THE EXECUTION OF FREDERICK LANG

THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF MY PREVIOUS POST

April 20, 1906

In a diabolical rage of passion and jealousy, twenty-two year old Frederick Lang murdered his eighteen-year old niece Kate Gordon in cold blood. His obsessive desire to marry her, despite her obstinate rejections, convinced him that he'd rather see her dead than in the arms of someone else.

After slaying Kate, his fury was vented on her sisters and father but was unsuccessful in killing them. He escaped, running into the nearby woods.

The local Hungarian community in Middlesex County, New Jersey was stunned. The Gordon family was well-known and highly respected. Frederick Lang was also well-known, and never gave any indication of violence or ill-intent. The entire tragedy was shocking and puzzling.

A five hundred dollar reward was immediately posted for the capture of Fred Lang, along with a description of his appearance:

5'8", 125 lbs, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, red necktie, and soft brown hat with a white band. His thick shaggy hair was auburn.

Lang always gave the appearance of being an innocuous boy, although he enjoyed smoking cigars and drinking beer. He knew English, but preferred speaking Hungarian.

After the murder, Lang made it back to New Brunswick on foot. He took the train back to South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Along the route, he managed to take the pistol with which he shot Kate and threw it out the window into the Raritan River.

After fleeing from Pennsylvania, Lang went to New York and spent some time at Coney Island. He eventually wound up in Ohio, where he had some relatives.

Meanwhile in New Brunswick, a brash Hungarian detective named Joseph Lengel took a keen interest in the murder case. He knew Fred Lang and desperately wanted the $500 reward.

Lengel tracked Lang all the way to Ohio, where a bizarre incident stopped him. By an extraordinary coincidence, Joseph Lengel strongly resembled Frederick Lang. The Ohio police arrested Lengel and Lang got away!

Eventually Lang got tired of running and returned to New Jersey, knowing that he'd eventually be caught.

Joseph Lengel finally got his man. He captured Lang and hauled him off to the Middlesex County Jail. Lengel collected the $500 but things went downhill from there.

In 1907, two years before Fred Lang was executed, Lengel was arrested for extorting money from a Hungarian family. He commited suicide by cutting his throat in his prison cell.

Frederick Lang remained stoic after his arrest and never showed remorse for killing Kate Gordon.

Ironically, he wrote a passionate letter of regret to his mother in Hungary. 

I happen to have a copy of the letter and was astounded at how articulate and beautifully written it is. He said that he was writing with an outpouring of tears and regret and pleaded for his mother to remember her errant son in prayers. He lost his heart and soul after killing " the only one on earth whom I ever loved". His only wish was to die and rest, far away from the hurt and agony of life on earth.

Unfortunately, this letter was confiscated by warden Charles Rogers, and Lang's mother never saw it.

The murder trial of Frederick Lang took place in July, 1906. He was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death by hanging.

Frederick Lang's execution took place in 1909. By that time, the electric chair was used in New Jersey. Since Lang was sentenced in 1906, he was hanged rather than electrocuted.

Lang's secret remorse and fervent death wish inspired him to hasten his demise.

One one occasion, he managed to set fire to his prison cell. Later, he weaved parts of his mattress and sheets to make a rope and tried to hang himself.

These acts of attempted self-destruction inspired the state to hold a sanity hearing. This included doctors and experts from the Morris Plains Asylum for the Insane. After careful deliberations, the jury agreed that Lang was sane.

Numerous appeals and delays extended Lang's time in prison. His execution was finally scheduled for March 23, 1909.

On early Tuesday morning, March 23rd, 70 year old hangman James van Hise set up his macabre apparatus in a shed in the courtyard of the Middlesex County Jail. He proudly boasted of having done 48 executions.

The inmates of the prison were somber and unnerved. At twenty-four years of age, Lang was the youngest inmate, and considered a boy. He seemed to be liked by everyone, despite the brutal murder he committed.

The previous night, priests from St. Peter's Hungarian Catholic Church tended to Lang, heard his confessions, and accepted his repentance. They were there again in the morning for the last rights.

Lang awoke at 6:00 and had a breakfast of eggs, rolls, and coffee. He later asked for a drink and was given a small allowance of whiskey.

A curious crowd of several hundred people gathered outside of the prison facility, under the watchful eyes of a dozen policemen.

Among the witnesses who would attend the execution included John Gordon, the father of Kate Gordon.

Lang was ushered out of his cell with the priests in tow. He walked past the long row of other cells, down a flight of stairs, and out into the prison courtyard. He then entered the shed. He appeared to be calm and emotionless.

On the scaffold, his arms were bound behind him. Just before the black hood was placed over his head, a small dog ran into the room. The dog stopped at Lang's feet and gazed into his eyes. Warden Rogers quickly ushered the dog outside.

At 9:43 hangman van Hise pulled a strap that released the weights. Lang's body shot up to the ceiling, then quickly descended.

At that exact moment, a bell somberly tolled. It mysteriously came from the abandoned St. James Church, a block away.

Lang's pulse was taken at 9:50. It would take him over fifteen minutes to die. His neck wasn't broken. He died of strangulation.

At 10:00 his body was lowered into a plain brown casket.

Afterwards, John Gordon told the reporters that he witnessed the execution " with the utmost satisfaction."

The body was unclaimed by the Gordon family. Late that night, during a thunderstorm, Frederick Lang was buried in secret in an unmarked grave.

Jon V.    2024

My great-uncle Frederick Lang, an unflattering photo taken after he was arrested

My great-aunt Katalin (Kate) Gordon, murdered by Lang in April, 1906. She's wearing the white Easter dress that she was buried in.