The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-21
Not Perturbed When Court
Imposed Supreme Penalty
Provided by Law
PAUL CHAPMAN is
EX-CHOIR SINGER
Boyish Prisoner Says He Will Die In
nocent-Under Proof Judge Said He
Could See No Other Result Than Muir
der in First Degree.

NEW YORK, Feb. 2l-Paul Chap
man, l6 years old, mild hammered,
white OF face. but with only a slight
twitching OF his eyelids revealing the
nervous strain under which he was suf-
fering, stood before Justice Isaac kap-
per in the supreme court in Brooklyn
and heard himself sentenced to die in
the electric chair at Sing Sing prison
in the week of April l.
- How is M mother?'' queried the
condemned quietly a few moments lat
or as he was led back to the court pen
to await the start of the trip to the
deathhouse cell, where ne will await
the result of an appeal to be made by
his lawyers, who still hope they may
be able to save his life. ''Tell her 10
come see me SOON ne added
Chapman was the first youth of his
age ever sentenced to death in Kings
county. Apparently he had lost some
OF the bravado that characterized mis-
actions when l. men who sat in the
jury box and listened to the storv of
his crime, returned agitated and sad
faced, to pronounce their verdict Then
Chapman smiled broadly, glanced
around the court room, asked for a
cigarette and said: "Oh. well; what
difference. YOU We got to die some
time
He acted differently the last day
The tenseneet OF the situation which
gripped those in the court room APP
| peared TO extend even to Justice kap-
! per, wAoat voice was pitched to an I'M
usual tone as he followed the legal
| formalities and asked the staring boy
| before him whether there was any le-
| gal reason why the death sentence
! should not be pronounced.
! In voice that still carried in it.,
| despite IN occasional stammer, trace
of the sweetness and evenness of tone
that gained a place for him in the
choirs OF Brooklyn churches,- young
Chapman replied that he had not =. Il
! know ! deserve some punishment for
what | have done he said, faltering-
| ~, Il know that | did not shoot or
! kill anybody. | started away from
| the scene before any shooting or VIC
| lcnee occurred | never really knew.
| until | was in court the next morning.
| what had happened.
| - made the confession of what
| had done To prove that | did not kill
| anybody and it was in the hope of get
ting some lenicncv for what l did do
/ went into this thing in moment
| when | WASH I thinking Of what | was
doing and everything combined. some
how or other, against me. | know /
deserve some punishment, but what
your honor is about to infiict | don I
| deserve at all.
Justice kapper nervouslT fingered an
accumulation of letters on His desk
and explained that they had been sent
70 him by we'll meaning women, plead
ing for leniency, who had overlooked
the fact that the court was unable to
infiet upon Chapman anything but the
death sentence.
4" Under the proof, he said, ~ can
see no other result than a verdict of
murder in the first degree. Then he
+ pronounced the death sentence, to
which Chapman listenede without any
display of emotion.
II think il was harder for the Judge
than for me, i" he remarked afterward
You see, l will die innocent and Goo
Knows | am.
Chapman was convicted of having
been concerned in the Staying of Harry
Regensburg and his brother Samue
last October. They were shot anC
killed by burglars, and Harry Regens
burg's wife was shot four times. TIL,
shooting occurred in Regensburg s sta
I.tionery store, $50 Park place, Brooklyn
Hugh Davis, another of the burgla
band. was slot and killed by police
men when he was attempting to escape