tion, he revealed his true identity and made a complete confession,
Commell had shown indifference through his arrest and trial, wearing
a smile most of the time and he inet his death on the gallows in the
jail yard at Lebanon before 300 witnesses on June 2l;, 1902, with
courage and fortitude, His last words, spkken just before the trap
fell, were: "Goodbye, gentlemen, I 44% wish you all a happy time in
the next world. I must leave this world. Farewell, farewell] fare-
well,"
A HISTORY OF HANGINGS FOR HOMICIDE IN LEBANON COUNTY by Hon. Ge Thomas
Yates. Published, 1971, by The Lebanon County “istorical Society,
Lebanon, Pag Vol. XIV, No. 6, pages 255~262
tion, he revealed his true identity and made a complete confession,
Commell had shown indifference through his arrest and trial » wearing
a smile most of the time and he inet his death on the gallows in the
jail yard at Lebanon before 300 witnesses on June 2) » 1902, with
courage and fortitude. His last words, spkken just before the trap
fell, were: "Goodbye, gentlemen, I WHEY wish you all a happy time in
the next world. I must leave this world. Farewell, farewell] fare-
well," :
A HISTORY OF HANGINGS FOR HOMICIDE IN LEBANON COUNTY by Hone Ge Thomad
Gates. Published, 1971, by The Lebanon County “istorical society,
Lebanon, Pa, Vol. XIV, No. 6, pages 255~262
tion, he revealed his true identity and made a complete confession,
Commell had shown indifference through his arrest and trial, wearing
a smile most of the time and he et his death on the gallows in the
jeil yard at Lebanon before 300 witnesses on June 2;, 1902, with
courage and fortitude, His last words, spbken just before the trap
fell, were: "Goodbye, gentlemen, I #8K% wish you all a happy time in
the next world. I must leave this world, Farewell, farewell} fare-
well,"
A HISTORY OF HANGINGS FOR HOMICIDE IN LEBANON COUNTY by Hon. G. Thonad
Sates. Published, 1971, by The Lebanon County “istorical society,
Iebanon, Pa, Vol. XIV, Nos 6, pages 255-262
ap as
Se are
wh Ei oe
COMMELL, Thomas
Commell, alias George Clarence Washington, was a 30-year-old black
native of Mount Holly, Ne. Je In 1896, he had killed a man named
Jobe Henke in Burlington. He fled and Spent the remaineder of his
life wandering around central Pennsylvania as a tramp, begging and
Stealing money and food, Early on the morning of May ), 1901, he
entered a shack on the grounds of the Colebrook Furnace in West Le-
banon, Pa., where workmen kept their lunch pails and was in the pro-
cess of stealing food from them when Jacob Schmidt, a workman cele~
crating’ his 26th birtday that day, entered and caught him, Coumell
bludgeoned Schmidt to death with a pick and placed his body-on a
bench, covering his face with a newspaper. Two other workmen dis-
covered the corpse shortly after wards and Commel1, who was captured
walking towards Harrisburg a little later was returned and identified
as the man seen by another workman in the shack, At his trial, he
maintained that he had been in the shack earlier but that nine other
tramps were still there when he left. Four prisoners who had been
in jail with him testified that he had confessed to them that he
had killed Schmidt and he was convicted and sentenced to ie, He
had been tried and convicted under his alias, but before his execu-
COMMELL, Thomas
Commell, alias George Clarence Washington, was a 30-year-old black
native of Mount Holly, N. J. in 1896, he had killed a man named
Jobe Henke in Burlington. He fled and Spent the remaineder of his
life wandering around central. Pennsylvania as a tramp, begging and
stealing money and food, Early on the morning of May , 1901, he
entered a shack on the grounds of the Colebrook Furnace in West Le-
banon, Pa., where workmen kept their lunch pails and was in the pro-
cess of stealing food from them when Jacob Schmidt, a workman cele~
brating’ his 26th birtday that day, entered and caught him. Commell
bludgeoned Schmidt to death with a pick and placed his body: on a
bench, covering his face with a newspaper. Two other workmen dis=
covered the corpse shortly after wards and Commel1, who was captured
walking towards Harrisburg a little later was returned and identified
as the man seen by another workman in the shack, At his trial, he
maintained that he had been in the shack earlier but that nine other
tramps were still there when he left. Four prisoners who had been
in jail with him testified that he had confessed to them that the
had killed Schmidt and he was convicted and sentenced to ae. He
had been tried and convicted under his alias » but before his execu-
COMMELL, Thomas
Conmell, alias George Clarence Washington, was a 30-year-old black
native of Mount Holly, N. J. In 1696, he had killed a man named
Jobe Herke in Burlington, He fled and spent ‘the remaineder of his
life wandering around central. Pennsylvania as a tramp, begging and
tramps were still there when he left. Four prisoners who had been
in jail with him testified that ho had confessed to th. t
had killed Schnaat and he was convicted and sentenced to Gee IB
had been tried and convicted under his alias, but before his execu-
