah Goddard
Knapp. On December z. 1902. the wo-
man was last seen alive at her home in
Hamilton. Ohio. Later It developed that
Knapp strangled her on the night
of December p. placed her body in a
box. carted it to the Miami River. and
threw it in
After Mrs Knapp disappeared. Knapp
spent several days in Cincinnati visit
ing his sister. Mrs Ed King. and an
nOunced that he was looking for his
wife, who had disappeared. He then re-
turned 10 Hamilton. and later left for
Indianapolis. where, on January ?. 1895.
he met Anna May Gamble and married
her on the 4th OF the following Feb
ruary. On February ., 1903, at Hamil-
toni, Ed King. Of Cincinnati. Knapp's
brOther-in-law began an investigation
Of the disappearance Of Hannah Cod
dard Knapp.
Confessed Five Murders.
Suspicion was directed 10 Knapp. and
on February . was arrested in Indian
apolis on the charge Of numbering his
wife. He returned to Hamilton and
made a full confession. saying that he
had strangled his wife while she was
asleep and then threw the body in the
river. On the next day. in the Hamilton
jail, he made another confession. stat
ing that he had murdered five women.
including his second wife. The murders
to which he confessed. follow:
Emma Lippleman. killed in a lumber
yard at Cincinnati, June 21 1885,: Mary
Eckhart, killed on Wall Street. Cincin-
natl. August / 1891; Jennie Connors
ANAAdPhr MS StLulAu VIE hllleQ on LID
eTty Street. Cincinnati. August L. 1894:
Ida Gebha~dt a child. killed in Indian
apOlis. in Jriy. 1896. Hannah Goddard
Knapp, his third wife. killed AT Hamil-
ton. Ohio. December, p 1902 All OF
these were stranglcd to death
On March 2. 1873. ---e nude body OF
Hannah Goddard Knapp was found near
New Albany, Ind, below the Ohio
River Falls.
knapp's trial followed. ap1 although 4
vigorous effort was made to save him
he was convicted and sentenced to 10
electrOcUted. All tie means known to
law were then employed TO save him
from death, but without avail The cen
eTal claim was made that the man was
insane He was borr, AZ Cz~ea-,-t,.----