Ocean County , NJ History

New Jersey Mirror 19 Feb 1936 March 19th has been fixed as the date upon which the Court of Errors and Appeals will hear argument on the application of Jacob J. Ciemiengo, 16, and George Hildebrand, 26, for a new trial for the murder of Herman Eiler, Florence township poultry farmer. The two defendants were convicted of first degree murder and were sentenced to be electrocuted. The appeal to the higher court automatically acted as a stay of the death penalty. Jay B. Tomlinson is counsel for Ciemiengo, having been appointed to take the place of George M. Hillman, now deceased. Stanley K. Heilbron represented Hildebrand. Prosecutor Howard Eastwood will oppose the motions for setting aside the verdict of the Burlington county jury

From New Jersey Mirror 22 Jul 1936 Overgrown Jacob Ciemiengo celebrated his seventeenth birthday in the death house of State Prison, Trenton, on Thursday, happy because his life had been spared by the Court of Pardons. Scheduled to die the week of July 26 for the $4 holdup-murder of Herman Eilers, Florence township farmer, Ciemiengo and his companion, George Hildebrand, 27, had had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment on Tuesday two days before. The six-foot farmer boys awaited removal to another prison cell after official notice of the court's action was received by Principal Keeper Lagay. One of his attorneys, Stanley K. Heilbron, quoted the youth as saying, "I will show them I can make good." He reiterated this promise to his parish priest, Rev. M. A. Konopka of All Saints' Church, Burlington. He told the priest he intends to learn a trade in the prison shops and prepare himself for a useful life. Father Konopka, a prime mover in the drive to obtain a c...

from New Jersey Mirror 16 Jul 1936 The Court of Pardons having commuted the death sentences of Jacob Ciemiengo and George Hildebrand, who slew Herman Eilers, a Florence farmer, in cold blood, the question arises, what sort of murder demands the exaction of the extreme penalty

from New Jersey Mirror 20 Mar 1936: The Court of Errors and Appeals, in a decision handed down in Trenton on Thursday, refused to grant a new trial to Jacob Ciemiengo, 16, and George A. Hildebrand, 26, convicted of first degree murder of Herman Eiler, Florence township poultry farmer. A Burlington county jury brough(t) in the verdict that was appealed to the high court. The upholding of the conviction of Ciemiengo and Hildebrand leaves only one avenue of escape from electrocution. That is the Court of Pardons. The decision affirming the conviction of the pair was written by Supreme Court Justice Joseph L. Bodine. The court refused to uphold the contention of the defense that the examination of two witnesses by the state, Arthur Therien and John Malseed, was improper. The court said there was abundant evidence to uphold the ruling of the trial court that the confessions made were voluntary. It was stated in the decision that both confessed they had gone to Eiler's home to rob him ...

New Jersey Mirror 18 Mar 1936 Argument on the appeal of Jacob J. Ciemiengo and George Hildebrand for a new trial in the murder of Herman Eiler, Florence township poultryman, will be heard before the Court of Errors tomorrow. They both were convicted in the Burlington county courts of first degree murder. The defendants are represented by Stanley K. Heilbron, of Mount Holly, and Jay B. Tomlinson, of Bordentown. Prosecutor Howard Eastwood is representing the state and will argue that no errors were committed at the trial. Because of this hearing to-morrow, the weekly session of criminal court, at the court house will be postponed until Friday.