John Greenwall, also known as Johann Theodore Wild (1859 – December 6, 1889) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

immigrant to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

who became the last person to be hanged in

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

. He was hanged at

Raymond Street Jail The Raymond Street Jail was a jail in Brooklyn, New York City. With its cornerstone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other ston ...

for shooting Lyman Smith Weeks dead during a burglary on March 15, 1887. A reward from the Mayor of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

was posted at $2,500, and Greenwall was arrested on April 5 along with several associates. Two trials in 1888 sought to disentangle the conflicting accounts of Greenwalls associates, while his lawyer argued that hanging was not a suitable punishment given that the

electric chair The electric chair is a specialized device used for capital punishment through electrocution. The condemned is strapped to a custom wooden chair and electrocuted via electrodes attached to the head and leg. Alfred P. Southwick, a Buffalo, New Yo ...

was not the preferred method of execution, and the electric chair was not suitable given that the corresponding legislation had not been in place when the murder occurred. Greenwall was sentenced on December 5, 1889. "This information was at once conveyed to Greenwall, who received it without emotion. He had slept very little on Wednesday night, occupying most of his time playing checkers and penuchle with one of his keepers. He finally fell asleep about 3 a.m., but awoke with a start about 8 o'clock. 'I shall sleep no more', he said then. 'I've only one day left, and after that I'll sleep enough'" reported the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. The report continued that: "The condemned man had retained his unnatural calm until a second before the black cap was drawn over his eyes. Then his face grew suddenly white and his pinioned knees trembled. Father O'Hara quickly placed a crucifix on Greenwall's lips, and the latter kissed it passionately. The next instant "Joe" Atkinson had rapped sharply on the wooden partition concealing the 552 pounds of weights, a crash was heard, and Greenwall's body was jerked into the air."

William Kemmler William Francis Kemmler (May 9, 1860 – August 6, 1890) was an American murderer who was the first person executed by electric chair. He was convicted of murdering Matilda "Tillie" Ziegler, his common-law wife, a year earlier.Ruddick, N. (199 ...

, the first to be executed in the electric chair, was killed in 1890, ending the use of the hangman's noose in New York State.

Notes

1859 births 1889 deaths 19th-century executions by New York (state) German emigrants to the United States German people executed for murder {{Germany-bio-stub German people executed in the United States People convicted of murder by New York (state) People executed by New York (state) by hanging

See also

Notes