Perth Amboy evening news., 1908-09-16
STILL FIGHTING
TO SAVE LANG
Appeal Decision Of Jury as 10
Prisoners Sanity and Court
Of PaTdOnS May Changs'li.
LAST HANGING 80 YEARS AGO

No step is being left unturned to
save Fred Lang from the gallows.
The decision of the jury declaring
Lang sane is to be appealed to the
supreme court; a special session Of
the court of ehancery has been called
to consider the case and, as a last
resort, it is possible that the Court
of Pardons will commute the sem
tence to life Imprisonment in view
of the fact that hanging has been
abolished in New Jersey
Alan H. Strong appeared before
Justice Bergen yesterday to ask for
writ of certiorari to carry the in
sanity proceedings before the SUI
preme court for review, the justice
said that he had concluded that the
application should be made to the
branch court, and that Justice Gar
rison's branch would hear 1t at Tren-
ton at 9.15 o'clock Friday morning
or this week.
Justice Garrison has arranged
this special session at some incon-
venience," said Justice Bergen, "and
l trust that counsel for the defense
and the prosecutor will arrange to be
there at that time. Messrs Berdine
and Strong both promised to be pres
ent
Il also wish to say" said Justice
Bergen, that the secretary of state
has informed me that the governor
has called a special session of the
court of chancery to consider this
case. The latter court will meet Mon
day, in chancery chambers, Pruden-
tial Building, Newark"
1t Is thirty-three years since a man
was hanged in Middlesex county.
Unless Counsellor Alan H. Strong
succeeds in his final efforts to save
Lang, there will be another hanging
on Friday week at the Middlesex
county jail Van Hise, the Newark
hangman, has already been here look
ing over the ground and has picked
out the jail barn as the place of exc
cution.
There are some people who remem-
Der the last hanging In Middlesex,
but not many. The details of that
event are herewith given:
Michael Sullivan was the last MUIR
derer hanged in this city. December
1, 1874, Daniel Talmage, of Metuch-
en-, was found near his stable about
4 o'clock in the afternoon, dubbed
we'll nigh unto death. He did not
regain consciousness and died the
next morning.
Edward Mundy, a teamster, was
arrested on the charge, but after a
three days trial was acquitted. Then
Sullivan was suspected and he was
searched for, but could not be found.
A reward of $3.50 was offered for his
capture. He was at last arrested on
the cars near Jersey City. On him
was found Daniel Talmage's pocket
book which contained a 25-cent
greenback and one five cent piece,
the remains of $500 stolen from the
body of the murdered man.
Sullivan's trial lasted eleven days.
There were fifty-two witnesses for
the prosecution and twenty for the
defense. The jury were deliberating
twenty-one hours. They found him
guilty of murder in the first degree
On February 81, 1875. judgment
was passed upon him. He was SEN
fenced to be hung April 8, betwcon
the hours of II and 3. On hearing
the sentence Sullivan looked very
pale and agitated and exclaimed.
That's hard death to die, Judge. I"
On Wednesday, April Z, Sullivan
endeavored to take the keys from the
1ailer so as to effect his escape. The
Jailer got away from his clutches and
left the cell. After Sullivan's unsuc-
cessful attempt to escape he yelled
and raved like a madman. He was
executed on April 9 and his body re-
NAMED suspended 48 minutes. He
was hung by Sheriff Mart Lupardus
who is remembered by many citizens.