Gerhard Arthur Puff (February 13, 1914 – August 12, 1954) was a gangster executed by the federal authorities in New York for killing a federal agent. Born in Dresden, Germany, the 13-year-old Puff, along with his mother and five-year-old brother arrived in the US on June 6, 1927 at Ellis Island on board SS Columbus from Bremen.[1] The family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin,[2] where he became a naturalized citizen in 1934, but by 1940, he was an inmate in the Wisconsin State Prison in Waupun, Wisconsin.[3]
| Gerhard Puff | |
|---|---|
 Gerhard Arthur Puff | |
| FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive | |
| Charges | Bank robbery and murder |
| Description | |
| Born | February 13, 1914 Dresden, Saxony, German Empire |
| Died | August 12, 1954 (aged 40) Sing Sing Prison, Ossining, New York, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by electrocution |
| Status | |
| Convictions | First degree murder of a federal employee (18 U.S.C. §§ 1111 and 1114) |
| Penalty | Death |
| Added | December 3, 1951 |
| Executed | August 12, 1954 (aged 40) |
| Number | 30 |
| Executed | |
Capture edit
In 1952, he traveled from Kansas City to Manhattan with his 17-year-old wife, Annie Laurie. By this time, his career as a bank robber had earned him a spot on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted List". Shortly after he arrived at the Congress Hotel at 19 West 69th Street,[4] FBI agents were waiting to arrest him.[5] He did not remain at Room 904, but returned to the first floor in a few minutes by the stairway where FBI Special Agent Joseph John Brock, aged 44, was stationed. Puff encountered Brock and shot him twice in the chest and took the collapsing officer's gun. Then, with a gun in each hand, Puff zig-zagged through the hotel's lobby, firing another shot at converging agents. Agents outside the hotel called on Puff to surrender. Puff responded with bullets before being shot and collapsing in the street. He was taken to a hospital for treatment, then to the prison ward at Bellevue. Brock was treated by a doctor on the scene, then rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Death edit
On May 15, 1953, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Gerhard Arthur Puff was found guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to death. Puff's attorney appealed the conviction to no avail. Puff was executed on August 12, 1954, at Sing Sing prison, Ossining, in the electric chair and declared dead at 11:08 p.m. He was one of the first people New York State Electrician Dow Hover was hired to execute.[6]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957. Microfilm Publication T715, 8892 rolls. Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; National Archives at Washington, D.C. Year: 1927; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: 4068; Line: 5; Page Number: 187.
- ^ 1930 Federal Census for the 22nd Precinct, Block 3756 of the City of Milwaukee, County of Milwaukee, State of Wisconsin, Enumeration District 40-279, Sheet 13-A, Lines 36-38
- ^ 1940 Federal Census for the Wisconsin State Prison, Second Ward, City of Waupun, County of Dodge, State of Wisconsin (Enumeration District 14-60, Sheet 16-A, Line 22)
- ^ "19 West 69th Street in Central Park West: Review and Ratings | CityRealty". www.cityrealty.com. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- ^ "The Last Executioner". The Village Voice. 2005-01-18. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- ^ "The Last Executioner". The Village Voice. 2005-01-18. Retrieved 2021-11-30.