Famous Last Words
George Appel
Ossining, New York
August 9, 1928

“I am innocent of the killing of that cop. I committed other crimes and I lay that to evil companions. But I didn’t kill the cop. I wouldn’t kill one. Didn’t I try to save the life of one? Graham was one, wasn’t he, and didn’t I try to prove him innocent?”

Appel and an accomplice shot and killed police Lieutenant Charles Kemmer during an escape following a robbery, though he denied the murder to the end. Appel is often credited for various witty last words including “you are about to see a baked Appel,” “all the ladies love baked apples,” and “damn, no power outage” before his execution via electric chair. As people love clever remarks, his false final statements have endured.