The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-02

Of Burton and Frederick and through
the openings between the bars of the
cages in which they were confined
pressed his face and in turn kissed
those of his two brothers, at the same
time shaking hands and saying as he
turned away: BE brave, boys"
AS soon as Willis had passed out into
the corridor leading to the death cham
Der, Father Charbonneau Immediately
began to read the prayers of consola-
ton to which brief respons were
necessary, thus occupying taeir minds
in the minutes of suspense.
When it came Frederick's turn to CO.
as he left his cell lie stepped back a
few PAGES to the front of Burtons cage
and grasping his brothers hands in
both of his kissed him repeatedly until
the guard quietly urged him away.
Burton's departure from the death
house made the most pathetic scene of
all Besides the aged priest there was
but one other person in the world to
whom he might say goodbye. That
was Allen Mooney, the last occupant OF
the death cells. who sat in the corner OF
the front of his cell, sobbing like
child.
Remembered Another Mnn.
AS Burton stepped from his cage he
looked back toward Moneys CELL
which was out of his view, because
of a great iron screen built for that
purpose, and called: Good bye,
Mooney, I hope you wont have to go
like this" And then he marched to
the death chair.
In almost all respects the tragedy
which closed to-day a Clinton prison
was unique in modern criminal his
tory. On Christmas Eve, 1901. with
their cousin, Harvey Bruce, the three
Van Wormer brothers drove from
their home in Undertook. some four
teen miles, to the hamlet of Green
dale, in Columbia county, where lived
Peter A. Hallenbeck, the uncle of the
Van Wormers.
Mr.. Hallenheck, his wife and his
aged mother were sitting in the lamp
light in their living room. A few mo-
ments later there was a knock at the
door, and Mr.. Hallenbeck answered
it, to find the masked men before him,
armed with reVolVers. Burton Van
Wormer led the way and with him
the old man grappled.
At once all four began a fusilade of
pistol shots which fairly riddled the
body of Mr.. Hallenbeck Mrs. Hallen-
beck, the wife, ran into the kitchen
and the brothers shot at her, but mis-
sed. Her husband ordered her to flee,
and she ran upstairs, Wnltner the Oldef
woman had preceded her, and the two
barricaded themselves in the attic.
Mr.. Hallenbeck, although mortally
wounded, broke away from his as
sailants and went to the landing of
the stairs, where he kept a loaded shot
gun. The assailants saw him get the
gun, and fled. The old man fell to the
floor and died.
Cousin Betrayed Them.
Harvey Bruce turned states evil
dence and it was to a large extent upon
his testimony that the conviction of
the Van Wormer brothers was secur-
ed. He swore that upon the ride back
from the scene of the crime each of
L.. brothers boosted of having shot
the uncle.
1t was shown that the bitterness
which the brothers felt toward their
uncle was due entirely to his having
foreclosed a mortgage upon the prop
erty in Greendale owned by their step
mother, the loss of which compelled
their removal to Undertook.
The triple execution of to-day raises
to a total of seventy-three the list of
the murderers who have died in the
electric chair. The simultaneous exc
cution of three brothers is not unpre-
cedented in the history of New York,
although to find the parallel one must
go back to 1925 when three brothers
were hanged in Buffalo for murder.